The pandemic has reduced traffic, and TAMC wants to keep it that way (the traffic part).

It’s not yet clear how much Covid-19 will impact our commuting habits long-term, but it does seem clear there will be an impact. An October study from analytics firm Gallup found that 45 percent of the American workforce worked remotely – 25 percent all the time, and 20 percent some of the time – and that among those working remotely, 91 percent would like to continue doing so at least part time when, or if, the pandemic is in the rearview.

That aligns with the goals of the Transportation Agency for Monterey County’s Go831 program, which was launched in 2017 with the goal of working with local employers to reduce the number of cars on the road during key commute times.

“In Monterey County, there’s not much of an option for more freeways,” says Tracy Vasquez, TAMC’s Go831 program coordinator.

Since its inception, Vasquez estimates 25 local employers have participated in the program, including the Monterey Bay Aquarium and local hospitals, but the sense inside TAMC is that to scale up the program – wherein TAMC provides employers with expertise on strategies to reduce their rush hour commuting and/or carbon footprint impact – will require local employees to become Go831 “ambassadors” in their workplaces.

To that end, TAMC is launching a Go831 academy in February, wherein volunteer ambassadors give two hours per month over a course of nine months to learn best practices, from how to implement and troubleshoot remote work policies, the nuances of owning an electric car, or how to link up with carpoolers, among other things.

Would-be ambassadors should email tracy@tamcmonterey.org to register.