WASHINGTON, D.C.-- For the first time, the U.S. Department of Transportation confirms in an interim report to Congress on the Nonmotorized Transportation Pilot Program, the climate benefits that can be gained by a community that embraces bicycle and pedestrian travel. The non-motorized trips covered in the report are also viewed as critical parts of the nation's surface transportation system.
The federal report reveals that bicycling and walking trips in Columbia, MO, Marin County, CA, Minneapolis, and Sheboygan County, WI, range from 7.3 to an unexpected 19.6 percent of total person trips. In comparison to the four communities, commonly cited data place this figure near 9.5 percent nationally. Additionally, Minneapolis' total non-automobile mode share rises from 19.6 to a high of 29.3 percent of total person trips when transit riders are added.
Of critical importance is the fact that these levels of non-motorized transportation in the four communities reduce total vehicle-miles traveled (VMT) by an estimated 156.1 million miles over the course of a year. Based on the VMT reductions reported, a saving of more than $23 million in fuel costs alone, and a reduction of 67,000 metric tons of C02 emissions can be projected. Such a VMT reduction is an essential ingredient, along with improved automobiles and fuels, in meeting the nation's goals of fighting global warming and achieving greater energy independence.
This interim report is just one element of the federal Nonmotorized Transportation Pilot Program, established by Congress in 2005. Still in its initial stages, the program is providing each of the four pilot communities with $25 million over four years to implement a comprehensive set of projects and programs to encourage biking and walking. In addition to reduced greenhouse gas emission, anticipated benefits include congestion relief, low-cost travel alternatives and improved public health. In releasing the report, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Mary Peters writes: "bicycling and walking…are environmentally friendly solutions to meeting growing mobility demands."
USDOT Federal Highway Administration Report
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