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Redesign Communities to Encourage Walking, Biking, and Mass Transit Every gallon of gas burned by a vehicle releases 20 pounds of CO2 to the atmosphere, and vehicles are major contributors to urban air pollution. The City of Xenia and Green County, Ohio, converted 60 miles of former railway corridors and a railroad depot into an alternative transportation center. The center includes bike and pedestrian trails, parking facilities, and a community building. By the end of 1997, more than 300,000 people had used the trails to go to work, school, and other destinations.
Provide Incentives for Mass Transit Or CarpoolingCity governments can implement market measures to influence automobile use. West Hollywood, California, has a parking cash-out program in which city hall employees receive cash incentives of up to $65 per month to leave their cars at home and use alternative methods to commute to work.
Foster Telecommunitng And Similar Trip Reduction ProgramsWorking at home or at a telecommuting center reduces vehicle miles traveled. The San Francisco-San Mateo Videoconferencing/Trip Reduction Project uses videoconferencing technology to allow attorneys with San Francisco's Public Defender Office to conduct interviews with inmates at two county jail facilities in San Bruno, California. The program has eliminated the need for a 40-mile round-trip between facilities and reduced annual vehicle miles traveled by 600,000 and annual CO2 emissions by 351 tons.
Convert Fleets To Run On Alternative FuelsUsing vehicles that run on fuels such as compressed gas, ethanol, methanol, biodiesel, hydrogen, and electricity can improve urban air quality and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The City of Chattanooga, Tennessee, provides clean, quiet, convenient, and free electric bus service within the downtown area. The shuttle system avoids 3.5 million pounds per year of CO2 emissions, and related retail development is projected to reach $12 million, generating $800,000 in city and county revenue.
Put Police On BicyclesMany municipal police departments have cut the number of vehicles in their fleet by instituting "Cops on Bikes" programs. These initiatives save vehicle, fuel, and maintenance costs, and typically improve the departments' ability to serve and protect citizens. Dayton, Ohio's program saves $27,000 per year in reduced fuel and maintenance costs, and reduces CO2 emissions from police transportation by 7.5 tons per year.
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