PHOENIX (May 2, 2019) -- Maricopa County’s Travel Reduction Program is celebrating its 30th year in the Valley. Serving 796,658 employees and students throughout Maricopa County last year alone, the Travel Reduction Program has prevented 22.3 billion miles and 252,264 tons of pollution since its inception. If we wanted to relate the program’s miles prevented to a trip to the moon, it would be 88,269 single trips to the moon from earth, and that is a lot more than a milestone birthday to celebrate.
The Travel Reduction Program was first introduced by State of Arizona’s Air Quality Bill of 1988 ARS 49-581 with the goal of employers and schools reducing single occupancy vehicle (SOV) trips traveled to and from a work site. Motor vehicles have been identified as the greatest source of emissions pollution and with approximately 80 million commuter miles driven each weekday, SOVs are significant contributors to regional air pollution.
“This program encourages employees and students to start considering alternative modes of transportation,” Maricopa County Air Quality Director Phil McNeely said. “We would like to thank all of our partners, the businesses, employees and transportation coordinators who have participated in the program and helped us reduce pollution.”
Every school and business with more than 50 employees must establish a Travel Reduction Plan in compliance with the Maricopa County Air Quality Department. Currently, there are 1,209 participating employers at 3,094 work and school sites enrolled in the program. The Department assists these sites by:
- Offering travel reduction plan development assistance, program overview and education
- Conducting courtesy site visits and event outreach assistance
- Reviewing travel reduction plans and recommending them for approval or rejection
- Monitoring implementation of approved travel reduction plans and conducting site audits
- Reporting on the costs of implementing travel reduction plans
- Generating an annual report on commute-related emissions and travel reduction progress
The Travel Reduction Program also partners with Valley Metro Commute Solutions to provide additional training, personalized assistance and promotional materials to all participating organizations. The Maricopa County Travel Reduction Program is funded by the Maricopa Association of Governments and the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality.
For more information about the Travel Reduction Program visit: maricopa.gov/2388/Travel-Reduction-Program
For more information, contact Communications Supervisor Bob Huhn, (602) 506-6713.
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About Maricopa County Air Quality Department
The mission of the Maricopa County Air Quality Department is to improve the air of Maricopa County so customers, residents and visitors can live, work and play in a healthy environment. The department is governed by the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors and follows air quality standards set forth by the federal Clean Air Act.
The department offers air quality information and resources on its Clean Air Make More website. Visit CleanAirMakeMore.com to learn more.
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