There’s a red light ahead, your foot presses on the brake, and you feel a slight sense of frustration mixed with a twinge of concern about how long it will take to get to where you’re going. We’re all familiar with the experience of sitting in traffic.

The typical U.S. driver lost 43 hours to traffic congestion in 2024, or roughly 50 minutes per week. In the Colorado River and Roaring Fork Valleys, traffic continues to increase. From 2013 to 2023, there was a 23% increase in traffic on Highway 82 in south Glenwood. Over the same period, there was a 33% increase in traffic on I-70 west of Silt. In June 2025, south Glenwood reached a record high of average daily traffic for the month: 29,375 vehicles.

In this region, driving can seem unavoidable. Some commuters travel more than 700 miles, or 20 hours, a week. Changing the way we get around isn’t a one-fix solution, and our infrastructure is built around single occupancy vehicles as the primary mode of transit.

However, I’m curious if we can get creative about how we get around in our region. Try asking yourself, can I carpool with a coworker? Would the bus be a more efficient and safer way to get to that concert? What if I biked to the gym as a warm up activity?

This August, a new program from Clean Energy Economy for the Region (CLEER) is inviting our community to reimagine how we get around. Starting August 4, residents of, and visitors to, the Colorado River and Roaring Fork Valleys can participate in a fun, region-wide mobility challenge called Two Rivers Connect. And there’s an app for that!

In the Two Rivers Connect app you can log all the ways you get around instead of driving alone. Bike, walk, carpool, take the bus, or work remotely. When you log a trip, you will be entered to win prizes like an e-bike, lift tickets, and local gift cards. The more trips you log, the more chances you have to win.

One of the best parts of the Two Rivers Connect app is the carpooling feature. In the app, you set your start and end location, the time, if it is a regular trip or a one time trip, and whether you would prefer to be a driver or a passenger. If you would prefer to carpool with people that work at the same place as you, you can also select your employer, and only share your carpool with your coworkers.

We’re inviting local employers to get involved and encourage their teams to participate. Employers can offer small incentives, or even challenge another workplace to a friendly  competition. It’s also an opportunity to support staff wellbeing and build community.

If you’re looking for inspiration for how to get around without a car, ask a middle school student. They know how to hail the Carbondale Downtowner or Ride Glenwood to get to the grocery store, use a WE-cycle bike to go to a friend’s house or hop on a Roaring Fork Transportation Authority (RFTA) bus to go skiing. If all else fails, they are good at persuading friends and adults to carpool, bike, or walk, no matter the weather.

I’ve been traveling to meetings using RFTA. It requires a little more planning, but I can use the Wi-Fi on the bus to review my presentation notes, or send up follow-up emails after the meeting.

Almost every person in the Colorado River and Roaring Fork Valleys has their own commuting successes and challenges. Join me in trying a new way to get around. You might just find a more enjoyable way to travel!

Sign up for email updates and you’ll receive a notification to download the app. Or, if you’re an employer, email me at tworiversconnect@cleanenergyeconomy.net to set up incentives and prizes for your employees.

If we all work together, we can experience more of that feeling you get when the light turns green and you’re making progress to your destination.

Emily Williams is the Education and Outreach Manager for CLEER (Clean Energy Economy for the Region), the nonprofit that manages the programs of Garfield Clean Energy.