Clean Air News

Atlanta, GA - Transit supporters gathered at the Decatur transit station today to mark recent transit accomplishments and challenges at MARTA, Georgia’s largest transit system. First, transit ridership is up—as reported in Environment Georgia’s new report “Getting on Track” ridership is up eight percent in Georgia. Transit trips in the Metro Atlanta Area accounted for nearly 90 percent of this increase. Second, energy independence is up—people in Georgia saved over 67 million gallons of gasoline in 2008 by riding transit in record numbers. Finally, fares are up—because of funding shortfall’s MARTA raised their fares today, from $1.75 to $2.00.

Transportation is responsible for more than two-thirds of our dependence on oil, and about one-third of our carbon dioxide pollution Environment Georgia outlined in their new report “Getting On Track: Record Transit Ridership Increases Energy Independence.”

“People are voting with their feet by driving less and taking more public transportation,” said Jennette Gayer of Environment Georgia.  “Elected Officials in Congress and our the Georgia Legislature should listen to these voters and invest more in public transportation, which will increase our energy independence and reduce global warming pollution,” Gayer added

In Georgia, transit ridership increased by more than 8 percent above 2007 levels.

People in Georgia drove less, with 4.809 million fewer miles driven in 2008 than in the year before – a five percent decrease. People drove less due in part to volatile fuel prices and decreased economic activity, and many of these car trips were replaced by transit.

“Despite the huge potential for transit to reduce oil consumption and pollution, the vast majority of transportation funding is spent on roads,” said Gayer.  “Instead of wasting money to build new highways that only increase our dependence on oil, our leaders here in Georgia and in Congress should drive more money to transit, rail, and better biking and walking options,” Gayer added.

In 2008 increased national transit ridership saved more than 4 billion gallons of gasoline, the equivalent of the fuel used in nearly 7.2million cars – almost as many passenger cars as are registered in Florida – consume in one year.

These figures do not take into account the other benefits of increased transit ridership – benefits that include reduced congestion, fewer hours stuck in traffic, reductions in smog and soot pollution or money saved by households regularly taking transit. 

“Traffic exhaust creates ozone pollution and toxic soot in our cities and we raise our children in this unhealthy environment, with pollutants that we know harm their growing bodies,” says Rebecca Watts Hull, Mothers & Others for Clean Air program manager at the Georgia Conservancy.  “It’s time to give Georgians real alternatives to clogged and polluted highways.”

In addition to fuel savings, public transportation reduced global warming pollution in Georgia by 610,000 tons in 2008.

In order to maximize public transportation potential to save energy and reduce pollution, Environment Georgia is asking our local, state, and federal leaders to:

• Issue overarching goals for reducing oil dependence and pollution through transportation, which will guide better policy.
• Increase investment in cleaner public transportation, to include transit, high speed rail, and better walking and biking options, at the state level this means supporting a regional solution to our transportation funding.
• Level the playing field in terms of funding and approving transit projects, relative to road projects. Approval of transit and highway investments should be governed by an equivalent set of rules and matching ratios.
• Increase funding for transit maintenance and day-to-day operations, in addition to improving and expanding capacity. Federal, state and local funds should allow for greater flexibility in funding operations - new buses and trains are useless without drivers to drive them and mechanics to maintain them.

In the near term, Environment Georgia is calling on Congress to incorporate the full provisions of CLEAN TEA (the Clean, Low Emissions, Affordable New Transportation Equity Act, S. 575), into the climate bill being debated now in the Senate. CLEAN TEA would direct 10 percent of climate bill allowances to clean transportation efforts that will save oil and reduce emissions.

“Balancing Georgia’s transportation investments will lead to broad based prosperity and a healthier environment,” said Lee Biola with Citizens for Progressive Transit, a local transportation advocacy group.

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