Issaquah Highlands Connections
IH to Microsoft Bike Route
SR -52 0
RIDESHARING
April 2017 •
Redmond
Sam ma mis h Lak e
Ridesharing saves money and time. It includes carpooling, vanpooling and school-pooling. Online registration is simple. Just sign up at King County Metro’s rideshareonline.com or contact Metro Operations at 206-625-4500. You can even earn a free $25 Orca card! To learn more, see: wsdot.wa.gov/transit/rideshare.
mish Samma
Microsoft HQ
If you commute to Bellevue, see their helpful vanpool resources here: chooseyourwaybellevue.org.
Vanpool
Above, a glimpse of the East Lake Sammamish Trail. Find more information about this trail on kingcounty.gov.
< Factoria
Sharing commuting cost between 5+ riders in a Metro Vanpool is a great deal! And while you are saving money, let your driver chauffer you while you read, do a few emails, or simply enjoy the company of your ride-buddies. Vanpools are usually made up of people who all work at the same place. HOW MUCH CAN YOU SAVE? Say your commute is 40 miles roundtrip, 5 days/week. AAA says that commute would cost you $464/month if driving alone (58¢/mile for depreciation, insurance, maintenance, gas, etc.). In a van with 5 riders your share would be $150.20/month. If you have a van with 7 passengers, it’s only $92.00. START A VANPOOL: See kingcounty.gov/metrovans. Vanpool drivers go through a vetting/qualification process and take online training before being approved. Drivers are the group leader, with the help of a designated rider/bookkeeper. Drivers clean and make sure the van is maintained. Personal use of van is strictly limited.
I-9
0 Issaquah Highlands Issaquah
Almost all of the 15.5 mile bike route (outline in red) between Issaquah Highlands and Microsoft HQ in Redmond is on a car-free trail. Part of the ride is on the East Lake Sammamish Trail, then on the 520 trail.
BIKE TO WORK
JOIN A VANPOOL: Riders simply fill out a detailed, online application at rideshareonline. com. A completed application provides a log in to the site. Riders find drivers by entering their trip details and then sorting through a list of drivers’ trip schedules that have matching locations.
TO MICROSOFT, REDMOND CAMPUS: 15.5 miles (15 miles of that on trail), elevation 354 ft. up, 820 ft. down
WHAT ABOUT PARKING? Parking benefits in Seattle can be found at https://www.seattle. gov/transportation/parking/carpool.htm.
TO DOWNTOWN BELLEVUE: 14 miles (4 miles of that on trail), elevation 500 ft. up, 950 ft. down. TO DOWNTOWN SEATTLE: 20.5 miles, (12 miles of that on trail), elevation 132 ft. up, 1736 ft. down
Carpool Cut your commuting costs in half by sharing the ride with just one other. Get to work faster by taking the HOV lane, and in many workplaces, get preferred parking. FIND A CARPOOL: After filling out the application at rideshareonline.com/, log in and enter your trip details. A map shows others whose trips are similar to yours. It’s up to you to find the best match. If you want to ride, send a “driver” a request. There does not appear to be any vetting of drivers/passengers. TAKE HOV: HOV lanes require 2+ riders except I-405 which requires a flex-pass and during weekday peak hours, it requires 3+ riders to use the lanes free of charge.
School-pool School-pooling is just starting in Issaquah. It’s a way to help share rides with other families at your children’s schools through a free, secure, ride-match service. See rideshareonline.com/Image/SchoolpoolBrochure2013.pdf. For more information, email salmonfriendlytrips@issaquahwa.gov.
“We dont live in the highlands anymore, but the hubby has been taking a van pool to work (Amazon)for about 4yrs now...Wouldnt do it any other way!! -Lynne Trowern
“Car free since 2001, started to save money, stayed for the stress reduction, will keep walking/bussing into the future because it connects us to the land and people.” -Kelly Ann Bleiweis
HELPFUL RESOURCES: Seattle Bike Blog: www.seattlebikeblog.com Choose Your Way Bellevue: www.chooseyourwaybellevue.org/bike Washington Bikes: wabikes.org Cascade Bicycle Club: www.cascade.org/explore Tips for combining bike and bus trips: metro.kingcounty.gov/tops/bike/
WORK FROM HOME Did you know Highlands Fiber Network (HFN) is one of the fastest networks in the nation? And that Issaquah Highlands provides home business districts? High speed internet and a business-friendly community creates opportunities to work at home. See pages 19 and 21.
“I commute to work via a vanpool out of the P&R for a reliable, timely, and stressfree commute.” -Prachi Vora
“I’ve been doing bike and bus for 7 years so far. It’s the best option for a city like Seattle.” -Wilddog Liang
Check out our new transportation resource webpage: issaquahhighlands.com/transit-options
7