Five years ago, in 2020, the Lane Transit District agency’s board of directors adopted a climate action policy. The policy aims to address strategies that will eliminate greenhouse gas emissions produced by LTD by 2035. The policy contains short and long-term goals that are aimed at improving Eugene’s air quality.
According to LTD’s Public Information Officer, Anni Katz, “The board-adopted policy pushes further to reduce all emissions. LTD is working on our Long-Range Mobility Plan right now, which will address GHG (GreenHouse Gas) emissions at the policy level.”
LTD’s Long-Range Mobility Plan is a series of steps that are being planned out and implemented over the course of the next 20 years in order to achieve “sustainable, equitable and accessible mobility solutions that meet the evolving needs of the community,” LTD’s website said.
The biggest point of the long-term goal was to have the complete eradication of fossil fuel use and fully utilize electric buses. Part of the short-term goal was to have 25 electric buses to replace 25 aging 40-foot fossil fuel and hybrid buses by 2023.
Every three years, LTD performs an assessment of how their climate action policy is working and increasing sustainability in Eugene. The previous assessment occurred in 2022 so this year there will be a new assessment that will be released to the public.
The assessment in 2022 indicates that greenhouse gas emissions from LTD decreased by 52% between 2018 to 2022 making significant progress towards their goal of a 75% reduction by 2030.
Katz said that LTD is continuing to work toward its goal by utilizing an “independent third party,” Katz said. The use of Good Company (a division of Parametrix) has helped LTD maintain a truthful and unbiased report available to the public by conducting their GHG studies and assessments.
Additionally, the establishment of the Ad Hoc Sustainability Committee has helped LTD stick to accountability and progress toward its goals within its climate action policy.
The committee determined that the biggest factor in decreasing greenhouse gas emissions was increased ridership, which was reflected by their most recent assessment and emissions report.
“There is a ‘transit rider emission offset,’ which refers to the reduction in GHG emissions achieved by an individual when they choose to ride public transportation instead of driving their own car,” Katz said.
This “transit rider emission effect” has been the biggest influence on air quality from transportation in Eugene.
“The best opportunities for LTD to reduce GHG emissions is to focus on increasing ridership and reducing emissions from its fleet vehicles,” LTD’s climate action policy states.
University of Oregon student Ruby Knott highlighted the environmental benefits of using Eugene’s established bus system, emphasizing its role in promoting sustainability and reducing emissions.
“I am reducing my carbon footprint as well as reducing air pollution. With the amount of short-distance trips I take, I am cutting back on an extraordinary amount of carbon emissions, as short-distance car rides use more gas and therefore pollute more,” Knott said.
