Paid for not taking the car to work

[CaroleG]

Even on Seattle's drizzliest, chilliest mornings, Daniel Hirschstein leaves his new sports car in the garage and pedals through train yards and past petroleum tanks down a narrow industrial path to his lab at Amgen Inc.

"I think that there's too many cars on the road as it is," said the 47-year-old research scientist. "I just came back from L.A., and believe me, I'd hate to see our city turn into something like that, traffic-wise."

His company agrees. That's why every time Hirschstein swings his leg over the bicycle saddle, the biotechnology firm pays him to do it.

Amgen, along with 248 other Puget Sound-area employers, was named a best workplace for commuters today by a coalition led by the Environmental Protection Agency, local non-profits and transit organizations.

The coalition wants benefits such as bus passes and free ferry rides to become as common as health insurance and 401(k) accounts.


http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/289033_workcommute18.html

[LisaM]

1. Nice he can ride his bike down a little path

If I wanted to ride my bike to work, it would be pretty treacherous. Seattle is not friendly to bikes; there's almost nowhere to safely ride them unless you happen to live near Burke-Gilman. Even then, that won't get you to the downtown core. If I were running the show, there would be bike lanes downtown, as well as to all major areas.

[EmperorHasNoClothes]

2. My employer reimburses $200/mo for parking, but only $100/mo for transit

And transit can easily cost more than $100 if you live in the far burbs.

Go figure.