Celebrate the 42nd anniversary of Earth Day with DNS! Learn how to make every day Earth Day! As a tribute to Delaware’s Governor Russell W. Peterson, DEEC will host an Earth Day festival and offer free programs to educate the community and families about Delaware’s marshes and its residents, water quality and why the Christina River is important to northern Delaware.

Festival Activities: Composting demonstrations, canoe trips, hikes to a beaver lodge, live critters and creepy crawlies, catching fish and aquatic insects with nets, green living exhibitors, video chats (via Skype) with other parts of the world to see how they celebrate Earth Day, face painting and crafts, storytelling and music. Snacks will be available for purchase.

2nd Annual DNS Earth Day Festival
Saturday, April 21, 11 am – 3 pm
DEEC, Wilmington Riverfront
1400 Delmarva Lane
Free and Fun for All Ages
Rain or Shine – See you there!

Visit http://www.delawarenaturesociety.org/earthday.html for more information

Public Hearing Workshops for 6/17 Start of Kent & NCC Fixed Route Bus Services

Wilmington — Delaware Transit Corporation will conduct four Public Hearing Workshops to obtain comments on proposed changes to DART First State Fixed Route Bus Service for Kent and New Castle Counties to become effective Sunday, June 17, 2012.

Tuesday, April 10, 2012;11:30 AM to 1:30 PM & 5 PM to 7 PM
Carvel State Office Building, 2nd Floor Auditorium
820 N. French Street, Wilmington

Wednesday, April 11, 2012; 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM
DelDOT Admin. Bldg., Farmington/Felton Room
800 Bay Road (US 113), Dover

Thursday, April 12, 2012; 4:30 PM to 6:30 PM
WILMAPCO, 850 Library Ave., Suite 100, Newark

The proposal calls for (by County)

New Castle County
Downtown Rodney Square; To ensure passenger safety, increase service efficiencies, decrease overall traffic congestion and ease traffic flow, bus routes will be rerouted in the downtown Wilmington area to no longer serve Rodney Square on 10th St., 11th St., or King St.

Bus Routes that operate from Amtrak Station, 2, 6, 10, 11, 12, 16, 20, 21, 28, 35, 38, 45, and 301, including Route 7, would no longer serve the stop on 10th St. at Rodney Square. These bus routes would continue to stop on French St. at 9th St., adjacent to the Carvel State Office Building; and would then proceed north on French St. to left on 12th St. to serve a new stop on 12th St. between King and Market Sts. These routes would no longer stop on 11th St. at Rodney Square, but would instead stop on King St. between 10th and 9th Sts., adjacent to the Wilmington Library.

The Orange Street Bus Routes 15, 17, 19, 24, 30, 33, 34, 36, 39, 40, 41, 42, 54, and 55 would turn right from Orange St. on to 9th St. and proceed to King St., making a right turn and serving the bus stop on King St. at 8th St.

Bus Routes 4, 5, 22, 23 and 25 would turn right from Orange St. to 10th St., and proceed to Shipley St. DART would implement a bus stop on Shipley St. between 10th and 9th Sts. to accommodate these buses. DART Routes 1, 3 and 9 would stop on King St. between 12th and 11th Sts. (at the former U.S. Post Office).

Time adjustments would be made accordingly on routes listed above.

Other proposed changes include:
Route 1; the first trip would be extended to begin at Tri-State Mall at 4:54 AM to alleviate overcrowding.

Route 4; the four trips that currently serve Agilent Technologies (6:45 AM, 7:53 AM, 3:25 PM, 4:43 PM) would no longer go onsite, but would continue to serve the stop on Centerville Rd. at the entrance. These trips would then be extended to Prices Corner. In the reverse direction, new stops would be served along Centerville Rd.

Route 12; route would be extended to the Riverfront, providing weekday service from 6 AM to 11 PM. The bus would not serve Wilmington Amtrak Station on its way to the Riverfront (passengers could access the station from the bus stop on 2nd Street between King and Market Streets), but would serve it coming back from the Riverfront. Mid-day frequency to the Riverfront would be every 30 minutes; Saturday service would be expanded to the Riverfront hourly until 8 PM.

