COVID-19 and public transportation

Recent CDC guidance that encouraged people to NOT use public transportation has received strong and immediate pushback from transit, social justice, and environmental groups. This note recently came our way, 

Good news. I reached out to a long-time friend and colleague at the CDC who is an expert in active transportation and health and he did some heavy lifting this weekend, buoyed by NACTO and APTA's statements on Friday. We are encouraged to provide feedback via this e-mail: eocevent209@cdc.gov.

The guidance has been updated to say...

For employees who commute to work using public transportation or ride sharing, consider offering the following support:

• If feasible, offer employees incentives to use forms of transportation that minimize close contact with others (e.g., biking, walking, driving or riding by car either alone or with household members).
• Ask employees to follow the CDC guidance on how to protect yourself when using transportation.
• Allow employees to shift their hours so they can commute during less busy times.
• Ask employees to clean their hands as soon as possible after their trip.

To be sure, COVID-19 has made the use of public transportation difficult. We know that the virus spreads by air, so wearing a mask to protect others from your possible infection (many people are infected but have no symptoms) and sitting as far as possible from others helps. Also, now that the weather has warmed, opening windows where we are sitting will help disperse virus particles in the air. 

But we cannot give up on public transportation! Not only is it efficient, less polluting, and more economical, it is also a major tool in the fight to reduce carbon and other greenhouse gas emissions.

Consider joining La Crosse Area Transit Advocates! You will also become a member of the Wisconsin Transit Riders Alliance and be connected to Wisconsin's Coalition for More Responsible Transportation.