Part Two in an ongoing series linking energy consumption and development patterns
With the price at the pump topping record
levels, many advocacy groups have published their own versions of "10 Tips for
Reducing Your Energy Consumption." While individual efforts – as well as
critical thinking in the ongoing alternative fuels debate – are integral,
communities also must start planning carefully to achieve the only sure-fire method
for curbing America 's oil addiction: cutting car trips. Imagine the
possibilities if we stopped subsidizing unnaturally low gas prices, and started letting
the market catch up to rising consumer demand for pedestrian and
bike-friendly communities near jobs, retail and public transportation. This is Part Two in an
ongoing Metropolitan Planning Council Web series, highlighting how we, as a
region, can start recognizing every chance to grow or rebuild as another
opportunity to diminish our auto dependency. Check back every other Thursday to
learn innovative ways we can beat our oil addiction through sensible
growth.
No one wants to pay $3 for a
gallon of gas, much less $8. Yet experts agree: gas prices will only continue to
rise over the long term. It’s a simple supply and demand equation that obeys no
political process. Indeed, temporarily distorting the market to keep fuel prices
artificially low will only make it more painful for residents, businesses,
cities, and towns to adjust to real market prices when we can no longer afford
the subsidies.
Thankfully, metropolitan
Chicago
offers
convenient ways to adapt to the evolving energy market: most obviously, our
extensive transit system. The six-county region boasts a bus and commuter rail
network that, while not perfect, provides more than 1.6 million rides per day,
giving millions of residents and visitors each year an easy alternative to the
expense and hassles of driving.
That’s a big deal, especially when considering that, next to housing,
transportation is the second highest cost for American families, outpacing both
food and health care costs. Yet public transportation isn’t important only to
those who ride it: the entire region benefits from reduced congestion, faster
delivery of goods and services, and lowered emissions levels. Simply put,
choosing to take transit is fastest, easiest way to free ourselves from pump
anxiety, especially if we make it a priority to live near a train or bus line –
a choice more and more people are making.
To
demonstrate that public transit offers the quickest, simplest alternative to the
high cost of driving, the Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) – which
oversees the Chicago Transit Authority, Metra and Pace – will
join with other public transit systems across the country
for National Dump the Pump Day. The event is sponsored by the American Public
Transportation Association (APTA), a nonprofit association of more than 1,600
member organizations, including almost 400 public transit
agencies.
“By using public transit on a
regular basis, a person can save between $300 and $3,000 in fuel costs per
year,” said
RTA Executive Director Stephen
Schlickman. “We also encourage employers to look into the RTA Transit Benefit
program that
allows a company and its employees to take advantage of tax
law changes to reduce commuting costs.
Those savings
could be used for necessities such as food and medicine, help pay a student
loan, or make the dream of a family vacation a reality,” he
said.
Of course, as more and more of us walk past our cars on
the way to the train or bus – or forgo car ownership altogether – the transit
system also must continue to adapt. In order to keep the system reliable,
convenient, safe, and clean, state and local governments will have to provide
enough resources to the RTA. According to the RTA, the agency needs $1 billion
per year just to maintain the current transit system, including its rail cars
and busses, stations and passenger facilities, tracks, signals, and
communications equipment. To expand northeastern Illinois ’ transit system in
order to serve more riders, the state must deliver at least 20 percent of the $7
billion authorized for New
Start projects
in the most recent federal transportation bill.
The realities of the energy market – and the changing
transportation needs of our growing region – mean that we cannot afford to let
our transit system become crippled by basic maintenance problems. The RTA’s new
Strategic Plan initiative promises to chart a course allowing our more than
100-year-old transit system to adapt to meet the demands of our evolving travel
and lifestyle habits. We can do ourselves a favor by getting involved in the
planning process and telling our leaders we expect them to support more
resources for our transit systems. Click here to read more about the RTA Strategic
Plan
.
Read
part one of the series on energy consumption and development
patterns.