As much as we complain about commuting in the Tampa Bay area, it’s good to remember that last year Tampa’s downtown was designated one of the nation’s “Best Workplaces for Commuters” districts by the Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Transportation.
 
  Really.
 
  It is the only downtown so designated in Florida, and one of only 16 municipalities awarded the distinction. The award is based on an analysis of many amenities provided commuters downtown, and was awarded based on an application submitted by the Tampa Downtown Partnership’s Karen Kress.
 
  As part of its comprehensive commuter benefits program, Tampa’s Downtown promotes commuting options and support services such as carpool and van-pooling programs with heavily subsidized vehicles and a free Emergency Ride Home program, administered by Bay Area Commuter Services.
 
  There are also bike racks and shower facilities, reduced fares on the downtown circulating trolley and streetcars, a tele-commuting program and a point person to fields transportation-related inquiries.
 
  According to Kevin Tingley, EPA program manager, the effects of incentive programs like these are dramatic:
 
  “If just half of all U.S. employees were covered under commuter benefits such as these, traffic and air pollution could be cut by the equivalent of taking 15 million cars off the roads every year, saving American workers about $12 billion in fuel costs. That’s both cleaner air and real savings for families.”
 
  Individual employers committed to improving quality of life issues for employees and easing congestion and air pollution can also apply to become a Best Workplaces for Commuters company. Thus far, Hillsborough County and the law firm Hill Ward & Henderson have received the designation.
 
  Currently, downtown Tampa has more than 51,000 daily workers, plus some 400 people who now live in the core area. More than 6,000 students from kindergarten through doctoral programs come downtown for their educational needs each day, and increasingly, an entertainment destination. Kress said that by 2008, downtown would have more than 5,500 new residences as well.
 
  The downtown partnership provides downtown guides, vehicle assistance and litter control teams, and promotes downtown and its businesses. See: http://www.tampasdowntown.com, and http://www.tampabayrideshare.org.