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GREENSBORO — Guy Sanders took the Triad Commute Challenge last year and rode a bike seven miles to his job at UNCG, just one time.

Will you take the challenge? Join the discussion at the Debatables blog.

Now, he does it regularly, saving money on fuel and other expenses while he helps fight air pollution and traffic congestion.

"I would encourage people to start off slow," Sanders said at Tuesday's kickoff of the second annual challenge. "Once a week, do something different. Take a bus, ride a bike."

A coalition of Triad transportation and environmental groups is sponsoring the challenge again this year, hoping hundreds of area residents will emulate Sanders by pledging to "do something different" just once between now and May 31.

Those who sign up for the challenge agree to commute one day other than driving alone in a car. They become eligible to win periodic drawings for such prizes as dinners at restaurants, gift certificates and theater tickets.

The hope is that, like Sanders, people who try an alternative method of getting to work will make it part of their regular routine, if not every day then once or twice a week.

With gas prices on an upward course that could hit $4 a gallon this summer, it's a given that regular carpoolers, bus riders, bicyclists or walkers can save a ton of money, said Brent McKinney, executive director of the Piedmont Authority for Regional Transportation.

Regional commuters who take PART buses save hundreds of dollars a month on fuel alone, said McKinney, whose group is a primary coordinator of the challenge along with Triad Air Awareness.

"We're talking about saving seven, eight, nine thousand dollars per year, and that's before taxes," McKinney said.

The Triad suffers from air quality problems because of its geography, pollution created within the region and weather patterns that bring it from other areas. Parts of the region are battling traffic congestion that delays travel and worsens pollution.

The challenge is an effort to combat both problems at once by getting people to step outside their comfort zone of driving to work alone. Even telecommuting qualifies for people whose occupations enable them to work at

home.

Last year's challenge attracted about 1,000 people to take the plunge, keeping an estimated 2,000 pounds of pollution out of the air.

That's a good start, but the region must do more if it really wants to promote alternative ways of commuting, said Bill Laxton, the event's keynote speaker and chief deputy of the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

Both public and private employers should actively promote ride-sharing and other programs that ultimately can save them money in less need for huge parking facilities, Laxton said.

"I challenge you: Start looking at how to make it easier for people to carpool, van pool or ride GTA," he said, referring to the Greensboro Transit Authority.

"It's a lot cheaper subsidizing (commuting alternatives) than building parking spaces."

Contact Taft Wireback at 373-7100 or taft.wireback@news-record.com