The Lawrence Transit System will offer free rides on all its fixed-route buses Thursday, as part of National Dump the Pump Day.
The T is participating in the fourth-annual event to help boost awareness of transit opportunities and encourage wider use.
“We hope to encourage people to leave their cars at home and give public transit a try,” said Robert Nugent, the city’s transit administrator. “Taking the T instead of driving to work, school, shopping or an appointment can save money, save gas and keep our air cleaner.”
The event is organized by the American Public Transportation Association.
First-time riders of the T can ask bus drivers for assistance with transfers and explanations of timing points. For assistance with trip planning, call 312-7054 or visit LawrenceTransit.org for a route map and connection to a Google Trip Planner.
Comments
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oneeye_wilbur (anonymous) says…
a great way to turn a losing transporation system into a bigger loser.
blue73harley (anonymous) says…
BYOM.
Bring your own marshmallows.
merrill (anonymous) says…
Excellent promotion of one way to help curb global warming.
Irish (Leslie Swearingen) says…
Why don't more people who ride the bus speak up?
I know I see some riders again and again. I think of them as my bus friends.
It does take a bit of doing to learn how the bus system operates and the printed schedule is not for the faint of heart.
But, it can be fun.
Like the movies, you need to bring a sweater along in the summer.
They need to have a bus that gets closer to the movies than 33rd and Iowa. A lot of people take the bus to the matinee.
purplesage (anonymous) says…
At least there weren't a lot of people to evacuate when the T burned up the other day.
Maybe this will get someone to ride.
gl0ck0wn3r (anonymous) says…
"Richard Heckler (Anonymous) says… Excellent promotion of one way to help curb global warming."
I'd like to see a study - specific to the T - that shows the T actually helps curb global warming. The poor ridership leads me to believe the reverse is true.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090608/...
"Energy use and emission factors for passenger transportation modes typically ignore the total environmental inventory which includes vehicles, infrastructure, and fuel production components from design through end-of-life processes. A life-cycle inventory for each mode is necessary to appropriately address and attribute the transportation sector's energy and emissions impacts to reduction goals instead of allowing tailpipe factors to act as indicators of total system performance... Off-peak bus travel is the worst performer..."
I think we can agree that the T is constantly performing at "off-peak" given its occupancy (or lack of).
http://www.sustainable-transportation...
Richard, why do you hate the environment?
snap_pop_no_crackle (anonymous) says…
I'm sure both riders that day will appreciate this gesture.
none2 (anonymous) says…
merrill (Anonymous) says…
Excellent promotion of one way to help curb global warming.”
Marion (Marion Lynn) responds…
Flaming buses curb global warming?
===================
Now that is funny!
merrill (anonymous) says…
Help Curb Global Warming
Car Emissions — A Problem?
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), driving a car is the single most polluting thing that most of us do. Motor vehicles emit millions of tons of pollutants into the air each year.
In many urban areas, motor vehicles are the single largest contributor to ground-level ozone, a major component of smog. Ground-level ozone is the most serious air pollution problem in the northeast and mid-Atlantic states.
Cars also emit several pollutants classified as toxics, which cause as many as 1,500 cases of cancer in the country each year. Auto emissions also contribute to the environmental problems of acid rain and global warning.
Motor vehicles generate three major pollutants: hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides, and carbon monoxide.
* Hydrocarbons react with nitrogen oxides in the presence of sunlight and elevated temperatures to form ground-level ozone. It can cause eye irritation, coughing, wheezing, and shortness of breath and can lead to permanent lung damage.
* Nitrogen oxides (NOx) also contribute to the formation of ozone and contribute to the formation of acid rain and to water quality problems.
* Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless, deadly gas. It reduces the flow of oxygen in the bloodstream and can impair mental functions and visual perception. In urban areas, motor vehicles are responsible for as much as 90 percent of carbon monoxide in the air.
Drivers can help reduce motor vehicle emissions in the following ways:
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* Reducing the number of vehicle miles traveled by carpooling, using public transportation, and planning ahead to combine trips. One person using mass transit for an entire year, instead of driving to work, can keep an average of 9.1 pounds of hydrocarbons, 62.5 pounds of carbon monoxide, and 4.9 pounds of nitrogen oxides from being discharged into the air. One full, 40-foot bus also takes 58 cars off the road. A 10 percent nationwide increase in transit ridership would save 135 million gallons of gasoline a year.
=====================================================================
* Traveling at moderate, steady speeds (ideally between 35 and 45 miles per hour), and reducing idling time. High speeds result in greater emissions. Idling for more than half a minute burns more gas than it takes to restart the engine. Avoid drive-through windows.
