.png)
GVF, a not-for-profit organization that advocates for improving mobility, held a press event on Friday, November 8th to launch its new initiative 422 My Way.
422 My Way is an educational/marketing campaign that will target the U.S. 422 Corridor and provide incentives for people to not drive alone. Everyone is frustrated with sitting in congestion, especially on 422, which sees over 100,000 vehicles traveling it per day. GVF wants to give people back their time, show them ways to save money through an engaging public information campaign and have some fun along the way through fun giveaway prizes.
According to a recent NY Times article, the Philadelphia region’s auto-emissions have increased by 22% since 1990. As transportation is the largest contributor of emissions, we need to find creative solutions to reducing congestion. The goal of 422 My Way is to reduce congestion along the 422 corridor and improve commuter quality of life through alternatives like vanpooling, carpooling, public transit, biking, or working from home.
The press event had numerous GVF supporters speak on the initiative. Some highlights from our speakers:
PennDOT Executive Deputy Secretary, Yassmin Gramian, spoke on the issues PennDOT is facing with funding moving away from highway corridors towards inner state highways.
“We received an executive mandate to shift some of our funding to our inner state highways…what does that mean? We are going to be spending less on highways, such as 422, because we really need to address the inner state needs of the state. As you can see, we can’t afford to spend less on the situations around national highway systems, so we must really look into alternative funding, and providing alternative transportation for the public and giving them choices for a better quality of life.”
Barry Seymour, Executive Director for DVRPC stated the importance of providing the public information on alternatives to improve the region’s air quality and quality of life.
“At DVRPC, we are responsible for preparing a regional long range transportation plan and a short term capital program with projects that invest across the metropolitan area. We fund hundreds of projects both large and small, all across the metropolitan, but one thing we know for sure is that we can’t just build our way out of congestion. We need to give people options, we need to give people information, and a program such as 422 My Way does just that.”
State Representative Tim Briggs and State Representative Joe Ciresi, who both represent Montgomery County and Representative Ciresi representing parts of the 422 Corridor, stated “this is a critical program for the Corridor, as it will reduce congestion and improve the quality of life for our residents.” Montgomery County Commissioner Ken Lawrence was “wearing” many hats at the press event, who also sits on SEPTA Board and is a GVF Board member. “SEPTA is very supportive of the 422 My Way initiative,” Commissioner Lawrence said, “and with the accessibility of County trails and our public transportation network, the County is excited to be a part of this initiative.”
Eileen Dautrich, President, TriCounty Area Chamber of Commerce, Jessica Willingham, Director of Government & Cultural Affairs, Valley Forge Tourism and Convention Board and Dr. Victoria Bastecki-Perez, Interim President, Montgomery County Community College also expressed support for the campaign, speaking on the importance of reducing 422 Corridor congestion not only for residents, but employers, employees, students and visitors to our region.
Eileen Dautrich stated, “Employers seek every opportunity to provide the best work environment and the stress of 422, as already mentioned, dampens those efforts impacting employee’s efficiency, effectiveness and productivity.”
Jessica Willingham said, “The 422 corridor is a key artery to connecting not just our residents, but all of the visitors to our region. It connects some of our cultural attractions that attract millions of people each year and millions of dollars in economic impact.”
Dr. Victoria Bastecki-Perez, “ Montgomery County Community College is a commuter college. It is nonresidential and in order to provide viable, efficient and cost-effective access we have had the pleasure of partnering GVF, as well as others in providing viable solutions for our more than 11,000 students each semester. Thank you to GVF for taking the lead in developing the 422 My Way campaign and the college looks forward to continuing to collaborate on creative solutions.”
Rob Henry, Executive Director for GVF stated “422 My Way is really about doing it your way, whether you start a carpool, or ride your bike - whatever works for you. We look forward to working with our partners at today’s press event, and along the 422 Corridor so we can reduce congestion, improve our air and quality of life for all along the Corridor.”
Full list of speakers:
Rob Henry, Executive Director, GVF
Yassmin Gramian, Executive Deputy Secretary, PennDOT
Barry Seymour, Executive Director, Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC)
Tim Briggs, State Representative, 149th District/Montgomery County
Joe Ciresi, State Representative, 146th District/Montgomery County
Montgomery County Commissioner, Ken Lawrence
Eileen Dautrich, President, TriCounty Area Chamber of Commerce
Jessica Willingham, Director of Government & Cultural Affairs, Valley Forge Tourism, Convention Board
Dr. Victoria Bastecki-Perez, Interim President, Montgomery County Community College
Maureen Farrell, Deputy Executive Director, GVF
People who live and/or work along the 422 Corridor are encouraged to visit www.422myway.com to find relevant resources, as well as “take a pledge” to try an alternative option to driving alone.
Take the pledge and participate in contests throughout the campaign to be entered to win
raffle prizes. The campaign goes until May 2020. Also, follow the campaign on social media by liking us on Facebook at @422coalition and following us on Twitter at @US422coalition.
Founded in 1990, GVF is a not-for-profit organization created to advocate and promote a
viable transportation network for the region's economic vitality. To maximize awareness and develop sustainable support, we partner with public and private entities.
GVF's mission is to achieve a desirable quality of life and a healthy, competitive economic environment by developing multi-faceted transportation strategies. For more information about GVF or to learn about the benefits of partnership, visit www.gvftma.com.