There are a lot of ways to get around in the Pikes Peak Region, and reducing the miles you drive in a traditional single-occupancy vehicle can have a positive impact on air quality. Emissions from cars, trucks, vans, and motorcycles are some of the largest contributors to ground-level ozone. Using multimodal forms of transportation can be less stressful, save you money, and contribute to clean air and better health.
Skip Two Trips
If you skip two car trips each week and replace them with other ways to get around, you decrease traffic congestion and contribute to improving air quality. Consider trying a new way to get around.
Take Public Transportation
Mountain Metro Transit and Fountain Transit provide public transportation in the Pikes Peak Region. Public transportation is low cost, extremely beneficial to overall air quality, and you can read a book or catch up on social media while you travel to your destination!
CDOT’s Bustang and Snowstang are also excellent stress-free options for traveling to and from the mountains or along the Front Range. Pack your bags, leave the car in the driveway and forget about sitting behind the wheel in congested traffic.
There are also several conveniently located Park-n-Ride lots to help make your commute a breeze. Use the Park-n-Ride to catch the Bustang, ride Mountain Metro Transit, meet for carpooling, or to extend your bike commute. All Park-n-Ride lots in the Colorado Springs area have a 72 hour parking limit.
For information on routes, schedules, fares, and special free-fare events, check out their websites.
Combine Trips
Sometimes you just need to drive. It happens. But by adopting a “while I’m out” approach you can have a dramatic impact on air quality. Here are a few ideas on how to combine trips:
- Pick one day each week to run errands. Start an errand list and fill it with reminders so you don’t forget anything while you’re out.
- When you order delivery, ask for a bundled shipment to save trips and in summer, have deliveries sent after 5:00 p.m. when possible.
Carpool
Carpooling is an efficient way to commute. Mountain Metro Rides now offers free, automated carpool matching through RIDEPRO, an online ride-matching database! It only takes a few minutes to register and it’s completely FREE. When you sign up, you’ll find possible commuting partners who live and work near you, and have similar schedules. Like you, they’re looking for carpool partners to share the ride so they can enjoy a more pleasant (and economical) commute to work.
Vanpool
Mountain Metro Rides provides a Vanpool service, offering a smart choice for groups of commuters who live and work near each other. Passengers share the ride and pay a low monthly fare for a minivan seating up to 6, or a full-size van seating up to 10 people. All fuel, maintenance, and insurance are included. Join an existing vanpool or set up your own on the MMT Vanpool website.
Ride your Bike
Avoid Idling
Idling uses more fuel than simply turning off and restarting your car when you are ready to use it again. In the heat of summer, keeping a parked car on for the AC is bad for air quality. Even as temperatures cool, you’ll warm up your engine more efficiently if you drive gently for the first few miles. When you are stopped for more than a few minutes, turn off your engine to prevent air pollution.
Avoiding Idling during school pick-up and drop-off times is especially important. Every minute your engine idles outside a school, harmful pollutants fill the air where children breathe, learn, and play. Kids are especially vulnerable to air pollution, and the concentration of idling vehicles near school grounds significantly increases localized air pollution levels. By turning off engines while waiting, parents and caregivers can play a direct role in improving the air children breathe—helping to create a healthier, safer school environment for all.
Fun fact: a single car idling for just 10 minutes can emit enough pollutants to fill approximately 150 balloons with harmful gases such as carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, and fine particulate matter. When multiplied by dozens of vehicles each day, the impact on air quality around schools becomes substantial.
Update your Fleet
Reducing emissions from vehicle fleets can have a big impact on air quality while also saving you money. Drive Clean Colorado works with vehicle fleets, fuel providers, community leaders, and other stakeholders, to provide outreach and information to companies and organizations, and improve awareness of strategies and technologies that help reduce fuel consumption and emissions while improving efficiency and saving on operating costs. Drive Clean Colorado gives fleet owners the tools and resources, including guidance on grants and incentives, to identify community-driven choices that save energy and promote the use of alternative fuels and advanced vehicle technologies in transportation. Find more information on the Drive Clean Colorado website!