As the Metroplex heads into the height of an ozone season already marked by near record levels of air pollution, the North Texas Clean Air Coalition (NTCAC) is challenging every driver to “Try Parking It” at least once during August and instead ride the bus or rail, carpool, vanpool, bike, walk or telecommute.

Ridesharing residents could be rewarded with incentives like vacations or baseball tickets if they take the Commute Solutions Challenge contest, a first for North Texas.

August 1 marks the start of the North Texas Clean Air Coalition’s second annual Commute Solutions Month, a time dedicated to educating North Texas commuters about the benefits of sharing a ride instead of driving alone. “Today I am challenging every driver in North Texas to do their part to help us reduce air pollution,” said Fort Worth Mayor Mike Moncrief. ”We’re not asking people to give up their car forever, just consider sharing a ride to work or school once in a while. Our air will be cleaner and our roadways will be less congested. It’s the very least we can do.” Moncrief added that most people believe industrial pollution is the primary culprit of smoggy skies, however more than 50 percent of area ozone emissions come from cars and trucks.

Commute Solutions Web Challenge

Each time residents choose an alternative commuting option such as public transit, carpooling, or telecommuting, they can log on to the Commute Solutions Challenge site, www.TryParkingIt.com, and document how they got to work or school. At the same time, they will record the number of miles saved– that’s the number of miles they would have otherwise driven alone in their car. The site provides visitors with an up-to-the minute tally of the miles area drivers have saved through the Challenge and enters all participants in a random drawing to win prizes like roundtrip tickets on Southwest Airlines and tickets to Texas Rangers and Dallas Cowboys games.

“While decreased pollution and good health are the ultimate rewards of alternative commuting, the Commute Solutions Challenge is a unique way to lure lone drivers from behind the wheel with incentives,” said North Texas Clean Air Coalition Chairman Howard Gilberg. “We believe once people try alternative commuting, they’ll be more likely to do so again.”

Commute Solutions Month

To help commuters learn the options available to them, each week of Commute Solutions Month will have a different theme that will be promoted through advertising and employer outreach campaigns.

·         August 4–9 is “Telework/Flexible Work Schedule Week”
·         August 11–15 is “Try Transit Week”
·         August 18–22 is “Bike/Walk/Brown Bag Lunch Week”
·         August 25–29 is “Vanpool/Carpool to Work or School Week”

Commute Solutions Employer Tool Kit The cornerstone of the North Texas Clean Air Coalition’s employer outreach campaign is a new Commute Solutions Tool Kit for North Texas companies. The kit is available for free online at www.tryparkingit.com and gives employers simple instructions and guidance for implementing commute alternative programs. Ideas include offering free or discounted bus or train passes, matching commuters to help arrange carpool or vanpool schedules, guidelines on how to set up telecommuting programs and how to establish variable, or flex, work schedules. 
 
Employer support is crucial because more than half of the commuters in the region travel across county lines to get to work. Each time a commuter takes a bus or works from home, rather than driving, about 13 pounds of vehicle exhaust emissions and pollutants are eliminated from our air.

The North Texas Clean Air Coalition will recognize organizations that do an exceptional job motivating employees to rideshare.

Health Benefits of Cleaner Air

Clearer skies would also spell better health for many North Texans. When forecasters announce an Air Pollution Warning Day, healthy, active adults may not feel the effects. But for many children, elderly individuals and those with conditions like asthma, air pollution can cause a real health crisis.

“When there’s an Air Pollution Warning, I stay inside,” said Caryl Veeder, a Dallas resident who suffers from lung disease. “It literally hurts to breathe when air pollution levels are high. I babysit my grandkids and I won’t let them go outside either. We’ve got to do something or I’m afraid I’ll be a prisoner in my own home.” NTCAC encourages citizens to reduce driving during Air Pollution Watch days to help prevent the formation of unhealthy levels of ozone in the region.

Research indicates North Texans want to help. A recent survey showed almost 80 percent believe they can personally do something to improve air quality and its effect on their health. The same percentage said they’re willing to do their share.

Economic Benefits of Cleaner Air

Although North Texas Clean Air Coalition research shows area residents are more concerned about the health implications of air quality than economic damage, the cost savings of alternative commuting are great. The average Metroplex driver spends $2,860 a year on commuting, based on 44 cents a mile for owning, maintaining and fueling a vehicle. That’s $11 a day.

In comparison, a monthly transit pass runs around $40. According to the American Public Transportation Association, buses emit 80 percent less carbon monoxide than cars per mile, only 10 percent as much hydrocarbons, and only 75 percent as much nitrogen oxides. 
 
The NTCAC was formed in 1993 to educate North Texans about air quality and encourage individuals to “do their share for cleaner air.” Members of the NTCAC include the North Central Texas Council of Governments, North Texas Commission, Greater Dallas Chamber, Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce, Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART), The Fort Worth Transportation Authority (the T), and numerous individuals and businesses.
 
For more information, visit www.TryParkingIt.com