Mar 4, 2008

Spare the Air will be limited to two days this summer

By Denis Cuff / MediaNews

Free public transit rides in the Bay Area likely will be limited to two smoggy days this summer because of diminishing federal funds.

Air pollution officials, however, say they intend to broaden their Spare the Air campaign - urging people to cut air pollution year-round to combat global warming.

Up until now, Spare the Air messages have focused primarily on getting people to drive less and pollute less on the smoggiest days when a pungent gas called ozone can irritate eyes and lungs.

"It's not just Spare the Air. It's Spare the Earth," said Mark Ross, a Martinez city council member on the Bay Area Air Quality Management District Board.

On Monday, the air pollution board's public outreach committee approved a scaled-back plan for free rides during the smog season from June through mid-October.

Officials would spend $5.2 million to offer free fares on two Spare the Air days, plus another $1.5 million on other incentives, messages and measures to reduce global warming gases permanently.

The other measures might include providing equipment for people to work at home and communicate via teleconferencing; offering discounted rental bicycles, or helping schools promote safe walking and biking routes to schools.

Free passes for targeted groups of commuters to ride public transit on certain days also may be offered under the plan.

Also Monday, the board committee called on the pollution agency to try to find money for free rides on a third day this year - a tall order.

The proposal is being sent to the full air pollution board and to the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, a partner in the free transit days.

Last year, the air and transit agencies approved funding for up to four free transit days, but called only two of them because of a mild smog season.

During a very hot 2006, air and transit officials called six free fare days.

A key federal funding source for the Bay Area free fare days is drying up.

After the upcoming smog season, the Bay Area will have used up all the money for free fare days that it got from federal Congestion Management Air Quality funds, officials said.

"We agree free fares are a good way to attract riders to public transit during smoggy episodes, but we want to branch out to look at promoting other ways to reduce pollution year-round," said Karen Schkolnick, a spokeswoman for the nine-county air district.

Motor vehicles contribute to both smog, a problem on hot, windless days, as well as to global warming gases, which build up over years.

"Pollution on cold rainy days contributes to global warming," Schkolnick said.

The air pollution district also is exploring the idea of creating a separate nonprofit foundation to accept private contributions to fund measures to reduce global warming gases.