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Health & Fitness

Consider a New Way to Go in 2013 – Make Transit Your New Year's Resolution

Looking to save money, go green, or give yourself the gift of time? Consider giving transit a try as a part of your New Year's resolutions.

One of your New Year’s resolutions in 2013 could be to find a new way to go for work or play. Consider giving MetroLink or MetroBus a try as a part of your resolutions for 2013 as a way to save money, go green, or just give yourself some time alone during the day. 

According to the American Public Transportation Association’s (APTA) December Transit Savings Report, individuals who ride public transportation instead of driving can save, on average, $806 this month, and $9,667 annually.  These savings are based on the cost of commuting by public transportation compared to the cost of owning and driving a vehicle which includes the December 19, 2012 average national gas price ($3.42 per gallon- reported by AAA) and the national unreserved monthly parking rate St. Louis families spend 23.1 percent of their household budgets on transportation, making it the second largest household expenditure after housing (24.5%). If one of your resolutions is to save money, giving transit a try is a great way to go.  

In addition to saving money, using transit for work or play is a much more environmentally friendly way to go.   According to national transit experts, public transportation produces 95% less carbon monoxide, 90% less volatile organic compounds (vocs) and about half as much carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxide per mile compared to private vehicles.  With more people using public transit, we decrease our reliance on fossil fuels. If one in 10 Americans used transit regularly, U.S. reliance on foreign oil could decline by more than 40%, or nearly the amount of oil imported from Saudi Arabia each year.

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Many of us are looking for ways to give ourselves the gift of time – using transit can do just that. This idea may sound funny to many who are not regular transit users since you are riding with people to and from your destination. However, ask any transit rider, and they will tell you that riding MetroLink or MetroBus is a great opportunity for time for yourself.  Whether catching up on sleep, decompressing from work on your way home, reading a book, checking your email or Facebook, or just watching the world go by, transit gives you the opportunity to sit back and relax each day while leaving the driving to Metro. 

Here are just a few more reasons why making transit one of your New Year’s resolutions makes sense: 

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  • Transit generates growth. To date, more than $15 billion in new development has occurred within a ten minute walk of MetroLink, with additional development in the works for many of the station areas.
  • For every $1 dollar invested in public transit, there is a $4 return to the region. 
  • Transit Oriented Development can play a key role in getting the Missouri economy back on track and creating jobs.
  • Transit is a great way to keep this region moving in the right direction.

 

Live in Clayton, or Brentwood, or Hazelwood or South County and want to find out what transit route works for you? The easiest way to get started is to head to www.google.com.  Click on the maps link at the top of the website. Once you get to the maps page, click on the transit icon at the top and find out the best route for you whether you want to try it for work or play.  Also, check out Metro website at www.metrostlouis.org for time schedules and route information.

For more information on transit in St. Louis, visit the Citizens for Modern Transit website at www.cmt-stl.org.   Remember transit today when thinking about your New Year’s resolutions for 2013.

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