Eugene receives a 2008 Sustainable Transport Award ‘Honorable Mention’

Eugene (Oregon, U.S.A.) has received a 2008 Sustainable Transport Award for its new Emerald Express (EmX) bus rapid transit system. 

The award is given out annually by the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy.  Other honorable mentions for 2008 were Guatemala City (Guatemala) and Pereira (Colombia), while the two finalists were London (U.K.) and Paris (France).

EmX started as a pilot project in January 2007 following open community workshops to determine ways to provide an effective alternative to traffic congestion.  Within a year, EmX Green Line surpassed all expectations, with weekday ridership doubling from 2,700 to 4,800 passengers. 

While some have suggested that the Green Line’s lack of a fare, which will not be charged until 2010 is the reason for this increase, only 15 percent truly ride for free - 85 percent of passengers have a pass or pay because of line transfers.  Main incentives for passengers are the speed and frequency of the service.

Plans are now on schedule to open the Green Line’s extension corridor, the Pioneer Parkway line, in 2010.  This new corridor will service an area of higher population density and exploding employment. 

Private and commercial vehicles are a leading source of greenhouse gas emissions and other pollutants.  Reducing vehicle use and using alternative forms of transportation and alternative fuels are some approaches to reducing these vehicular emissions.  For more information, please visit www.iclei.org/ccp.

Eugene is one of 296 local governments in the U.S.A. that are currently Members of ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability.  For more information on ICLEI and its activities in the U.S.A., please visit www.iclei.org/usa.

Source:  “Eugene, Oregon earns global recognition for its transportation efforts”, Institute for Transportation and Development Policy at www.itdp.org.