“Connect, Redwood City!” Introduces Green Travel Options

Workers, residents and public officials gathered in a sunny spot between the Redwood City Caltrain platform and the nearby emerald SamTrans bus shelters yesterday to launch “Connect, Redwood City!” — a new initiative to provide visitors and residents with a wider range of options for getting around town.

The event was MC’d by Redwood City Mayor Alicia Aguirre, who also serves as an MTC commissioner. The initiative was presented as a gift to the city, with a giant white ribbon encircling the entire range of transportation options: a white SamTrans bus, a green-and-white vanpool van, a red Zipcar and a fleet of the new teal Bay Area Bike Share bikes. The vehicles were tied together in a neat package, reflecting the fact that multiple transit agencies, private companies and local jurisdictions had “worked seamlessly together to get this project rolling,” as MTC Commissioner Adrienne Tissier put it. Tissier also serves as a San Mateo County supervisor.

“What we’re hoping for here is to really change the way of life,” Tissier said, noting the positive outcomes for the city, “It’s become more vibrant, more walkable.”

“Look at right here at this [Caltrain] station: bikes, Zipcars, buses, vans…to be at this point is a key integration,” said Zipcar Vice President Dan Grossman, noting how much Redwood City had changed from when he was growing up there. Zipcar is a carsharing company that provides cars by the hour for reasonable fees at transportation hubs and other key locations around the region.

Agguire noted that the new transportation options were complemented by expanded housing options and redevelopment of the historic town center. “When you look all around you, you can see what’s changing in Redwood City,” the mayor beamed.

The initiative received a $1.5 million grant from MTC’s Climate Initiatives Grant program, which has launched a similar effort in Berkeley calledgoBerkeley.

See also:

• Press release
• ConnectRedwoodCity.com
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