Route 17; the following four low performing trips from Baylor Women’s Correctional Institution would be discontinued: 9:24 AM, 1:25 PM, 2:27 PM and 4:30 PM.

Route 20; Service would be added to Chestnut Run at 6:50 AM, 7:16 AM, 4:10 PM; and discontinued at 3:38 PM.

Route 24; route path would now proceed on W. 4th Street, across Greenhill Ave., right on Gray Ave., right on W. 5th Street to Greenhill Ave. and back to 4th Street, no longer serving 7th St., Woodlawn Ave. or Pennsylvania Ave.

Route 25; Service to Delaware City would be discontinued on the following low performing weekday trips: 9:10 AM, 9:40 AM, 10:05 AM, 7:28 PM, 8:29 PM; From Delaware City at 9:46 AM, 7:29 PM, 8:38 PM, and 10:33 PM.

Route 31 Newark Trolley; bus route would be discontinued due to historically low ridership.

Route 32 Wilmington Trolley; the Riverfront would now be served by Route 12. The Trolley would continue to serve Market St. from 13th Street to 2nd St. and would now serve Amtrak Station with increased frequencies, every 10 minutes on weekdays; every 20 minutes on Saturdays.

Kent County
Route 104; minor time changes

Route 106; route would no longer serve Base Housing, but would continue serving the stop at the entrance of Dover Air Force Base Visitors Center.

Route 107; the alignment through Clearview Meadows would be discontinued, eliminating the bus stop at Luther Village.

Intercounty Service
Route 301; minor changes due to rerouting in downtown Wilmington area (refer to 2nd bullet under NCC).

The proposal is available for public review at most libraries, state service centers and at the reception desks of DART First State offices and the DelDOT Administration Building in Dover, and online at www.DartFirstState.com.

At the hearing, a hearing reporter will officially transcribe comments intended for the record by the public. People unable to attend may send their comments toDART First State Public Hearing, P.O. Box 1670, Wilmington, DE 19899-1670

Comments can also be e-mailed through the DART website at www.DartFirstState.com/publichearing. All written and emailed comments must be received by April 13, 2012.

Persons having hearing disabilities who need interpreters should contact the Delaware Transit Corporation in writing by April 3, 2012 at the address previously provided for public hearing comments.

The Delaware Transit Corporation has the legal authority in Delaware for initiating public transit service changes as defined in Title 2 Chapter 13 section 1309 of the Delaware Code.

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The RideShare team is excited to announce our new interactive database and commute tracking database! This new platform allows you direct access to finding ridematch partners, logging and tracking your clean commute, updating your profile in real time, transit information, and much more.

“Don’t Text and Drive! Commute Smart, Ride DART” is the theme for DART First State’s 12th Annual Transit Poster Contest. Open to students in Grades 6 through 12, the contest is designed to encourage students to learn more about public transportation and its benefits, as well as the chance to see their artwork featured by DART First State in various advertisements, promotions, or displays.

Printable details and contest instructions.

With statewide efforts and local communities continuing to educate on the dangers of texting, or using your phone while driving, DART wants to use the opportunity to inform and promote the advantages of using public transit. Increased awareness of Delaware’s Public Transit system informs new and current commuters, that riding DART can be a wise choice. To be eligible, students must be in the 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, or 12th grade and posters must be submitted by March 16, 2012 to:

DART First State Poster Contest
Marketing Dept.
119 Lower Beech Street
Wilmington, DE 19805

Pencils, crayons, markers or paint can be used to create a poster on 8½”x 11″ paper or poster board. On the reverse side of the poster, students should include their name, address, age and grade level, school or organization name and address and teacher/advisor name and phone number. Prizes and certificates will be provided by DART First State and its business partners.

