Another Ditch the Keys Week -- an eight-day program that encourages eco-friendly ways of commuting to everyday activities -- has wrapped up in central Arkansas.
The event, held every May, comes as readings of ground-level ozone in central Arkansas have remained below federal limits for several consecutive years.
More than 200 people registered to participate in Ditch the Keys, according to Susan Markman, transportation planner with Metroplan.
Ditch the Keys Week is a companion to Ozone Action Days, which raises awareness of the impact of car exhaust on air quality through the production of ground-level ozone.
Ozone occurs naturally in the atmosphere but forms at ground level when car exhaust and industrial emissions react to high temperatures and sunlight.
Exposure to ground-level ozone can intensify allergies or respiratory problems for people who already have them. Under worse weather conditions, high levels of ozone can create respiratory problems for anyone who goes outside. Long-term exposure to ground-level ozone has been linked to chronic illnesses.
Metroplan hosts Ozone Action Days with the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality, the Arkansas Department of Health and the Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department.
The program monitors ozone levels and issues an "Action Day" if the level of ground-level ozone exceeds the federal standard of 70 parts of ozone per billion parts of air. The standard up until last year was 75, and no "Action Days" have been issued in central or Northwest Arkansas for years. In east Arkansas, the region surrounding trucking-heavy Memphis was only removed from a noncompliance designation last year for the old standard.
Last week, readings in Little Rock and Springdale were below 55 parts of ozone per billion parts of air.
Ditch the Keys week began May 19 with Bike to Work Day, which was observed nationally. According to participants in Little Rock, about 20 to 30 people attended the bike rally at 7:30 a.m. that day. It was a lower turnout than previous years, which some suspected had to do with the forecastfor rain -- which never came -- and the uncertainty over whether breakfast would be provided.
Many participants are retired people active in the cycling community. Some are current and former bike commuters.
Stacy Tierney, president of Bicycle Advocacy of Central Arkansas, used to ride her bike to work from her South Main neighborhood home to the River Market, but she can't get to her hospital job in Jacksonville from her Riverdale neighborhood in Little Rock by bike any longer.
She admitted that she might have been nervous to commute by bike for the first time in Little Rock, but she said more bicyclists on the road can eventually make the experience of navigating urban traffic less nerve-wracking.
"I feel that drivers are becoming more aware because there are more people riding," she said.
The rest of the days encouraged commuting by biking, walking or carpooling. Wednesday was "Make a Difference Day," Thursday encouraged people to telecommute to work, and Friday promoted riding the bus with free fares offered by Rock Region Metro.
Kaye Lundgren said her bus wasn't packed any more than usual, despite the free fares. Lundgren, 59, said she enjoys taking the bus whenever she can, so she made sure she rode it Friday.
Lundgren lives in Midtown but works at the Arkansas Studies Institute. Factoring in walking a few blocks to the bus and walking a few blocks from the bus stop to work, her commute takes her about 45 minutes, she said.
For Ron Kimbrew, a substitute teacher, Friday's bus rides were just another day in 11 years of riding the bus. He says he can get from downtown to Maumelle within 30 minutes and to schools in Little Rock in less than that time. He doesn't own a car and said he finds the buses convenient.
Lundgren, who owns a car, reads on the bus and enjoys getting on her feet and walking to and from it as a part of her commute. But she said she rides the bus with the environment in mind, noting her concerns about climate change and the impact so many individual cars on the road can have.
"I can't stop the glaciers from melting," she said. "But maybe if I take the bus, I can do something."
Metro on 05/30/2017