Even before they get to work, Volpe staff prove that they care about transportation, especially on Walk/Ride Days.

For the fourth year in a row, Volpe has earned top awards for our staff’s participation in Green Streets Initiative’s Walk/Ride Day Corporate Challenge. Green Streets sponsored an ice cream social in February at Volpe to celebrate.

For the 2015 challenge, Volpe took home first place in two out of four green categories: company participation rate and percentage of greener switches, in both the “large businesses” (301-2,000 employees) and “public and municipal sector” categories.

"Greener switches” measures commute changes from higher to lower environmental impact modes of travel. For example, trading transit for commuting by bicycle on Walk/Ride Day is a greener switch. 

“I love bicycling to Volpe from my home in Arlington,” said Jonathan Koopmann, a senior engineer at Volpe. “It frees me from sitting in traffic and allows me to arrive at work at a consistent time each day. I like the exercise I get while riding and enjoy the camaraderie with fellow bikers along my route, many of whom I see and chat with every day.”

Walk/Ride Day is an opportunity for commuters to explore more environmentally friendly and healthy commuting options. From April through October, on the last Friday of every month (Walk/Ride Days), registered organizations in the Boston and Cambridge area encourage staff to check-in their commutes online, providing information on mode of transportation and time taken to travel.

Walk/Ride Day 2016 kicks off on April 29. Learn more and explore Volpe’s Walk/Ride Day 2015 stats on the Green Streets Initiative’s website.