Interested schools are being asked to conduct the contest within the appropriate grade levels at the school, and forward the entries to DART First State for judging. Individuals who wish to enter apart from their school may do so as long as they are in grades 6 through 12. For details and contest instructions please call 302.576.6016.

The Delaware Transit Corporation, a subsidiary of the Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT), operates as DART First State. DART First State is Delaware’s bus, train, and intermodal transportation provider. Services include contracted, state-funded SEPTA commuter trains, intercounty bus, fixed route bus, Paratransit, seasonal resort bus, commuter assistance, Operation Lifesaver rail crossing safety and trespasser awareness programs, and the RideShare Delaware ridematching program. DART First State provides more than 12 million passenger trips annually, including 1.1 million commuter train trips. For information on all fixed route services statewide, please call 800.652.DART. Paratransit reservations and GoLink information is available at 800.553.DART. For media inquiries, please call DelDOT Public Relations at 302.760.2080 or visit deldot.gov.

The Federal Transit Administration and NTI has requested DTC host this course for the northeast region. 
 
Course Schedule:  Tuesday and Wednesday, Dec. 12th & 13th  8-4:30
Course Location:  Brandywine Conference Room, 1st Floor, Beech St., Wilmington.
 
If interested, for you or your staff, please complete the attached form and fax to Ginny Stern, NTI, 732.932.1707.
 
Transit-Oriented Development
Description:
Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) is defined as compact, mixed-use development near transit that creates sustainable communities where people of all ages and incomes have transportation and housing choices where people can walk, bike, and take transit. The goal of this course is to help transportation and land use professionals effectively participate in the planning, funding, and implementation of transit-oriented projects that improve the environment, create a sense of community, and boost transit ridership.
Audience:
The primary audience includes transit agency planners and development specialists, State DOT planners and engineering, MPO staff, Federal employees (FTA, FHWA, FRA, HUD, DOL, DOE and others), city and county engineers and planners and consultants.
This course is an intermediate course. Although not required, participants should have a working knowledge of basic transportation, land use planning, transit planning, and operational concepts.
Objectives:
Upon completion of the course, participants will be able to:
·         Express how transportation and land use planning must be linked to support successful TOD initiatives.
·         Recognize the factors that are converging to make TOD particularly attractive now and in the future.
·         Relate the importance of customer-oriented transit to cultivating successful TOD projects.
·         Describe TOD planning approaches and principles at the regional, station area, and site level.
·         Apply TOD planning principles to develop a station area plan.
·         Review TOD implementation strategies and tools.
 Length:
2 days  (Coffee, tea & vending machines are available.  Lunch is on your own.)
DART First State
900 Public Safety Blvd
Dover, DE  19901
ph.  302.760.2014
fx.   302.760.2915

Wilmington – DART First State today announced that it will hold the 14th annual Stuff The Bus Thanksgiving Food Drive throughout the State starting on November 8 and ending on November 11. The public is invited to help Stuff The Bus by donating nonperishable food items such as canned goods, boxed cereal, and household products such as paper products, laundry detergents, and side dishes. The Food Bank of Delaware, located in Newark, will distribute the donated food via its 440 hunger-relief partners in Delaware. Last year, the DART First State Stuff the Bus food drive stuffed three 30 foot buses and collected 20.4 tons of food for Delawareans in need thanks to the generosity of the public, including several schools and businesses.

Stuff The Bus 2011 will be collecting food at five sites throughout the State. The site locations, collection dates, and times are:

Tuesday, November 8, Walmart, 939 N. DuPont Highway in Milford 
AND Acme, North Dover Center in Dover 8 AM to 6 PM

Wednesday, November 9, Acme, Fairfax Shopping Center, US Route 202 in Wilmington 8 AM to 5 PM

Thursday, November 10, Rodney Square in Wilmington 7 AM to 5 PM 

Friday, November 11, Rodney Square in Wilmington 7 AM to 1 PM

There will be live radio broadcasts with EAGLE 97.7 and COOL 101.3 all day long on Tuesday at both the Walmart in Milford and Acme in the North Dover Center in Dover. On Thursday at Rodney Square WJBR will broadcast from 11 AM to 1 PM.

