Hannah N.

Where do you work and what is your role in the company?  

I work for Pierce County at the Environmental Services Building. I am an Environmental Educator for the ORCA (Office of Resilience and Climate Action) Division.

How far is your commute? How long does it take you each way? 

My commute is about 6 miles each way.

What is your commute mode and what made you decide to commute this way? 

I do a mixture of everything, from teleworking, carpooling, bussing and biking. I like the variety of mixing my commute options because I never get tired of doing the same thing every day. If it's raining really hard, I'll see if anyone can pick me up or if I can just stay at home. If it's nice out, I choose to bike and enjoy the sunshine, making stops on my way home as I please.

What do you enjoy about your commute (or teleworking)? 

When I get to Grandview Drive West, up the giant hill by the apple orchard, I feel accomplished! There are quite a few hills on my commute, so when I get to that final one, I jump onto the trail away from cars, celebrate a little bit, turn my music up and coast the rest of the way to the office. This is also when I can smell the trees, the ocean and just feel so lucky to live in this beautiful place.

Do you have any positive, interesting stories from your commute? 

This last month during bike month, a bunch of my co-workers rode to work for an all staff meeting. We had a planned meetup with staff after work and a few of us decided to bike together and try some new routes. It was so fun to bike with others, getting to talk on the bike paths and hoof it up hills together in the bike lanes. It felt like a cool way to build bonds with co-workers I don't get to work directly with.

Do you think you save money by commuting this way? If so, how much? Estimates are fine. 

Yes. I definitely save money commuting. Each day I don't have to fill up my gas tank is money staying in my wallet. I save at least $200 a month (especially now...) by not driving to work each day.

How does your company help accommodate your commute option? (ex: bike racks, free bus pass, vanpool subsidy, flexible work hours, telework incentives, etc.) 

We have a protected lot that I can scan my work badge into and roll my bike into a bike rack. We also have showers and lockers that I could use. It's nice to have a separate space to change and refresh especially on the extremely hot or rainy days where you show up a bit disheveled.

What do you recommend your employer did to assist your coworkers with their commute? 

It would be fun to highlight some of the ways we get together to commute for the all staff meetings. We're coming from all over so it would be cool to see how many of us can link up to get to work, whether it's on bike, bus, or carpool.

What would you say to your fellow employees to inspire them to try using a commute option other than driving alone in their car? 

Getting out of your car opens up the door to more connection. By getting out into the community, going a bit slower and taking out the glass/metal barrier of your car, you notice more and you're forced to interact with more humans. Except maybe teleworking...