Most Hamilton drivers travel alone.  While some vehicle trips are necessary, many can be avoided by planning and choosing a different method of transportation.  Driving alone is known as a single occupancy vehicle trip.  

Compared with other forms of transportation, single occupancy vehicles:

• Are highly polluting.
• Cause traffic gridlock.
• Contribute to climate change.
• Waste fuel and money.
  

One way to drastically reduce tailpipe emissions is to reduce the number of single occupancy vehicle trips on our roads. 

Short car trips, those under 5 km, are extremely polluting because the vehicle's emission control system does not function properly when cold.  A healthy adult should be able to walk 2 km or bicycle 5 km in less than twenty minutes.  When we choose these zero emission transportation modes we reduce our highly polluting short car trips. 

When we leave the car at home and take the bus one more time per week or ride our bikes to the soccer field then we are getting active and choosing environmentally sustainable transportation.

Changing our transportation habits is not always easy but it is worthwhile.  Just like sticking to an exercise program, taking transit regularly may take a couple of months to become second nature.

There are special events that can help too.  The Commuter Challenge is a one week long friendly competition between Canadian cities.  It’s held annually in June during Environment Week.

Many people have never taken a bus or bicycled to work.  The Commuter Challenge gives them a chance to try something new. Perhaps there is an amazing bike route to your work that you never tried.  Maybe the bus will take you right from home to work. You’ll never know unless you try.  The challenge is free, fun and makes a real difference! See the City of Hamilton website for details at www.hamilton.ca/commuterchallenge.

During the one week 2007 Commuter Challenge:

• 1,505 Hamiltonians from all walks of life at 51 schools, organizations and businesses participated.
• Participants prevented over 41,451.76 kg of greenhouse gases from contributing to climate change. 
  

Just think about how many greenhouse gas emissions could be avoided if people commuted this way every day, all year.

But don't wait for June because you can challenge yourself and try a new way of commuting today.  The planet and your wallet will thank you.