Alt. Transportation Fest.

I did however meet with Nathaniel Doyno of Steel City Biofuels on Labor Day morning to discuss the Alternative Transportation Fest that he is coordinating to take place here in Pittsburgh on October 5th. This will be the next project/committee I will be working with in my spare time.
The ATF is an event to raise public awareness of alternative means of transportation and advocate for the use of public transportation, car-sharing, alternative fuels, and human-powered vehicles. This project will combine internationally observed events with Pittsburgh’s own innovations and activities.

The combination of a vital public transit system, locally-led innovation in alternative fuels and vehicles, and a growing community of activists and operators makes Pittsburgh an urban center at the forefront of alternative transportation solutions to pressing national and international issues on fossil fuel consumption, carbon-based pollution and urban living.

Planned festival activities (at 3 seperate locations; Southside Works on the Southside, Market Sq in Downtown and Schenley Plaza in Oakland) include bike repair workshops, a “bike-buddy program”, a shower subsidy at the downtown YMCA for cyclists, biodiesel production and straight vegetable oil conversion workshops, free music and food, speakers, alternative transportation art and writing competitions, raffles (with significant prizes like free bus fare for a year, one year FlexCar membership, an expensive bike, one months worth of biodiesel or ethanol, etc.), car-sharing and car-pooling demos, alternative fuel vehicle, hybrid, and “Smart-Car” demos, a themed scavenger hunt, location specific prizes based on size of participants carbon footprints, and carbon foot print inflatibles.

We hope that the event will decrease the number of daily commuters that drive alone, increase public transit rider ship levels and utilization of the “Ride, Rack & Roll” program, strengthen efforts to secured dedicated funding for public transit, increase the number of daily commuter cyclists and participation in cycling programs, increase awareness about bike safety issues, increase the number of participants in car-sharing and car-pooling programs, increase the number of hybrid and alternative fuel vehicles, and increase the use of alternative fuels.