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Fort Wayne Clean Air Force |
By Betsey Kachmar
A few years ago, Fort Wayne, Indiana, received the dubious honor of becoming eligible for Congestion Mitigation & Air Quality Control funding (CMAQ). The area had exceeded acceptable limits of ozone and airborne particulate matter for a sufficient number of days several summers in succession.
A task force was formed to address this problem. As a founding member of the “Air Quality Task Force,” Citilink has taken the lead with several initiatives to address air-quality issues and improve our environment. For more information on the Clean Air Force Campaign, go to the website www.thecleanairforce.org. You can even check out the clever television commercials we have produced. Here are a few of the campaign highlights: Biodiesel Fuel: Citilink is reducing particulate-matter emissions and supporting Indiana farmers by using an 80/20 blend of soy/diesel fuel for our entire fleet of buses.
Rack & Roll: All fixed-route buses have bike racks, and we have produced a brochure that co-markets bus and Greenway bike trails. Transit passengers are encouraged to extend their trip with their bikes. Bike riders are encouraged to avoid congested areas by accessing bike trails where bus routes intersect.
Citiloop Summer Lunchtime Trolley: To reduce downtown congestion and encourage downtown vitality, Citilink partnered with the Downtown Improvement District, Star Financial Bank and downtown merchants to offer a free trolley service for the past three summers. This year saw record ridership increases as people hopped on the trolley instead of into their car.
Dump the Pump:
In conjunction with American Public Transportation Association partners nationwide, Citilink sponsored a Dump the Pump day on June 21. We offered free fares and provided air-quality information and giveaways at our downtown transfer facility.
Free Fare Days: Bus rides are free on Ozone Alert days (subsidized by CMAQ reimbursement). A key component of the Clean Air Force Campaign is encouraging people to be more conscientious about their contribution to pollution on days when the air quality is deemed harmful to at-risk populations (children, the elderly, asthmatics, etc.). People are challenged to “do what they can do” — ride the bus, bike, walk, carpool, skip mowing the lawn, fill their car’s gas tank after dark, reduce idling, inflate their tires, go inside, change to CFL light bulbs and so forth. If everyone does a little, it can make a big difference. People are listening; ridership is double the norm on free-fare days. Citilink set a 15-year daily record ridership on a free-fare day last summer. We are hopeful people will become fare-paying customers after they try transit.
Small-Bus Hybrid Electric Demo: Citilink recently entered into an agreement to serve as a beta test site for a new Variable Torque Motor hybrid electric drive. We will retrofit one of our Ford E-450 light-transit vehicles used on our Flexlink deviated routes. The hybrid drive is designed to save fuel, reduce emissions and improve brake life. It can be an easy and relatively affordable alternative to more expensive hybrid options. Citilink is proud to help this Fort Wayne-based company bring this new technology to market.
A high school student recently contributed this thought in a letter to the editor of our local newspaper: “Current studies have shown that bad ozone is increasing. Motor vehicle exhaust is one of the primary causes. So, if we have alternative transportation, why don’t we use it? Especially since everyone is complaining about high gas prices. Think about it. If 30 people take the bus for a month, that’s money the oil companies don’t get and money the bus company gets to fund more service.” I couldn’t have said it better!
Citilink remains committed to improving air quality along with the other members of the Allen County Air Quality Task Force: the Northeast Indiana Regional Coordinating Council, Allen County Safety & Environment Department, American Lung Association, FW/AC Health Department, University of St. Francis, Indiana Department of Environmental Management, FW Energy & Environmental Services, Home Depot and Summit City Bicycle & Fitness. If we all just do what we can do, our world can be a little better for everyone.
Betsey Kachmar is assistant general manager at Citilink, 260.432.4977.
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www.fwcitilink.com
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 11 March 2008 16:05 )
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