Montreal, November 30, 2004 Carpooling was the theme of the 4th edition of Salon Allégo that took place yesterday, chaired jointly by the Agence métropolitaine de transport (AMT) and the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal. More than one hundred representatives from companies, institutions and transportation partners in the Greater Montreal region came to hear the reports of those companies, institutions and transportation partners that are making a concerted effort to offer attractive and competitive alternatives to the single-occupant automobile. Awards were presented to a company, a transportation coordination centre, and a transportation partner who stood out in 2004 for the excellence of their initiatives. Their successes should set an important example for others to follow. With this one-day conference, the AMT wanted to stress the importance of creating opportunities for carpooling, a solution that, unfortunately, is not very popular in the metropolitan area, where the average number of passengers per vehicle is only 1.2. To put this in perspective, the Montreal region can be compared to the city of Washington, which has a similar program of group transport but where there is a much higher rate of carpooling. In fact, nearly 16% of workers carpool on a daily basis, compared to only 5% in the Montreal area. If we could succeed in increasing the average number of occupants per car to two, we could eliminate 380,000 automobiles from our roads during morning rush hour. Without a doubt, this is a very ambitious objective, but we can work toward achieving it in the coming years. The launch of Covoiturage allégo is announced
The AMT, administrator of the Allégo initiative, took advantage of the salon to announce the launch of Covoiturage allégo, a completely new and free online service to help bring together people within and among companies. This service will be online at AMT's web site (www.allego.amt.qc.ca) at the beginning of 2005. The program, which will be accessible to companies and institutions that register, intends to bring together employees and students who are interested in carpooling to and from their places of work or study. With the Allégo initiative, people will have access to the expertise, resources and tools required to promote attractive and competitive transportation alternatives to the single-occupant automobile in their workplaces and places of study. By launching Covoiturage allégo, the AMT hopes to help companies and institutions in the Greater Montreal region to encourage carpooling among their employees and students, said Mr. Joël Gauthier. The Allégo 2004 Award of Excellence: INTRIA, Allégo Laval and Vélo Québec stand out
Once again this year, the Salon Allégo took this opportunity to confer the Allégo Award of Excellence to a company, a group of employers and a transportation partner, all of whom gained distinction through their initiatives within the Allégo program. The 2004 Awards of Excellence were presented by Mr. Claude Michaud, chairman of the board of directors of the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal. The winners are: - Company category : INTRIA Items Inc.
- Employers' Group Category: Allégo Laval
- Partner Category: Vélo Québec
The Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal is proud to be a partner with the Agence métropolitaine de transport in bestowing the Allégo 2004 Awards of Excellence. These initiatives are examples of innovative partnerships, which not only enhance the competitiveness of companies but also benefit the economic vitality, the environment and the quality of life for the entire Montreal metropolitan region, Mr. Michaud stated. The Allégo approach: a personalized solution
The success and originality of the projects presented at the Salon Allégo lie in the fact that they provide solutions that are well targeted, inexpensive and appropriate to the companies and institutions that implemented them. These organizations have succeeded in influencing the actions and habits of employees and students so that they take advantage of enduring transportation methods (public transport, carpooling, biking and walking). These initiatives make the workplace and place of study more accessible and ease the daily travel of employees and students while contributing to a reduction in automobile traffic We should be aware that, for four years now, the Allégo program has contributed to the achievement of twenty projects involving companies, institutions, as well as transportation partners. -30- Sources and information:
Manon Goudreault
Director, Communications and marketing
Agence métropolitaine de transport
Tel.: (514) 287-2464, ext. 4451
Sylvie Paquette
Coordinator, Media Relations
Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal
Tél.: (514) 871-4000, ext. 4015
sylvie.paquette@ccmm.qc.ca
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