| Facts
& Figures
Did
you know:
"2.3
billion gallons of gasoline lost to engines idling in
traffic jams [nationwide]"?1
Americans spend an average of 47 hours per year sitting
in rush-hour traffic? Those in the Triangle Region spend
27 hours. 6
Our cars
use more gasoline each year than the entire U.S. oil
industry produces. 4
A typical commuter who switches from driving alone to
using commuter alternatives saves more than $800 a year
in transportation expenses? 2
Each year,
public transportation saves 1,500 million gallons in
auto fuel consumption—150 times the 10 million
gallons spilled by the Exxon Valdez. 3
For every 10,000 solo commuters who leave their cars
at home and commute on an existing public transportation
service for one year, the nation reduces fuel consumption
by 2.7 million gallons. 3
A bus with as few as seven passengers is more fuel efficient
than the average car with one occupant used for commuting.
3
These facts are just a few of the reasons more
commuters are giving up their single occupancy vehicles
and choosing commute alternatives.
The Facts About Transportation,
Congestion and Air Quality
The following facts are from the North
Carolina Progress Board 20/20 Report unless otherwise
indicated 5:
NC has the 9th highest vehicle miles traveled per capita
in the nation. North Carolinians on average drive 21%
more than their national counterparts.
In 2000, NC ranked 2nd in the nation in the total number
of highway miles under state control.
During the 1990s the state added over 4,600 lane miles
to the state highway system (a 2.5% increase).
North Carolina ranked 23rd in the nation in highway
quality in 1999, according to the Corporation for Enterprise
Development.
North Carolina has the nation’s 14th highest highway
fatality rate.
In 1998,
NC ranked 37th in the US in urban mass transit system
availability.
NC needs an estimated $1 billion per year in new highway
construction and an additional $300 million per year
to meet highway maintenance standards.
-------------
1. American Lung Association. State of
the Air 2004: Rankings. 25 July 2006 < http://www.lungusa.org/site/pp.asp?c=dvLUK9O0E&b=50752>.
2. Ruth, Connie. "Commuter Benefits: Employers
Get the Green Light." Employee Benefits Digest
Jan. 2003. Rpt. in . Vol. 40. Brookfield, Wisconsin:
International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans,
. 1,10-15.
3. American Public Transportation Association. The Benefits
of Public Transportation - an Overview.. 25 July 2006
< http://www.apta.com/transitaction/ben_overview.asp
>.
4. Clean Water Action Council. Environmental Impacts
of Transportation.. 25 July 2006 < http://www.cwac.net/transportation/index.html>.
5. For all the NC Progress Board 2020 citations, the
appropriate reference is: NC Progress Board. The Eight
Imperatives for the Year 2020: A Summary of Findings,
Facts, Visions, Goals, and Targets. Dec. 2001. . <
http://www.ncprogress.org/PDF/eight%20imperative%20booklet%20(complete).pdf>.
6. Texas Transportation Institute. 2005 Urban Mobility
Study:Media Information:News Release. 9 May 2005. 12
July 2006 .
|
