Last week, I was sad to read in my local paper that an airport shuttle service was closing down after 35 years in the business.  In the Asbury Park Press, you can read the story entitled “Olympic Airporter succumbs to sour economy”.

They will stop operating this Friday (June 19, 2009).  It is a real shame to learn that this inexpensive alternative to taxis or parking at the airport will no longer be available.  Look at some of the many benefits of their service:

• Convenience
• Save gasoline
• Reduce traffic
• Provide good employment
• Help local economy

They currently run 19 trips per day utilizing a fleet of 90 vehicles to service about 16,500 passengers a month.  That is over 500 people a day or almost 200,000 a year.

Now what are their clients options?  They can try other limo companies, but will probably pay more.  They can drive themselves, adding to traffic and paying almost $20 a day to park at the airport.  Or they could share rides.  If all the people that utilized this service got together on a ride sharing web site, they could help each other.  At least something good could come out of this bad situation.

Finally, my heart goes out to the 128 full and part-time employees at Olympic Airporter.  I wish them the best in finding new employment with these difficult economic conditions.

photo credit: Joi

Have you heard of Playing For Change?  Their goal is bring peace to the world through music.  Below is one example of the powerful message they are sending out by uniting artist all over the world to create a cohesive whole from many distinct parts.

As you watch one of the videos, you can see and hear each individual’s contribution to the song.  It is very interesting to listen to how the musicians play off of each other even though they are entire continents away.

We all need to unite to solve many of the problems facing us today.  I hope you enjoy this video as much as I did and find encouragement in the message.

One Love, One Heart
Let’s get together and feel all right
Hear the children crying (One Love)
Hear the children crying (One Heart)
Sayin’ give thanks and praise to the Lord and I will feel all right
Sayin’ let’s get together and feel all right

If you have a few minutes, I urge you to take a look at this Streetsblog video of the McDonald’s Cycle Center in Chicago’s Millennium Park.  This is a great option for people who work in the area that want to bike to their job on a regular basis.

They currently have over 500 members and a waiting list of commuters who want to be able to park their bikes.  The facility makes it very easy to:

• Ride to the garage
• Park your bike in a double-tier rack
• Shower
• Use locker rooms to dress
• Go to work

The bike parking garage cost just over $3 million to build and is proving to be extremely popular.  The roof features solar panels that power the building.  There is also a bike repair shop on site to provide a tune-up while you are at work or emergency repair by their staff mechanics.

Commuters share the facility with the 400 plus members of the lakefront police bike patrol.  This is great base for the police and really provides an extra level of security for bike riders.  The facility also has bikes for rent and guided tours of different parts of the city.

I hope the success of this operation provides inspiration for other cities.  This addresses many of the major concerns of bike commuters including parking, locker room access and security.  Maybe this will become a growing trend and provide commuters everywhere with a very workable option for bike commuting.

photo credit: roland