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Report Measures Chicago's Green Effort
By Margo O'Hara
Nearly 30 percent of Chicagoland's carbon emissions are due to individual
transportation – namely cars.
The City of Chicago is one of many cities around the world attempting
to decrease greenhouse gases.
"While the overall trends in global warming are unsettling,
at best, it is important to recognize that we can all take significant
steps to minimize its impact and to reverse the trends,” said
Chicagoland Bicycle Federation Executive Director Rob Sadowsky.
“This will not happen without the cooperation of policy-makers
at the State and local levels. Nor will it happen without the direct
participation and efforts of citizens.”
Some work is being done at the local level, but also a broader effort
is being made.
C40, an alliance of Earth’s 40 largest cities –
including Chicago – partnered with the Clinton Climate Initiative
in 2006 to outline steps to reverse global warming. Other U.S. cities
involved in the C40 campaign include New York City, Philadelphia
and Houston.
Recently four bicycling advocacy organizations, including the Chicagoland
Bicycle Federation, issued a “report card” that measures
some major U.S. cities against each other in order to give some
perspective on these efforts.
This Urban Transportation Caucus includes the Chicagoland Bicycle
Federation, the San
Francisco Bicycle Coalition, Seattle’s Cascade
Bicycle Club and New York’s
Transportation Alternatives. This report identifies places where
residents, including Chicagoans, can improve the transportation
options.
While Chicago has adopted the bold
Bike 2015 Plan to promote bicycling as a more prominent form
of transportation, the report also identifies the struggling regional
transportation system, including CTA and Metra. It also points out
that moving cars quickly and efficiently continues to be of high
importance, often at the expense of other mode options.
In 2000, the average Chicagoan’s commute to work was 35.2
minutes. By comparison New York City's commuters averaged 40.0 minutes,
Seattle 24.8 and San Francisco 24.8 minutes.
Chicagoans were traveling 11.52 percent more miles by car in 2003
than in 1995. From 1990 to 2000, San Franciscans increased their
car trip distance by only 6 percent. New York City, on the other
hand, saw a 17 percent increase.
More Chicagoans are using their cars. The city saw a 9.26 percent
increase in single-occupant car travel from 1990 to 2000, a 1.32
percent decrease in carpool travel and an 11.43 percent decrease
in transit use. In fact, the only alternative to car travel that
has increased is bicycling, which increased by 80 percent in the
same time period.
The City of Chicago has 165 miles of bike lanes and trails. Compare
this to the 420 miles in New York City, the 68 miles in Seattle
or the 80 miles in San Francisco.
The report praises Chicago for adopting a Complete Streets Policy
in 2006, but it also states that there are only minimal efforts
toward transit-oriented policies and Smart Growth.
“We can reduce our carbon emissions and make a difference
by driving less, weatherizing our homes, reducing our use of materials,
and letting our policy-makers know that it’s time to take
action,” Sadowksy said.
Chicago is becoming more congested. And with only a 1.67 percent
increase in population from 1995 to 2005 (compared to Seattle’s
3.24 percent or New York City's 9 percent increase), the pollution
and traffic gridlock can't be blamed on the number of bodies.
Individual transportation planning — whether in the form of
bicycling, walking or combining those with mass transit —
would have a significant impact on these numbers and the way Chicago
measures up against other major cities.
Margo O’Hara is the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation’s
communication manager
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