Did You Know?
Transportation Facts
- If every new vehicle averaged 40 miles per gallon, we would save more oil then we now import from the Persian Gulf
- More than 90 percent of all travel in the U.S. is by automobile, and only 4 percent is by all forms of public transit
- The 1995 National Personal Transportation Survey found that approximately 40 percent of all trips are less than two miles in length—which represents a 10-minute bike ride or a 30-minute walk
- 54% of all commuters live within 10 miles of their work site, making their commute time by bike or car about the same
- The average family drove 34,459 miles in 1995, up from 22,802 in 1983
- According to the EPA, in 2001 less than 15% of students between the ages of 5-15 walked or biked to or from school, down from 48% of students in 1969. These travel choices, which are influenced by school siting and development patterns, impact air emissions.
Success Stories
Towing Kids Around Town with My Bike
Submitted by Brad Crane (bcrane1@comcast.net) Challenge Having kids means being an example, for all things at all times. As a parent I wanted to set a better example for our kids. Specifically, I wanted to demonstrate what it means to be environmentally responsible. So, my challenge was to find a kid-friendly way to reduce our [...]
Scooters: Hi Mileage & Fun!
Submitted by: Bart Carr (bart_carr@yahoo.com) Challenge I am always looking for new ways to get around without using my car. Our 2009 summer vacation took my family to Italy. While stuck in a traffic jam trying to get from the airport to central Rome, I noticed quite a few commuters on their Vespa scooters riding through and around gridlocked traffic. [...]
Running “Bike Errands” in Lafayette
Submitted By: Steve Richard (swrichard@comcast.net) Challenge Like many in Lafayette I often find myself driving into town to Trader Joes, Diablo Foods, and other “hot spots.” Traffic can be thick on Moraga Road and Mt. Diablo Blvd., especially when school is getting out. And then there is the groan when you try to turn left [...]
Commuting to Work on My Bike
Submitted By: Jeff Kent (Jeff.Kent@rhi.com) Challenge As the world warms up and our climate continues to change, reducing our personal carbon footprint will become ever more increasingly important. Changing the way we commute to is probably the biggest single change an individual can reduce his or her own footprint. For 30 years, I’ve biked to [...]
Running Errands by Foot
Submitted By: Hugh R. Winig, MD (hrwinigmd@yahoo.com) “There are times when we probably do not need a car, yet are just in the bad habit of using one.” Recently I learned of a study comparing the average walking speed of people from different countries. The people with the fastest pace are in Japan. The U.S. [...]
Why I Ride a Bike
Submitted By: Claude Aiello (claudelind@aol.com) Challenge To contribute more to preserving our environment and feel good about it. Solution Details I travel often in Europe and I noticed how many people use their bikes instead of cars to do their shopping, visiting, going to work or just recreation. While there, my friend, who uses her bike for [...]
“Driving” My Daughter to School on a Tandem
Submitted By: Dana Wilson (dsimi@comcast.net) Challenge How to get my kindergartener to school without contributing to global warming. Solution Details For 2 years my 6 year old daughter and I have biked to school on a tandem bike. It seemed crazy to be taking my SUV to school when we live so close, so we decided [...]
Bike Riding to BART
Submitted By: Len Curran Challenge How to commute to work in the most environmentally-friendly way. Solution Details Hi. My name is Len Curran and I ride my bike to BART as part of my commute to work as much as I can. I live in Burton Valley which is minutes from the Lafayette Moraga Bike [...]
Lafayette Park Hotel & Spa – Environmental Care Program
Submitted By: Tony Eichers (teichers@lafayetteparkhotel.com) – Vice President & General Manager of Lafayette Park Hotel & Spa The Lafayette Park Hotel & Spa has great respect for our natural resources and we are committed to reducing our impact on the environment through resource conservation and best practices. Our Environmental Care Program focuses on eight key [...]
