Aliyya Swaby Photo
goNewHavengo winner Obiocha
Onyeka Obiocha wakes up at 5 a.m. almost every day, runs two minutes from his house to the CT FastTrak station, rides that busway to Hartford’s Union Station, catches CT Transit’s Peter Pan bus to the New Haven Green, then walks over to his “Happiness Lab” — a routine that put him at the top of the pack in contenders for a month-long clean-commuting contest.
Braving that hour-long commute five days a week won Obiocha the choice of a few prizes in the city’s September goNHgo contest urging people to use alternative transportation, instead of driving cars.
In one month, 483 individuals like Obiocha and 35 companies cut 74.118 tons of carbon dioxide emissions, reduced their total distance traveled in a car by 152,055 miles, burned 587,758 extra calories, and saved $87,399 in transportation costs.
City transit director Doug Hausladen revealed the results at Audubon Street’s Koffee? at a gathering this past Friday evening. The cold autumn drizzle didn’t keep the city’s avid public transportation fans from showing up to the celebration to congratulate the contest winners.
Hausladen also talked with me on an episode of WNHH Community Radio’s transportation show “In Transit” about the city’s plans for goNHgo.
This year, the city supported the month-long effort as part of the Harp administration’s goal to boost public transportation and access to jobs for the carless. Hausladen said the contest boosted awareness of alternative transportation throughout the city and state, which he hopes will prompt people to use their cars less often year round.
Participants recorded and logged their trips on NuRide, CTRides’ online database, putting them in the running for prizes donated by the local organizations. Hausladen travels 10 to 15 minutes to work either by bicycle or on foot every morning — and logged those trips for the month.
Obiocha, co-owner of downtown’s Happiness Lab coffee shop at the Grove, avoided emitting 0.62 tons of carbon dioxide — putting him in third place for all individuals.
He learned from the contest that the public transportation system “is not set up for you to succeed. If I take the same commuter bus every day, I should be able to text a number and get basic information for the route.” For example, he did not know in advance whether the bus schedule would change for Columbus Day this Monday.
About 10 people get on the early morning Peter Pan bus with him at Hartford and about 20 get off at the New Haven Green around 7 a.m., Obiocha said. The demand for better transportation options exists.
SeeClickFix prevented 15,913 pounds of carbon dioxide from being emitted into the air, which won them admittance for four people at Escape NH and Koffee? gift cards. Yale was the large business that prevented the most carbon dioxide emissions — 42.33 tons — which won them a $200 breakfast sponsored by Zipcar. Gateway Community College was the large business with the best participation, winning them an Ashley’s ice cream party.
Obiocha is one of five individuals to get a choice of prizes, including theater tickets, Yale football tickets and gift cards to local stores. Two SeeClickFix employees — Cari Tate and Devin Weaver — ranked in the top five, respectively saving 5.61 tons and .22 tons of carbon dioxide from being emitted. Yale-New Haven Hospital’s Amy Lubin avoided emitting 0.79 tons of carbon dioxide and Jason Huot, a tax advisor at H&R Block, avoided emitting 0.19 tons of carbon dioxide.
New Haven Independent/WNHH Community Radio reporters prevented the most emissions and had the best percentage participation of any small business — with all six of our part-time and full-time employees logging our alternative transportation in NuRides.
WNHH station manager Lucy Gellman did not have to change her actions at all — she continued to walk to and from work and to every reporting assignment around the city. Full-time reporters usually go to news assignments on foot or by bike or bus.
Participating in the contest was more of a concerted effort for Arts Editor Brian Slattery, who tried to cut down the extent he drove to work downtown from Whitney Avenue in Hamden. Often his schedule was too inflexible to risk losing time biking or taking the bus. He works part-time and meets his son’s school bus at home every afternoon.
“The big thing is that biking here takes maybe 10 more minutes than it would take to drive down here and find a parking space …Those ten minutes can be really crucial. It’s surprising how often I don’t have them,” Slattery said. And the bus from Hamden runs too infrequently for it to be a real option, he said.
“Doing the exercise really brought home to me — and I’m sure a lot of families feel this way — how important every minute really can be. The car as last resort gets taken more than you want it to because you don’t have the time to bike,” he said.
At the Independent we plan to donate our winnings — Devil’s Gear bike shop gift cards and a CTTransit bus pass pack — to youth organizations in need of an extra transportation boost. Suggestions are welcome in the comments.
Click above to listen to the Hausladen radio interview.
Hate to be a buzz kill but here's a very interesting critique of the idea that buses are more efficient than cars. The long and short of it is that it depends upon average capacities and the bus capacacity calculations have to include almost empty busses running during off hours or the comparison is incorrectly skewed.
http://reason.org/news/show/does-bus-transit-reduce-greenhouse