* Keeping vehicles in good running condition. Poorly maintained or malfunctioning vehicles can release as much as 10 times the emissions of a well-maintained one. Motorists should follow the manufacturer's instructions on routine maintenance, such as oil and filter changes. Use an energy saving grade of motor oil (labeled ECII or Energy Conserving II).
merrill (anonymous) says…
Developers and cars are two very expensive budget items. Both want roads,roads and more roads for tax payers to maintain = not a fiscally sound concept.
Cost of owning a car:
http://www.bikesatwork.com/carfree/co...
http://www.edmunds.com/new/2009/toyot...
http://www.investopedia.com/articles/...
http://www.edmunds.com/used/2004/suba...
Irish (Leslie Swearingen) says…
Merrill, you are absolutely right. I would just hope that people would take the time and effort to read what you wrote.
But, cars are a status symbol as well as transportation. People are judge by what modal, make of car they drive. What do you think of a KU kid in a Mustang? Someone in a Hummer? In an SUV? Antique? Art car?
We are what we drive. Or don't drive.
Humans are a tribal species, very territorial.
cfdxprt (anonymous) says…
I would just hope that people would take the time and effort to read what you cut and paste incessantly.
There, I fixed that for you.
snap_pop_no_crackle (anonymous) says…
Good one, cfdxprt.
notajayhawk (anonymous) says…
merrill (Anonymous) says…
"Cost of owning a car:"
Yes, merrill, I'm sure that a website called 'Bikes at Work' would have the most objective data on the true cost of car ownership on the page titled 'carfree.' And it's so nice to know that that 'average' consumer unit spends 17.8% of their income on their 1.9 vehicles for the 2.5 people in their household (including .6 children under 18).
Or maybe we're all driving brand-new Camry's, driving that average 15,000 miles per year for 5 years.
I don't suppose you noticed that Investopedia mentioned that the most affluent quintile of car owners spends over 6 times per year on vehicle costs compared to the lowest quintile. Tends to skew the average a tad, dontcha' think? Or maybe you think those people driving ten-year-old Neons spend as much on vehicle ownership as those driving brand-new Mercedes or Jaguars.
Hey, merrill, you left out the link to the cost-per-mile calculator on the mT's website - you know the one, you've linked to it before - the one that bases their numbers on the IRS standard mileage deduction - that's a good one, too.
"driving a car is the single most polluting thing that most of us do"
And one of the mT buses, merrill, is a great big, pollution-belching monsterous car. If you'd read the story glock linked to, you'd know that public transportation is only better for the environment if people actually *USE* it.
LogicMan (anonymous) says…
"Or the alleged millions of additional sales taxes collected?"
Since the T can now transport people to the Wal-Marts, etc. from all over town, fewer small, more expensive, neighborhood stores are needed. A partial explanation for the ongoing demise of shops in downtown/old Lawrence?
none2 (anonymous) says…
bennyoates (Anonymous) says…
Good for the T, good for Lawrence, even good for the whiners and the haters—you're welcome on the T, too, even though you try to portray those who use it as losers. Guess what—you lost the vote, and you lost it in a landslide. That makes you not just losers, but sore losers. Worst kind. But that's cool; the T, like Lawrence and the world, runs just fine without your approval.
========================
What a twisted attitude... Do you think the T is something like a basketball game? This is about government waste, not some childhood playground dispute.
Of course, if you are like the millions who think breast feeding off the government is very natural, then I'm sure your belly is content for the moment that so much is spent. Eventually, you'll want more and more.
gl0ck0wn3r (anonymous) says…
Richard has never, ever provided any kind of reliable information that indicates his figures are applicable to the Lawrence area. Instead, it is simply cut and paste from clearly biased sites that often have little relevance to the topic. Since Richard loves cut and paste, I'll quote myself:
“Energy use and emission factors for passenger transportation modes typically ignore the total environmental inventory which includes vehicles, infrastructure, and fuel production components from design through end-of-life processes. A life-cycle inventory for each mode is necessary to appropriately address and attribute the transportation sector's energy and emissions impacts to reduction goals instead of allowing tailpipe factors to act as indicators of total system performance… Off-peak bus travel is the worst performer…”
I think we can agree that the T is constantly performing at “off-peak” given its occupancy (or lack of).
http://www.sustainable-transportation…
Richard, why do you hate the environment? You own cars and carbon spewing lawn mowers...
Liberty275 (anonymous) says…
Given a choice between riding a stinky bus with two bums for free and driving my 8 MPG Corvette, I'll stick with the Vette. In related news, I refuse to eat out of dumpsters.
notajayhawk (anonymous) says…
bennyoates (Anonymous) says…
"Guess what—you lost the vote, and you lost it in a landslide. That makes you not just losers, but sore losers."
Actually, benny, if you live in Lawrence, *YOU* lost the vote. I can (and do) spend my money (and my sales tax dollars) elsewhere. I haven't lost a thing. You can have your 'victory,' paying out of your pocket for a system nobody uses. Yep, you sure came out ahead on *THAT* deal!