Community group to help citizens “Discover Transportation Freedom”

Environmental groups in Charlottesville and Albemarle County will celebrate Earth Week with a series of events designed to create awareness of sustainability initiatives in our community. One of those is Discover Transportation Freedom, a program of the Alliance for Community Choice in Transportation (ACCT), an area non-profit that seeks to help the community learn to take advantage of other ways to get around.

Podcast produced by Charlottesville Tomorrow * Player by Odeo

Listen using player above or download the podcast:  Download 20080417-shahan.mp3

ACCT launches a new program this week called Discover Transportation Freedom that organizers say will help people become more aware of the benefits of alternative modes of transportation. To find out more, Charlottesville Tomorrow’s Sean Tubbs interviewed ACCT Executive Director Zachary Shahan on board a Route 7 bus bound for Barracks Road Shopping Center.  In this 17 minute podcast, Shahan gives details on the program, and explains the philosophy behind it.

“We’ve favored the automobile beyond what’s healthy for our society, for our cities, for our communities,  for our people, for our economy, for our health, for our environment,” Shahan said. “The Alliance’s goals are to create a more balanced system.”

Discover Transportation Freedom will begin with the Earth Day Eco-Fair on Saturday, April 19, at Charlottesville High School. Throughout the year, ACCT will hold community bike rides in every City neighborhood, as well as “transportation socials.” Participants will be entered into a raffle with a substantial cash prize. The program will end later this year with a presentation on ways to improve transit in the City of Charlottesville.

Sean Tubbs