According to National Household Travel Survey the average occupancy of all personal vehicles was only 1.5 persons per vehicle. This was brought down by the fact that more than half of all car trips, or two-fifths of all trips, only carry a single occupant according to the Federal Highway Administration. These mostly empty cars lead to more vehicles being used for similar trips creating more congestion on roadways and generating more emissions along them.
An easy way to fill the seats a vehicle is to carpool with others with similar starting points or destinations. This can be for anything from commutes into work to events with family or friends. If someone lives too far out of the way, they can take transit to meet halfway so that it doesn't require a detour that would nullify the saved passenger-miles.
US Department of Energy Fact of the Week showing average occupancy of a vehicle using data from the Federal Highway Administration
Travel trend data collected by the Federal Highway Administration
Whether its visiting family and friends or patronizing a business, saying how you got somewhere can get others thinking about mobility options. Most people assume everyone gets to a location by driving but hearing that there are other ways may get them to support it more.
Stay informed by signing up for the Go Evanston newsletter. We will send out updates about city projects and changes to our transit network alongside information about micro-mobility and transit related events.
If you have issues getting around your area or feel unsafe doing so, letting your city representative know is the first step towards changing it. There are ward meetings regularly held to meet them in person, but they can also be emailed at any time. They will either let you know what they can do or forward your concern to someone who has that jurisdiction.
Multiple public works projects happen every year with a majority of them involving the public right of way. Attending these meeting or writing a response to the proposal can help make sure that the projects account for all modes of transportation
While most major capital projects are federally funded, smaller local projects and transit operations receive a majority of their funding from the state. Write in to your state representative or senator to let them know how transportation funds should be distributed.
