City employees will be required to take public transportation to meetings and assignments during the work day or explain why not, under a strict new mileage and travel reimbursement policy tailor-made to save $1 million.
Take the bus: City employees ordered to use public transportation - Chicago Sun-Times
3 comments:
One would have thought that Portland, being a leading edge "green" city, would have had this policy in place a full ten years ago.
Nope. Portland LOVES its fleet of single-occupant motor vehicles, that's why there's one such vehicle parked just outside City Hall for the use of none other than Sam Adams. That's why in the basement of my building is probably 20, 30 such vehicles (while my employer has just ONE motor pool vehicle - and the last two times I traveled on company business it was using my employer paid TriMet pass.)
Portland is not a leader, it's barely a follower, and only when it's convenient. Heck...even TriMet can't force its own employees into using its own system; thus the nice large motor pool of TriMet vehicles parked right next to the MAX line in a private parking lot in the Lloyd District; Metro is the same as well, preaching "sustainability" as it enjoys a nice private motor pool in its "green" building a few blocks from the MAX line - and with a #6 bus line stop right at one of its entrances.
Portland is a 'green wash' city.
All hype.
TriMet can't force its own employees into using its own system
Do you really think that "forcing" employees to do something is reasonable?
Overall, it's a trade-off between travel costs and staff time/efficiency. For example, building inspectors may need to visit many different sites in various locations each day. Without truly comprehensive transit (e.g. service every 10-12 minutes virtually everywhere) that can be hard to do. Plus, many employees may need to transport a lot of stuff with them.
Also, it can be argued that Chicago has a more built-up transit system.
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