Raleigh growth contributes to congestion and air quality issues

48 people moved to Raleigh each day in the first half of 2007.
35 people moved to Raleigh each day in the second half of 2007.
4.2% increase in Raleigh's population last year.
13,000 babies born in Wake County in 2006.

Source:  Triangle Transit, B. Schulz fast facts

Employers offering commuter benefits make a huge impact!

In 2006, the 50 Triangle Best Workplaces for Commuters employers (almost 79,000 employees), designated because they offer exemplary commuter benefits, made a substantial impact on congestion and air quality.

Their efforts resulted in a reduction of:

Carbon dioxide: 38,040 metric tons (equal to 32,968 acres of pine forest!)
VOCs (volatile organic compounds or toxic evaporative emissions): 34 short tons
Nox: 72 short tons
CO: 653 short tons
Gallons of gasoline: 4,322,877
Dollars spent on gasoline: $10,547,819
Miles traveled: 85,562,392
Vehicle trips: 2,045,968
Number of cars on the road: 7,130

If just 50 employers made this impact, imagine what all Triangle employers could do by promoting alternative transportation through commuter benefits!

Universal statistics

• 1.5 MMT CO2 = 1.3 M acres pine forest (USEPA, 2007)
• For every mile driven, 1 lb of CO2 is produced (NC Division of Air Quality, 2007)
• 19.4 pounds of CO2 is released for every gallon of gasoline used, so about 103 gallons of gasoline release a ton of CO2. (USEPA, 2007)
• Public transit per rider emits half of the CO2 as single-occupancy vehicles (SOVs) and over 90% less NOx and CO. (APTA Annual Report, pg 10)