Car Pools Off to Slow Start With County Workers

A year after Ventura County started a program aimed at reducing traffic, few county employees have joined car pools and fewer still are riding bicycles, a county report shows.

The battle to clean up the county’s air by reducing the number of cars on the road will be hard-fought in Ventura County, where the freeways are still relatively unclogged and skies still look clear, said William Mount, planning manager for the county Air Pollution Control District.

“When people can drive 30 miles in 30 minutes, there are not the same kinds of incentives to car-pool as there are in Los Angeles, where it takes an hour to go 20 miles,� Mount said. “For a lot of people, it’s their only time alone all day and they really cherish that time.�

The county’s goal for its transportation program is to persuade about one of every four employees to stop commuting alone at the peak morning rush hours between 6 and 10 a.m., in favor of shared rides, altered work schedules or other alternatives to the single-rider car commute.

The county report, detailing the year’s progress, will be presented to the county Board of Supervisors on Tuesday. The report states that at least two more staff members are needed to administer a countywide program for 6,000 employees driving to eight offices.

Since the county started its transportation program, 109 employees have joined 47 car pools, none have joined van pools and 44 ride bicycles, according to the report.

“I think it’s a start,� said Gail Matz, county transportation coordinator. “Our goal is to reduce commuter trips by 15%.�

Matz, Mount and the Air Pollution Control District are working with a consultant to design a plan to meet that goal. The plan will go to the supervisors on June 1. It will incorporate results from a survey of county employees, in which 99% of the county’s workers participated.

The survey results, expected to be released next month, will tell Matz and Mount what employees are willing to do in terms of changing their commuting habits and what incentives are needed to draw them from their drivers’ seats.

The county already has a pilot program in three departments that allows flexible work hours. The county also provides preferred parking spots for car-poolers. Matz is working on a plan that will guarantee car-poolers rides home in case unscheduled meetings or illnesses keep them late, take them home early or take away their car-pool drivers.

The new plan will incorporate those incentives and more, Mount said.

The county is the first employer to create a plan to reduce the number of car trips under a regulation passed by the Air Pollution Control District, increasing ridership to 1.35 riders per car from the present 1.1.

Beginning in August, private employers must also develop plans to meet the 1.35 average ridership requirement. This year, employers of more than 100 people come under the requirement. In 1991, employers of more than 75 people must develop transportation plans, and in 1992, employers with more than 50 employees must develop plans.