 You can change the way you commute!
If you drive, maybe you can carpool, take transit, bike or walk. If you take transit, maybe you want to give biking or walking a try. If you bike or walk, heck, why not recruit some friends to join you?
Check out the resources on the right for some friendly advice and helpful hints on how to change modes.
The Rolling Carbon Report
Want to know more about the facts and figures on this site? Check out Transportation Alternatives' Rolling Carbon Report.
Why focus on commuting?
Every year in New York City, approximately 3.5 million people commute a total distance of over 11.5 billion miles. For most people, commuting is a scheduled, routine activity performed twice a day. And because of this repetitiveness, whatever environmental impacts occur during just one commute are multiplied 500 times over the course of a year. When we switch commutes to more environmentally sustainable modes of transportation, we reap the benefits of that positive choice day after day. Likewise, the negative impact of carbon-intensive commutes are magnified over time.
On average, each commuter in New York City generates about 3.5 pounds of CO2 per commute for a total of 1,750 pounds of CO2 per year, making us the most environmentally-sound commuters in the nation. However, these citywide numbers can be deceiving. The individual carbon footprint of each commuter can be much higher or much lower than the average depending on commuting mode choice: a person commuting by SUV may produce six times the greenhouse gas emissions as a subway rider traveling the same distance. A walking or biking commuter travels that same distance with zero emissions.
Automobiles currently only carry 31% of commuters in New York City yet produce 60% of commuting CO2 emissions. Due to the dramatic differences in the carbon impact of individuals' transportation modes, even small-scale commuting modal shifts from taxis and private cars to lower carbon modes like public transport, non-motorized transportation) can result in significant CO2 emissions reductions.
For example:
- If 10% of all people commuting by motorized transport walked, biked, or skated to work just once per week, the result would be like planting 473,000 trees.
- If just 5% of all people commuting by private car or taxi switched to public or non-motorized transportation, the result would be like planting 591,000 trees.
- In sobering contrast, if everyone were to commute alone by large SUV, the increase in CO2 emissions would nearly triple total commuting CO2 emissions.
Switching drivers to more sustainable modes of transportation won't happen overnight. It will require a combination of progressive transportation policies as well as public outreach campaigns educating consumers on the impacts of their commuting and their alternative options. And unlike truck deliveries and other less flexible motor vehicle trips, there is an enormous opportunity to convert car commutes to time competitive alternatives like transit, biking and walking.
There are many additional benefits to shifting commutes away from cars and to public and non-motorized transportation. These benefits include, but are not limited to: improved air quality, reduced congestion, safer streets, and a more active, healthier population. As the City considers policies and programs to boost transit ridership and non-motorized commuting, greenhouse gas emissions reductions should only be considered one element of the overall public benefit.
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