SF Chronicle: Transit spares air, saves money

[marmar]

Transit spares air, saves money
Rachel Gordon, Chronicle Staff Writer

Friday, March 7, 2008

The Bay Area's top seven transit agencies help prevent more than 2 million metric tons of greenhouse gases and save 251 million gallons of oil each year, according to a new report by a consumer-rights group.

The California Public Interest Research Group, or CalPIRG, said its report - along with news Thursday that the cost of oil hit a record high of nearly $106 a barrel - should encourage more people to park their cars and hop on a bus or train.

Activists also called on government officials to pump more money into transit projects to pay for expanded and enhanced service to lure even more people out of their private automobiles.

"The recent spike in gas prices is just one of many compelling reasons why convenient, fast and reliable bus and rail service needs to be expanded throughout the Bay Area," said Emily Rusch, a CalPIRG transportation advocate.

The nonprofit group's findings were based on several calculated assumptions, among them that cars carry an average of 1.5 passengers per mile driven, that gas mileage for private automobiles averages slightly more than 20 mpg, and that 1 gallon of gasoline produces 19.6 pounds of carbon dioxide.

BART, the second-largest transit system in the Bay Area after San Francisco's Municipal Railway, came out on top in the state and third nationally when it comes to potential oil savings among transit agencies, the report found.

The seven Bay Area transit agencies CalPIRG analyzed were BART, Muni, Caltrain, Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, AC Transit, Golden Gate Transit and SamTrans. .....(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/03/07/BAOKVF41I.DTL&hw=bay+area+transit&sn=001&sc=1000