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| Stephanie Kaza |
Stephanie has been a resident of Burlington, Vermont since she moved there to work for University of Vermont’s Environmental Program. She chose to live in Burlington for the many opportunities that the area has to offer. The city has easy access to the community by bike and there is little need for a car. The Burlington area has been a good friend to her because of the feasible alternative transportation possibilities. Stephanie relies on good weather to make the trip everyday to the top of the hill in Burlington. The Chittenden County Transportation Authority (CCTA) has made the public transportation system in the area a lending hand for a sustainable means of getting around. Stephanie can take a majority of her route to UVM campus on weekdays with much ease. The winter is the roughest season for her travels. She tries whenever she can to take the bike/bus route, but sometimes that can’t even break it. The car is a necessity when snow or other severe weather creates a problem with the route. Stephanie spent much of her life in Portland, Oregon, where being a daily bicyclist is an average way of getting around. The importance to get around without parking a car or waiting in a stand still of traffic is essential to why she bikes as much as she can. The CCTA’s buses are retrofitted to hold bikes for commuters that like to bike part of the route. The Burlington area has been forward moving with the bike paths and accessibility to local infrastructure for biking. The sense of place that Stephanie sees everyday without a barrier in between is a beautiful sensation. Going to the grocery store or community gatherings is an easy task on a bike in the city limits.
The safety and regulations of the city still have much reform to help out the bicyclists and other modes of transportation. The bike routes that share the road with cars have a handful of problems, for example road width and uneducated drivers. The bike is a way to get around by using the energy of the human. It takes up less space and costs nothing at all to park. The feasibility of never driving in Burlington city limits is very possible. Especially if other means of transportation are explored and tested. Bicycles costs exponentially less than cars and the savings are noticed immediately. The automobile is a machine that may not be affordable to be used in the near future, planning must be made appropriately. Stephanie has been righteously thinking since the get-go when living in the state of Vermont.
Ross Nizlek
This University of Vermont alumni went through his college career without a car and continues to live in Burlington today without one. Ross Nizlek grew up in Easton, Connecticut and took the first opportunity he could to get his education at UVM. Ross received a degree in economics and a minor in business. He graduated a few years ago with an interest in transportation and the information technology associated with it. He always took the bike or walked to his destination. Jumping on the bus was a way Ross got around as well. The local buses have presented many opportunities for safe, affordable transportation in the county. There was much ease in getting around for Ross, no matter his situation. Each semester of college went by for Ross taking on new projects and having no problems without a car. The winter still allows for biking accessibility through the work weeks. The bus trips are needed on hazardous weather days. Ross has shown that living and working in the city of Burlington requires no use of a car. The need for renting a car is done through CarShare Vermont. The easy rental process by CarShare makes for a swift car pick up if need be. The short distance trips allow for a large saving of money and convenience of no congestion. The crosswalks and walkability of the city allow him to get to work, shop for necessities, and other trips while having a sustainable approach to an ecologically sound tomorrow.
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| Ross Nizlek |
Ross is very knowledgeable when it comes to understanding the transportation system. He knows how to get around and save the most amount of money. Of the people that live in the Burlington limits, most are capable of getting around by foot for daily activities. It needs to become a social movement to increase ridership on bikes and public transportation. The city pays for buses to operate and the citizens should respond by riding them to their capacity. The buses will always be running, no matter how many times you fill up the gas tank in your car. The use of the automobile should not be as prevalent as it is today. The backup of cars on Main Street, Burlington, VT during rush hour can be seen for the entire landscape. Ross likes to “practice what he preaches” when it comes to work ethics and means of transportation.
The Chittenden County Transportation Authority (CCTA) offered him an internship before graduation and soon became a full time employee. He now deals with technology to improve the transit experience. The measures that Ross is taking with the CCTA have made the ridership increase over the years and have increased the success of new bus routes. The timeliness and accessibility of the buses have made Burlington a better place to get around without an automobile. Ross has learned the ways of a commuter and applied those ideas to his work at the public transportation in the county.
Ben Plotzker
