1-Day-a-Week Pledge: Transportation Choices
Would you be willing to make a change in your transportation choices one day a week? That’s the question the City is asking this summer with the “1-Day-a-Week” Pledge.
In this campaign launch installation from last Saturday nearly 800 balloons represent the volume of carbon dioxide emissions avoided by leaving the car at home for one day and using an alternate mode of travel.
Through a series of events, including last weekend’s launch at Gazebo Park in Old Strathcona, the City’s Transportation Department will be working to illustrate the impact of choosing to leave the car at home just one day a week.
Last weekend a huge bundle of balloons attached to the gazebo vividly showed how much greenhouse gas can be avoided when one person shifts their transportation mode just one day a week. [Picture at right courtesy of my wife Sarah who also blogged about the event here.]
One person’s small change can make a big difference.
Edmontonians are encouraged to click on www.thewaywemove.ca and pledge to take transit, carpool, walk or bike for one day a week.
The “1-Day-a-Week” pledge is part of implementing the City’s Transportation Master Plan, called The Way We Move.
The long-term goal is to create a holistic Edmonton with an interconnected, multi-modal transportation system where citizens can walk, bike, bus and take the train efficiently and conveniently to their desired location.
The City is doing its part by working to expand LRT, improve bus transit service, enhance pedestrian facilities and expand bike lanes and shared paths.
As we work to increase the transportation options, its up to Edmontonians to try them out and make their own choices. That’s where the 1-Day-a-Week challenge comes in.
The upsides for citizens who make these choices are feeling healthier, reducing personal environmental impact, and saving money.
Sounds obvious but sometimes taking a pledge can help people take the first step to see for themselves.
The way we move around in our City is a personal choice, affected by all kinds of factors, but most of us have more alternatives available that we realize.
The upsides for the whole city are cleaner air, reduced traffic congestion, and better bang for your infrastructure bucks.
So look out for the campaign running this summer and consider signing up on-line or at one of the events.