The Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission has a new tool to encourage communities in the 10-county region to develop multimodal transit centers.

The computerized storymap uses relatively new technology to identify more than three dozen locations where centers could be set up to provide services for people who use trails, bikes, cars, buses and trains to move throughout the region. Dave Totten, an SPC transportation planner, unveiled the tool at an advisory committee meeting last week.

“There are clusters where we can develop multimodel operations in every county,” Mr. Totten said. “Every place has locations that could use a multimodal center.”

The tool, which identifies what elements each site could develop for its multimodal center, is an outgrowth of 18 months of work on a report titled “SmartMoves Connections: A Regional Vision for Public Transit.” The commission is expected to adopt the $230,000 report, funded partially with a grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, later this year.

Mr. Totten said the agency decided there was no reason to keep officials from using the tool immediately. The ultimate goal is to develop a coordinated system to get people from, say, Kittanning to Pittsburgh with easy transfers and perhaps paying only one fare.

For now, the tool is available for planners to identify potential locations for multimodal centers. The next step will be for SPC to work directly with officials to help develop those sites and identify sources of additional funding.

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CommuteInfo is excited to announce that its vanpooling fleet now offers SUVs and minivans for use in the vanpooling program!

Based on pooler input, and a review of pooling opportunities nationally, CommuteInfo, in cooperation with its pooling partner, Commute with Enterprise, is now making both minivans and SUVs available along with the full-size vans for the use of pooling groups. These new additions to the fleet will allow for groups of 5-7 participants to take advantage of pooling and contribute to the positive outcomes vanpooling provides to our region. These include reduced transportation costs, reduced carbon emissions, reduced traffic congestion, reduced wear and tear on our roadways and bridges, and reduced transportation anxieties and frustrations.

Under the direction of the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission (SPC), the region’s Metropolitan Planning Organization, the CommuteInfo program is the regional customer-focused full service commuting options resource center, running the region’s vanpool, carpool and bikepool programs, and facilitating the forum for coordinating regional ridesharing efforts. To support the regional carpool and vanpool program, CommuteInfo offers ridematching and emergency ride home services; provides information for commuters and employers about the benefits of ridesharing, transit, biking, and walking options; and, publishes the regional park-n-ride inventory on its website: www.CommuteInfo.org.