Transportation is one of the top sources of carbon dioxide emissions, and travel reduction is one way commuters can help keep those emissions at bay and maintain clean air.
Employers with 100 or more full-time equivalent employees are required to participate in the Travel Reduction Program to ensure that air in the greater Tucson region remains clean by promoting the use of alternative travel modes to employees in order to reduce traffic congestion.
Alternative modes to support travel reduction include:
- Carpooling
- Vanpooling
- Bicycling
- Walking
- Riding the bus
Using active transportation or telecommuting is ideal to reduce polluting emissions, while ridesharing and using transit reduces the number of vehicles on the streets.
“Reducing the amount of miles you drive is the best way to reduce air pollution from motor vehicles,” explained Melanie Forster an environmental specialist for the Washington State Department of Ecology. “If you can, try walking or biking to your destination. You will emit zero pollutants.”
The Impact
According to the University of Arizona’s MAP Dashboard, the average commute in the Tucson region is 25.5 minutes, just below the national average of 26.7 minutes. Even with the slightly shorter commute times, emissions from Tucson drivers are still plentiful.
Rideamigos.com states that the average full-size car or SUV results in 5.7 tons of carbon dioxide emissions from the average commute of 15 miles each way. Even a compact car that gets 35 miles per gallon generates 2.1 tons of carbon dioxide.
Carbon dioxide adversely impacts air quality and is the most common human-caused greenhouse gas, according to the Washington State Department of Ecology.
Ridesharing
A carpool of four commuters can remove between six and 17 tons of carbon dioxide from the environment depending on the size of the cars taken off the road. Squeeze a few more people into a car, or opt for a vanpool and a reduction in pollution is even greater.
Just skipping one car ride a week can make a difference since a typical passenger vehicle emits just over 18 pounds of carbon dioxide per gallon of gasoline, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
“The majority of transportation air pollution in our region comes from cars and trucks traveling with only a single person in the vehicle,” explained Pima Association of Governments’ Air Quality Manager Dustin Fitzpatrick. “We can reduce these single occupancy trips and help improve air quality by using other means of travel such as carpooling, vanpooling, using transit, or biking and walking.”
Reducing Trips
Unfortunately, ridesharing to work is not an option for everyone. Using active transportation and transit is also difficult for some commuters. Just because one can’t reduce car trips to work does not mean travel reduction is impossible.
Reducing car trips at any time can have a positive impact. Cutting out just 25 miles a week can eliminate 1,500 pounds of pollution based on estimates by rideshare.com.
Try carpooling to other places such as youth activities, to the gym or even to go shopping. Need just an item or two from the store? Try riding your bike or walking. Another way to reduce trips is to plan your errands and make as many stops as possible on a single trip without backtracking.
Implementing these steps will bring monetary benefits as well. Reducing car trips leads to cost savings due to using less gasoline and possibly lower maintenance costs due to less wear and tear. Use PAG’s commute cost calculator to see how much you can save.
Using active transportation such as cycling or walking can lead to health benefits and weight loss, while combining trips can save time and increase time management.
