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'Some new people' choose car-free Mail Tribune / Jim Craven Keri Green gets ready to cross East Main Street in downtown Ashland on Friday during the annual Car Free Day event. The day is intended to encourage people to use other means of getting around - bikes, feet, buses - but organizers including Green were disappointed by Friday's participation rate. Green chairs Ashland's Bicycle and Pedestrian Commission. Low turnout left organizers with new goal for next year By JILL BRISKEY For one day, Rogue Valley residents were asked to leave their vehicles at home and walk, bus or bicycle their way to work or school on Friday. Supported by Jackson County, Medford, Ashland and transportation officials, some people celebrated Car Free Day Friday by using alternative transportation. Organizers were disappointed in a low level of participation. People who didn't participate said it's tough to get around the Rogue Valley without a car. For those who did join in, the Rogue Valley Transit District offered free bus rides, and local businesses provided free coffee and baked goods in Ashland and Medford. Keri Green, who chairs the Ashland Bicycle and Pedestrian Commission, said she was pleased by the annual event but disappointed by the low level of participation. She estimates that approximately 100 people took part in the Car Free Day in Ashland. Numbers for Medford weren't available. "We captured some new people that made a special effort today, and that's good," Green said. "We need to make this into a much bigger, citywide event." Next year Green said she would like to see a lane of traffic roped off for bicyclists and pedestrians. Ashland resident Brian S. Phillips said he was disappointed to see so many motorists using their vehicles Friday. "I own a horse, a bike and a skateboard," Phillips said. "Why should I pay thousands of dollars to pollute our Mother Earth? I wish more people would pay attention." Medford resident Hector Rodriguez doesn't own a car and relies on RVTD's bus system. "It's good for others to use (the buses)," Rodriguez said. "Without the buses, many people have nothing." Andreas Paulsen, a planner for RVTD, said the main focus of Car Free Day was education. "It gave everybody a chance to ride the bus," Paulsen said. "If we can pick up the ridership, we can pick up the frequency of the transit system." During its 2000-2001 fiscal year, 787,729 riders used RVTD's fixed-route system and 61,479 used the agency's service for disabled and senior citizens. That's up from 1998-1999's totals of 574,825 fixed route riders and 57,817 special service commuters. "We're getting a lot of people moving into the area from larger metropolitan areas that are already used to a transit system," Paulsen said. Some residents found it impossible Friday to give up their vehicles, even for one day. Phoenix resident Shelly Champers, 22, works two full-time jobs and said she's on call at a moment's notice. Even if buses ran at night, Champers wouldn't use them. "My schedules are never set, and I just don't have time to wait 45 minutes for a bus, and then wait another 30 minutes just to get to my job," Champers said. "It might save money for some, but I don't have the time and I like the freedom of my car." Southern Oregon University student Kevin McDaniel lives in Medford and commutes daily to Ashland for classes. McDaniel said he feels the system isn't reliable and would take too much time. "They don't have a route that goes straight through and doesn't stop," McDaniel said. "I'm never sure when the buses are running early or when they run late." Reach reporter Jill Briskey at 776-4485, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.