'Try Parking It' program making a difference
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With gas prices on a steady uptick, the program seems to have sparked regional interest, Wilson said.
"Over the course of two-and-a-half years, we've saved about 2 million miles overall. It took almost two years to hit 1 million, but in the past 10 months, another million miles saved have been logged."
Employers are getting in on the action, too.
Wilson said the goal of the initiative is to educate commuters about carpooling and mass transit options, which include carpooling, vanpooling, transit, walking and telecommuting.
"There are only so many toll roads that can be built," she said. "We're really trying to raise awareness; we can't build our way out of this."
While a single transit or carpool commute doesn't seem like much, the cumulative effects speak for themselves.
Wilson said Try Parking It has saved commuters about 95,000 gallons of gas. That figure represents more than a quarter-million dollars in gas savings at $2.50 per gallon.
The effects of the measure are far-reaching and extend further than the pocketbook, however.
As the fourth largest metropolitan region in the United States with almost 6.5 million residents, the Dallas-Fort Worth area contributes several hundred tons of ozone-forming pollutants to the atmosphere daily. In accordance with the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has designated nine counties in the area as nonattainment for (or not meeting) the pollutant-ozone standard.
"Our region is non-attainment for the 8-hour ozone standard," Wilson said, meaning the area has not met the ground-level ozone standards established by the EPA.
"This is a critical year," Wilson said. "We have to show that we're meeting the attainment and we're doing very well so far."
To achieve attainment status, NCTCOG leaders have developed long-range transportation plans and a 4-year transit-improvement program.
"We have to certify the measures we implement…improve the air to a certain standard and not make the air worse," Wilson said.
While the reduction of the nation's dependence on foreign energy sources, cleaner air and less traffic congestion are among the goals of part of the funding through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009, Wilson said the agency will not be seeking any federal stimulus dollars for Try Parking It.
The region did recently receive EPA funds for the Diesel Emission Reduction Program for $3.7 million, she said.
NCTCOG works in tandem with federal, state and local partners to ensure air-quality requirements are met. To view various aspects of air quality in the region, click here.
