Transportation

If you walk, bike, take public transportation, or carpool to work, chances are CommuterChoice affects your life and this year the group is celebrating a major milestone - its tenth anniversary. For a decade, CommuterChoice has been providing faculty and staff with convenient options, financial incentives, and environmental benefits for using alternative transportation.

Harvard Medical School now has two new hybrid Zipcars, the Prius “Pirrello” and Altima “Alley.” They are located in the Palace Parking lot between 180 and 164 Longwood Avenue. Harvard faculty, staff, students, post-docs and others working in the Longwood area are eligible to receive a discount on Zipcar memberships by signing up at zipcar.com/masco.

Congratulations to CommuterChoice for winning a 2009 Bike Friendly Business award.  Boston Mayor Tom Menino hosted the awards ceremony at the Boston Children’s Museum on April 16.  Mayor Menino presented Manager of CommuterChoice Kris Locke and Associate Director for Parking Services Jim Sarafin with the award for their extensive efforts to promote bicycling on

On May 12, a ribbon cutting ceremony was held at the new bike shelter near the Divinity School. Transportation Services Director John Nolan, Associate Vice President for Facilities and Environmental Services Tom Vautin, Manager of CommuterChoice Kris Locke and others gathered for the event. The shelter, on Francis Street, encourages bicycling by providing a covered area for up to 74 bikes.

Did you know that University Operations Services (UOS) uses recycled rainwater to wash hundreds of University-owned vehicles each year? It’s true. In addition to conserving water, recycling rainwater helps control pollutants washing into the Charles River and recharges groundwater supplies for the dry summer months.

Bicyclists across the University have a new way to protect their rides. University Operations Services' Transportation Services and CommuterChoice recently unveiled a covered bike shelter near the newly completed Francis Avenue parking lot close to the Divinity School.

As U.S. automakers plead for a government bailout, the next great automotive revolution is already under way, as Japanese automakers plan for a generation of lightweight cars that vastly increase mileage and whose advanced materials pay for themselves through dramatically streamlined assembly and smaller engines, a leading energy expert said yesterday.