Tag Archives: commute

Clear the Air, Try Transit

By SLCgreen Intern Iris Tang

Photo of a UTA trax line stopped at a station.

Brijette Williams, Sustainability Outreach Coordinator, lives in the suburbs but works and goes to school in Salt Lake City. She commutes by public transit as much as possible because it makes her travel time feel “valuable and productive.”

Instead of getting stuck in traffic on I-15, she can check emails, make lists for the day, or unwind without the stress of being behind the wheel.

Choosing to swap your car trip for a transit trip can help improve air quality and mitigate summer ozone. It’s also a great way to participate in this month’s Clear the Air Challenge, which encourages us all to take fewer single-occupancy car trips.

Here are some reasons to consider taking transit more often and tips to get started.

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Clear the Air Challenge 2018 Recap

We’re excited to let you know the winners of the SLC Corp 2018 Clear the Air Challenge. You may recall that this year we organized an internal bracket between SLC Corp departments to complement the statewide competition. The internal winner of the most brackets would ultimately win the “Mayor’s Cup” for their efforts.

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The 2018 Clear the Air Challenge is Here!

It’s February which means it’s time for the Ninth Annual Clear the Air Challenge! If you haven’t already, now is the perfect time to get signed up and start identifying how you can drive less and drive smarter to save pollution. Continue reading →

Looking for a new car? Sign Up for ZOOm Go Electric through May 31

Are you waiting for the right time to buy a low-emission vehicle? Are you interested in helping clean the air and save money?

We’re excited to let you know that a new bulk purchase program for electric vehicles is BACK! (The last one, U Drive Electric, put 127 cleaner cars on the road in three months!)

ZOOm Go Electric is the newest discount program to launch. It runs from now through May 31, so get on it soon.

According to a 2013 analysis conducted by SWEEP and Utah Clean Energy “all electric” vehicles produce 99% lower emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), 95% less sulfur dioxide (SO₂) emissions, 76% less nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions as compared to a new gasoline vehicle. Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles reduces emissions significantly as well. Continue reading →

Provo City Launches Provo Clean Air Toolkit

As we’ve discussed previously, we think cities are hotbeds of sustainability solutions.

Here’s another example from our friends to the south: Provo’s Clean Air Toolkit.

In 2014, Provo was awarded a grant by Utah Clean Air Partnership (UCAIR) to pursue this project. The toolkit’s goal is to present local residents and businesses with a centralized list of strategies they can use to achieve cleaner air in Utah County, and to make clean air the common goal of Provo City’s strategic planning and operations.

You can check it out at www.provocleanair.org. As you’ll see, it offers a comprehensive guide for individuals, businesses, and municipalities to use to reduce air pollutants, as well as helpful statistics and infographics detailing projections for air quality over the next few decades.

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The Woman Leading SLC’s Transportation Revolution

Photo Credit: Ben Bolte

Recently, The Atlantic Cities profiled Salt Lake City’s Transportation Director, Robin Hutcheson, shining a light on the woman who has been leading our city’s transportation revolution over the last few years.

Here’s an except from the article. We recommend heading over to The Atlantic Cities article ASAP.

SALT LAKE CITY—Here are a few things to know about Robin Hutcheson. She’s a Connecticut native who came to Utah in 1994 for the skiing, and except for a few years in Europe, has lived here ever since. Since 2011, she’s been head of the transportation planning division of Salt Lake City, the state’s capital and biggest metropolis, often commuting by bike, at other times running one way and taking public transit on the return trip. Also, as you have noted by now, she is a woman.

That last part shouldn’t be a big deal. And most of the time, it isn’t. Every now and then, though, as the 43-year-old Hutcheson has climbed the ranks of her chosen profession, she gets a reminder: being a woman in a leadership position in American transportation is not the norm.

Read the full article on The Atlantic Cities.

Bike Commuting: The Basics

[Watch our bike commuting feature on KUTV 2News This Morning!]

Commuting by two wheels can transform the dullest part of your day (your commute) into the best part of your day (your “me” time).

The SLCgreen crew loves their bikes, so we, with the help of the Bicycle Transit Center and BikeSLC.com, put together some tips to get you rolling.

Safety First. Make sure your bike is road-worthy! We recommend that you:

Take your bike it into the shop for a quick tune up.
Make sure you have the proper bike lights and reflectors.
Find the right helmet with a proper fit.
Pull out your brightest yellow shirt or vest for enhanced visibility.
Read up on the rules of the road at BikeSLC.com.

Gear Up! There are a few things that will make your commute run smoothly:

Secure a bike rack and panniers on your bike.
Pack a repair a kit with the basics. You can buy one or assemble it yourself.
Consider fenders, which will protect you from tire splatter on a drizzly day.
Lock it up! U-locks are more secure than cable locks. Get the scoop from BIkeSLC.com.
License your bike with the city. This simple step can help you recover your bike in the event of theft, and it is required by law.

What to wear. In addition to your bright shirt or vest, a few things to consider:

Mellow Commute: You may be able to wear your work clothes.
Not-So-Mellow Commute: Pack your work clothes in your panniers. We recommend rolling your clothes to prevent creasing.

Plan your attack. Choose the right route for your commute. Check out the BikeSLC Map or try the bike feature on Google Maps.

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