Estimated read time: Less than a minute
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SALT LAKE CITY -- As UTA extends its TRAX lines and weather becomes accommodating to biking and walking, Salt Lake County encourages using mass transit, carpooling and other methods of transportation between June 13 and July 10.
Since 2009, Salt Lake County has held the Clear the Air Challenge in an effort to reduce pollution in the valley. The challenge encourages Utahns to take advantage of mass transit, carpooling and other methods of transportation instead of driving themselves.
Kicking off this year's challenge Monday morning, Governor Gary Herbert, Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker, and Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon rode the FrontRunner from Salt Lake to Woods Cross, to Ogden and back. The message is to drive less and smarter.
"The air we breathe is a concern for every resident. To improve our air quality, we each play a role," said Mayor Becker. "We have seen the numbers. We can make a substantial difference when we thoughtfully plan our travel."
Those numbers, from the 2010 challenge, amounted to two million pounds of emissions reduced from the air. This year, challenge organizers hope to reduce 3.4 million pounds of emissions, two million vehicle miles and 300,000 vehicle trips.
