Residents are asked to participate in Durango’s Clean Commute Week, in which they find alternative and more environmentally friendly ways to commute.
Residents are asked to participate in Durango’s Clean Commute Week, in which they find alternative and more environmentally friendly ways to commute.Durango Herald file

The city of Durango is celebrating a week of clean commuting, including walking, biking, carpooling and riding public transportation.

“It’s a fun way for people that don’t usually commute that way to just give it a try, and it’s a fun way to celebrate it for people who get around that way most of the time,” said Assistant Director of Transportation Sarah Dodson.

Durango’s Clean Commute Week goes through Wednesday.

The city’s multi-modal transportation program is one of the strongest in Colorado, Dodson said. Currently, the city has three projects in the works: Needham Connect, which improves pedestrian access around Needham Elementary; the College Drive and Eighth Avenue lane reduction; and the Roosa Avenue Connection, which would create sidewalks and shared hard-surface paths along Roosa Avenue.

Most of the funding for such projects comes from grants, Dodson said.

Dodson said commuters can make a difference by commuting cleanly just one time a week.

“Just give it a try, and see if you like it,” she said. “It’s a lot more easy than it seems, it just has to become a new habit.”

Clean Commute Week will include the week-long Summer Business Commuter Challenge, in which businesses compete with each other to see which one can get the most employees to commute in a clean fashion.

At the Durango Farmer’s Market on Saturday, commuters can stop by the Clean Commute Week booth to register their bike, enter to win drawings and sign up for the Way to Go! Club, which provides incentives to commute cleanly.

On Monday, there will be a community forum in coordination with the city’s public engagement process. The forum will be focused around the city’s multi-modal transportation projects.

Schedule

Monday
Paul Wilbert Memorial passeggiata,
4:30 p.m., Buckley Park, 1250 Main Ave.: A slow bike ride will be held on Main Avenue from Buckley Park to Carver Brewing Co. before the community forum.
City of Durango community forum,
5 p.m., Carver Brewing Co., 1022 Main Ave.: The forum will give community members an opportunity to provide the city with their feedback about the future of Durango.
Tuesday
Pedal vs. Metal Challenge,
noon, Durango Transit Center, 250 W. Eighth St.: The event is a competition between people walking, biking, riding motorcycles and driving cars to see who can run errands around town the fastest.
Wednesday
Bike to Work Day,
7 a.m., Mercy Regional Medical Center, 1010 Three Springs Blvd., Animas Chocolate Co., 920 Main Ave.: Events will be set up at Mercy and Animas Chocolate Co. to offer free food, coffee, shirts and raffles for participants.
Thursday
“Love Your Commute” celebration,
5 p.m., Ska Brewing Co., 225 Girard St.: An event will be held to celebrate the end of Clean Commute Week and announce the winners of Business Commuter Challenge awards.