Transportation Statistics
Just why is the message of the Manayunk Travel Awareness Campaign so important? The statistics shown in Section A give an overview of the increase in vehicle use in recent times, and the problems associated with this increase. Section B provides examples of what everyday people can do to alter travel behavior and improve our quality of life.

Section A: Some Facts About Travel and Transport

Car Ownership
The following are some of the reasons for the rise in ownership and number of cars:

• Far-flung jobs and services—housing centers are not necessarily where jobs are located
  
• Loss of open space and urban sprawl
  
• Decline in quality and quantity of public transportation
  
• Growing cost of public transportation
  
• Flexible working hours which are incompatible with public transportation
  
• Dependency of industry and commerce on cars and trucks
  
• Willingness of people to travel further
  
• Safety concerns and lack of facilities for walking and cycling
  
• Out-of-town commercial and recreational interests
  

Pollution from Transportation

• 199 million vehicles in the U.S. burn nearly 4,000 gallons of gasoline every second
  
• Vehicle emissions account for almost half of all regulated air emissions in the U.S.
  
• The transportation sector represents approximately one-third of the total U.S. emissions of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide
  
• Nitrogen Oxide (NOX) forms smog, which triggers asthma attacks. Fourteen Americans die every day from asthma and in Philadelphia alone, around 300,000 asthma attacks are triggered each summer by smog pollution
  
• Sulfur Dioxide (SO2) forms soot. When breathed in the soot particles can lead to lung infections and premature death
  
• Carbon monoxide deprives the brain, heart, lungs and other tissues of oxygen
  
• Volatile Organic Compounds cause damage to liver, kidney, and central nervous system. Some organics are suspected or known to cause cancer in humans.
  
• Automobiles not only release criteria pollutants (CO, NOX, PM, SO2 and VOCs) but also release a number of harmful toxic substances including:
  
• Benzene, which has been identified as a known human carcinogen (cancer causing chemical)
  
• Arsenic, certain compounds of which have been identified as known human carcinogens
  
• Formaldehyde, which has been identified as a probable human carcinogen
  
• Acetaldehyde, which has been identified as a probable human carcinogen
  
• 1,3-butadiene, which has been identified as a probable human carcinogen
  
• Diesel particulate matter, which has been identified as a probable human carcinogen
  
• Methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE), a fuel additive that is also thought to have adverse effects on human health
  
• The EPA estimates that mobile (car, truck, and bus) sources of air toxics account for as much as half of all cancers attributed to outdoor sources of air pollution
  
• It is estimated that a 4-mile round trip that we do not take by car prevents nearly 15 pounds of air pollutants from contaminating the air
  

Section B: What We Can Do
Individuals can:

• Use more local facilities
  
• Travel shorter distances whenever possible
  
• Travel at times when roads are less congested (i.e. not during rush hour periods)
  
• Travel with other people on longer distance trips
  
• Walk or cycle for short distance trips
  
• Use public transit whenever possible
  
• Save up several errands for one car trip
  
• Do more business from home
  
• It is also extremely beneficial to keep a record of your travel habits and track your changes ...
  
• Click here and print out your copy of the Manayunk Travel Awareness campaign TRAVEL DIARY. Please keep us informed by sending a copy of your diary to Dennis Winters at Clean Air Council's Philadelphia office.
  

Communities can:

• Walk groups of children to school
  
• Car pool for longer trips
  
• Create a home delivery service for local stores
  
• Lobby local officials to provide a frequent bus service to the supermarket
  
• Set up a community bus service or shuttle system
  
• Look after your bus stops / railway stations to provide a more pleasant experience for public transit users
  
• Set up a bike club - Bicycles offer a wonderful alternative to driving and cyclists are the "indicator species" of a livable community
  
• Lobby local officials to provide / expand cycling facilities, bike paths, and bike lanes
  
• Make a pledge to reduce traffic speeds in local area
  
• Set up a car-share scheme with your neighbors
  

In order to reduce car use and congestion, and therefore the quality of life in Manayunk, companies can:

• Introduce flexi-time, so employees can travel to and from work outside of the busy rush hour periods
  
• Re-assess company business travel policies
  
• Give cash equivalents instead of company cars
  
• Encourage car-share schemes
  
• Charge for parking, with exceptions for those participating in a car-share
  
• Provide company transport (for example a company bus)
  
• Provide incentives to use public transit through transit discounts
  
• Provide employees who bike to work the same financial incentives as car-poolers and mass transit users
  
• Provide cycle parking &Mac183; Provide showers and changing rooms
  
• Make more use of telecommunications
  
  

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