Reasons to Drive Less

Three Great Reasons to Drive Less

The typical American spends an average of 443 hours behind the wheel. That is an equivalent of 55-eight hour a week days! Luckily, in Ann Arbor we have sustainable transportation alternatives. Using sustainable transportation not only benefits your free time and wallet, it also provides benefits for our entire community. Below are a few reasons why we should support & promote the use of sustainable transportation options in our community with links to websites that cover each of these subjects in much greater depth than our space or expertise allows us to do. We have also compiled a reading list of books & articles that we hope you will find interesting. Please send us any recommendations you may have for this list.

1. Public Health

Approximately 119 million Americans, or 64.5 percent, of adult Americans are either overweight or obese. Michigan has the honor of being recognized as the 6^th most obese state in the country. Obesity is exacerbated by the lack of significant policies addressing community design issues -- such as sidewalks and suburban sprawl -- and greater affordability and accessibility of healthy food options. As a result, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services set a national goal of reducing obesity in adults to 15 percent or less of the population in states by the year 2010. To Learn More:

• Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) - Data on obesity trends
• Active Living by Design – A great website that links urban design and public health
• Trust for America’s Health- Provides easy to access data on Michigan health statistics
• Robert Wood Johnson Foundation - A leader in American Public Health Issues (Search for “Transportation”)

2. The Environment

For more than 60 years we have built a transportation system that continually invites more and more people to travel ever-longer distances in their private automobiles. The result has been an alarming increase in levels of congestion and pollution, which degrade public health and contribute to the well documented problem of global warming. Choosing alternative modes of transportation, such as walking, bicycling, taking the bus, or carpooling just once or twice a week can go a long way towards reducing the amount of pollution caused by automobile emissions. To learn more visit:

• VolpeCenter Environmental Programs,  Provides support to the U.S. Department of Transportation and other public agencies in the area of environmental analysis
• Envirolink, A great news source for environmental news from around the globe  

3. Land Use (Smart Growth)

Sprawling auto-dependent land use patterns continue to degrade the public realm and contribute to maladies such as pollution and obesity. Thus, how and where we build our homes, places of work, and places of entertainment directly affects our behavior and quality of life. To learn more:

• Michigan Land Use Institute- A comprehensive clearinghouse of information on land use in Michigan
• Smart Growth America - The leading smart growth organization in America provides clear and in-depth information on the importance of compact land use
• Planetizen- Great website for news and resources related to the urban planning, design and development community