There's a new effort underway to help commuters identify alternatives to driving to and from downtown

Commute Seattle, which works to reduce drive-alone commuter trips, has launched a campaign that kicks off by asking people to “pledge” four days a month to reduce their drive-alone trips and help keep downtown Seattle accessible, energy efficient, and economically competitive.

“Traffic congestion in the Pacific Northwest is a serious problem, costing residents and businesses between $1.5 and $2 billion each year in the central Puget Sound region,” said Jamie Cheney, director of Commute Seattle. “Every pledge contributes to make a big difference in our mission to keep downtown Seattle beautiful and accessible to everyone.”
 
The organization provides a variety of tools for employers, property owners and individual commuters. The organization’s Web site serves as a central resource for commuters to downtown Seattle—including real-time bus tracking, ferry and commuter rail information, carpool networking and vanshare participation.

Commute Seattle is an alliance of the Downtown Seattle Association, King County Metro Transit, and the City of Seattle. It strives to reduce the number of vehicles into downtown Seattle by 4,185 vehicles per day by 2011, building up to a total of 15,970 by 2015.

 
To take the commuter pledge and learn more about Commute Seattle by visiting their Web site,  www.commuteseattle.com.