Lots of people would like to take transit to work, but for many, the distance between their work and the nearest Caltrain or SamTrans station is too far to walk. A recent survey by the Alliance found that distance from work to transit station was the second most cited reason for not taking transit for a commute.

Carpooling saves money, saves resources, and can save the air. But where do you go to find carpool partners to share rides to work? Just visit Commute.org where you can quickly create a profile and find commuters who have similar travel routes and schedules with whom you can share a ride.  The system lets you easily send potential rideshare partners an e-mail or give them a call.

On bicycle boulevards such as the one in Palo Alto along Bryant Street, the use of traffic calming devices like chokers and diverters eliminates most auto traffic while permitting bicycle and pedestrian through traffic. The result is significantly reduced auto traffic and much higher bicycle and pedestrian traffic.

Pervious paving systems (permeable concrete and asphalt, permeable joint pavers, or reinforced grass and gravel grids) allow rainwater to pass through their surface and soak into the underlying ground, recharging watersheds and replenishing ground water supplies while protecting wildlife habitats and greater ecosystems. While these systems help reduce the amount of stormwater runoff, they are not considered a treatment measure. Pervious paving must be designed to manage stormwater runoff adequately, while maintaining the same load bearing capacity as conventional paving in order to support the weight and forces applied by vehicular traffic.

In 2007, the City/County Association of Governments of San Mateo County enthusiastically supported the development of a local guidebook for developing sustainable streets and parking lots. In January 2009, the first edition guidebook was released and made available for easy download. This guidebook is intended to inspire small but widespread changes that will improve San Mateo County's watershed health.

Sustainable streets integrate sustainable design principles, promote least-polluting ways to connect people and goods to their destinations, and make transportation facilities and services part of livable communities. The guidebook covers a wide range of topics, including: site layout and stormwater facility strategies, discussion on key design and construction details, and conceptual designs for demonstration projects being constructed in the county. The goal is to provide designers, builders, municipal staff, and other interested groups with practical and state-of-the-art information on creating low-impact development roadways and parking lots within San Mateo County.

Bottom Line: Through the Great Communities Collaborative, nonprofits and foundations team up to fund Transit Oriented Developments (TOD) that promote diversity in residents, incomes, and businesses.

The Great Communities Collaborative is a unique cooperative relationship between four Bay Area nonprofit organizations - Greenbelt Alliance, the Nonprofit Housing Association of Northern California, TransForm, and Urban Habitat - and the national nonprofit Reconnecting America. The East Bay Community Foundation, The San Francisco Foundation, and The Silicon Valley Community Foundation are also part of the collaborative.

Originally, El Camino Real linked the Spanish Missions from San Diego to Sonoma. Now, cities from Daly City to San Jose want to make the road a "Grand Boulevard" that models transit oriented development (TOD). A collaboration of cities, counties, and local agencies created the Grand

Boulevard Initiative in 2008 to improve the performance, safety, and aesthetics of El Camino Real.