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TRANSACTIONS NEWSLETTER ONLINE

June/July 2008

Spare the Air

New Campaign Calls for Making Clean Air Choices Every Day

The Bay Area’s Spare the Air campaign is morphing from a summer smog prevention tool into a more comprehensive program focused on combating climate change year-round. A primary focus will be on the transportation sector, which is responsible for 50 percent of the greenhouse gases and smog-forming compounds emitted in the Bay Area.

Instead of offering several free transit days this summer, MTC and the Bay Area Air Quality Management District will sponsor one free transit day for the public — on Thursday, June 19, 2008 — at a cost of $1.8 million. This date coincides with the “Dump the Pump Day” sponsored by the American Public Transit Association.

By designating a specific free-transit day ahead of time instead of reacting to smog advisories, the agencies hope to give commuters ample time to plan their day and plot their transit routes.

MTC and the Air District will direct the remainder of the Spare the Air funding available in 2008 to incentives and outreach for a broader, climate-oriented campaign.

“The state set very aggressive targets for greenhouse gas reductions when Assembly Bill 32 was signed into law in 2006,” explained Air District Executive Officer Jack Broadbent. “One of the most effective ways we can help protect our climate is to make clean air choices every day” in order to reduce the region’s carbon footprint. In keeping with the new year-round thrust, the retooled Spare the Air logo emphasizes the four seasons.

On June 19, transit generally will be free all day on Bay Area buses and light-rail lines, and free until noon on BART, Caltrain, Altamont Commuter Express (ACE) and Capitol Corridor trains as well as on Bay Area ferries.

Although that will be the only regionwide free transit day, the Air District and MTC will continue to urge the public to avoid driving on smoggy days when a Spare the Air advisory is issued. The 2008 smog season got off to an early start when the Air District issued two back-to-back Spare the Air advisories for May 15 and May 16.

To receive e-mail notification of Spare the Air advisories, sign up for AirAlerts at www.sparetheair.org. To plan your transit trips, visit 511.org and click on the “Transit” tab.

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