At each collection site, DART First State will be staffing an exhibit that will also provide public transit and food bank information to visitors. 

DART First State also encourages the public to donate directly to the Food Bank of Delaware if they are unable to visit any of the Stuff The Bus collection sites. For more information on donating food, contact the Food Bank at 302-292-1305, or visit their website at www.FBD.org.

The commuter benefit is an employer provided federal tax benefit that allows working families and commuters to save money on their daily commute, saves businesses of all sizes critical dollars that can be reinvested to create new jobs, helps reduce traffic congestion and improve air quality, saves energy and enhances our national security.  As a DART rider you may be eligible for this transit tax benefit through your employer.  Your support is needed now to preserve the transit portion of the commuter benefit.   Please urge your Congress representative to co-sponsor Senate Bill S. 1034 or the House’s H.R. 2412, which will maintain the transit benefit at its current level. To show your support, please visit Contact Your Reps in Congress

Spring 2011 Service Change Postponement Advisory

– Until further notice the implementation of the statewide service change set for May 22nd has been postponed. DART bus routes will continue to operate according to their current route alignments and schedule times.  Please visit www.dartfirststate.com for the most up-to-date information. 

Memorial Day, May 30th Notice

– DART First State services, both fixed route and paratransit, will not operate on Monday, May 30, 2011, with the exception of the Resort Transit Routes 201-208, its related paratransit service, and the Route 305 – Beach Connection. 

Memorial Day, May 30th Notice

– DART First State services, both fixed route and paratransit, will not operate on Monday, May 30, 2011, with the exception of the Resort Transit Routes 201-208, its related paratransit service, and the Route 305 – Beach Connection.

Bike-to-Work Day is an annual event sponsored nationally by the League of American Bicyclists where employees across the City are encouraged to ride their bicycles to their places of employment rather than drive their automobiles.

There are several significant reasons why we should encourage biking. First, biking is one of the most environmentally friendly modes of transportation. The bicycle also utilizes much less space than the automobile, and is considerably quieter than other modes of transportation. Cycling also has tremendous health benefits and is ranked among the top three exercises for improving cardiovascular fitness. Cycling to work, school or shopping as part of a regular daily routine can be both a sustainable and time-efficient exercise regimen for maintaining acceptable levels of fitness. Studies have shown that bicycle commuters work more efficiently, arriving to work eager and alert and, due to a cyclists improved health, have fewer job-related injuries. And let’s not forget that riding a bike is a fun and enjoyable pastime.

To kick off an entire bicycling weekend in Wilmington, encourage your employees to participate in Bike-to-Work Day by cycling into Wilmington on the morning of May 20, 2011. All riders and bike enthusiasts are welcome to stop by The Bike Boutique (in the Nemours Building at 11th & Orange Streets) for refreshments, healthy snacks and warm fellowship from 7:30am – 9:00am.

That same day, everyone is also invited to an after work party starting at 4:00 pm at Brandywine Park’s Monkey Hill (intersection of North Van Buren Street & Stadium Drive) where we will enjoy a great barbecue and watch the Wilmington Grand Prix time trials. For more information about the Wilmington Grand Prix, please visit www.wilmgrandprix.com. This family friendly event, which runs from May 20 – 22, has been named to USA Cycling’s prestigious National Racing Calendar for four straight years.

For more information about Bike-to-Work Day, please contact Michael Leventry, Co-Chair of the Wilmington Bike Committee, atmleventry@wilmingtonde.gov or (302) 576-3102.

Thank you again for being a part of Bike-to-Work Day 2011!

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Weather Service urge Americans to “Be Air Aware” during Air Quality Awareness Week, May 2 – 6, 2011. Click below to find featured articles, tips, and information on how YOU can help improve your local air quality. http://www.epa.gov/airnow/airaware/index.html