Highway Bribery

You really ought to do the right thing for the environment and start using mass transit or bicycling – but maybe you lack the motivation? If so, David Vitanza has a deal for you. On Monday, the project development director of Schlosser Development unveiled Park It for the Market – a collaboration with NuRide – an online program that offers discounts on various products and services to commuters who choose alternative transportation instead of, as Vitanza put it, "evil single-occupancy vehicles that we're addicted to." How it works: Register at www.parkitforthemarket.com for free, start logging your noncar trips (including telecommuting), and start racking up points, which can eventually be redeemed. You must register an organizational affiliation (such as your employer), but otherwise, the program operates on the honor system. Vitanza sheepishly admitted that he lives in Lakeway and won't exactly be walking to work. However, he said, a healthy Downtown benefits the whole region, and the Austin version of NuRide's rewards will be concentrated on the "Market District." (In case you didn't get the memo, southwestern Downtown is now apparently the "Market District.") However, businesses all over town will be participating as well, including Black Sheep Lodge in South Austin, Ozone Bikes in Hyde Park, and others.