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More Use of Public Transporation Saves Money & Environment
As driving dropped in Illinois in 2008, transit ridership rose significantly.

A study published by the group Environment Illinois says gas prices soared to more than $4 a gallon and a recession hit, vehicle miles traveled fell 4 percent to 90.4 billion and transit ridership increased 6 percent to 667 million rides.

Environment Illinois Field Organizer Brian Spranger says it's mostly an economic decision, driving versus transit. He says people drove less when the price of gas was high, and many of those who did drive less used transit more. Spranger says others car pooled, rode bikes, walked or didn't go anywhere at all.

Spranger says people who use transit save big money if they use it to reduce the number of cars in their family.

"Last year we saw record-high gas prices, and those types of fluctuations are bound to continue. (Prices) are low right now, but as demand goes up (and) supply goes down, gas is only going to get more expensive and having another option that saves fuel is going to be a big part of the equation."

Spranger says there are also environmental benefits to public transportation. The report says increased ridership saved 259-million gallons of gas - the amount that would have been used by over 450-thousand cars - and reduced carbon dioxide emissions by 2.3 million tons.

Environment Illinois says transportation is responsible for two-thirds of the nation's oil dependance, and transit is a way to reduce it.
10 03 09 by Newsroom
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