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Short commute times in Chico do little to reduce city’s carbon footprint

B-line bus and van driving down Main St. in downtown Chico, Calif. Jan. 21, 2025.
Sarina Grossi
/
NSPR
B-line bus and van driving down Main Street in downtown Chico, Calif. on Jan. 21, 2025.

You probably only have time to listen to three songs on your drive to work if you live in Chico. That’s because more than half of residents in the city have a commute time of 15 minutes or less.

It’s a faster commute than the California and national average. While short commute times help curb carbon emissions, it might not be enough to help the city reach its climate goals since about 80% of residents still choose to jump into a vehicle.

The data doesn’t specify how many of those drivers are using gas-powered, diesel or electric vehicles. But the Chico Climate Action Plan recommends residents use more sustainable methods of transportation to help the city meet its goal of reducing carbon emissions to below 1990 levels by 2030.

“That would be a big reduction in our carbon footprint if we're walking and using bicycles, or even the micro mobility with people using scooters and E-bikes. You know, using vehicles less,” said LaDona Knigge, a professor in the geography and environmental studies department at Chico State.

“The actual layout of the city makes a difference, where people work makes a difference."
LaDona Knigge, Chico State professor of geography and planning

It is unclear how close the city is getting to its goal. The most recent data is from 2017. It shows that Chico has reduced emissions since 1990 by about 76,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent. But the goal is to get to below 40% of those levels, which is nearly half the emissions the city produced in 2017.

The city’s next Greenhouse Gas Inventory, which is a data collection of carbon emissions in the city, is expected to take place this year. It will give an updated picture of Chico’s current numbers and serve as a benchmark for the next Climate Action Plan update.

City officials said they’ve been slowly implementing measures detailed in Chico's Climate Action Plan to help reduce emissions. That includes adopting a more sustainable transportation plan in 2023 and installing 19 electric vehicle chargers in the city. Some waste and urban forest initiatives have also been completed.

Experts say how you commute matters, but it’s often driven by city planning 

Knigge specializes in sustainable transportation planning and said a city's design impacts commuting.

“The actual layout of the city makes a difference, where people work makes a difference,” Knigge said.

Where people are working and how far they live from their work could make for a short commute, according to Knigge.

Bicycle parking outside of Ayres Hall on the California State University, Chico campus on Jan. 24, 2025.
Sarina Grossi
/
NSPR
Bicycle parking outside of Ayres Hall on the California State University, Chico campus on Jan. 24, 2025.

Chico State is one of Butte County’s top employers, according to the California Employment Development Department. With it centrally located downtown, faculty, staff and students often have a shorter commute.

According to Jesse Horgan, Chico State’s parking services manager, the university doesn’t have many parking lots. That’s led to many people taking different modes of transportation because it’s more convenient than finding a parking space.

“This really reduces our carbon emissions footprint relative to other campuses and other schools, which might be outside of a city center or a little further away from housing,” Horgan said.

Each year, Chico State conducts an annual transportation survey. According to the university’s Energy and Sustainability Analyst Jillian Leach, this year’s survey (which is not public, but future surveys will be published) found that 60% of the campus community commutes sustainably. That means people are either walking, biking, using public transit or carpooling.

Safety is concern for walking, biking 

Leach said the way roads are built with few protected bike lanes discourages people from biking or walking.

“I think Chico has some real problems in the street network, the path network. Sidewalks or bike routes, many times they have breaks in them. And I always say that your path is only as good as the weakest link.”
LaDona Knigge, Chico State professor of geography and planning

“People don't really feel safe using [paths] because there isn't a separation away from the cars,” Leach said.

Safety was one of the top concerns brought up in Chico State’s transportation survey. Leach said that adding protection to lanes might convince them otherwise.

“I think if we can get that kind of infrastructure, especially around campus, we're going to see much higher rates of people just naturally biking, because they aren't going to feel endangered,” Leach said.

Safety isn’t the only thing on residents’ minds. Pedestrian and bike path layouts don’t always get them where they need to be.

Also, Knigge said, sometimes Chico’s road infrastructure has made walking and biking inaccessible. Some paths end abruptly, making it difficult to commute if you are not using a car.

“I think Chico has some real problems in the street network, the path network,” Knigge said. “Sidewalks or bike routes, many times they have breaks in them. And I always say that your path is only as good as the weakest link.”

A pothole sits in the middle of Aspen Street in Chico, Calif. on Jan. 14, 2025
Erik Adams
/
NSPR
A pothole in the middle of Aspen Street in Chico, Calif. on Jan. 14, 2025.

She said creating a complete bike pedestrian street network could make the city more friendly to walking and biking.

Knigge said areas of downtown Chico are a good place to start. The current layout has two very wide lanes, which Knigge said can be unsafe for bicyclists.

“When we have a big, wide street like that, we tend to drive at the speed that the street allows, and it feels like a freeway, and people drive way too fast,” she said.

If the lanes were made smaller, she said the city could add protected bike lanes on the side, which would make riding a bike on those streets safer.

What’s next?

In the city’s 2030 General Plan, it outlined a goal to create “complete streets” to address issues with the downtown’s aging infrastructure and transportation safety.

“I think we have a great opportunity here in Chico in order to make those changes and lead us in a better direction in the future."
LaDona Knigge, Chico State professor of geography and planning

The city drafted a plan for the Downtown Chico Complete Streets Project that the city council reviewed last year. The council provided feedback and asked the engineering department to conduct traffic analysis before presenting it again.

The initial draft did propose adding protected bike lanes to both Main and Broadway streets downtown as well as bike parking. The engineering department has since selected a firm for the analysis and design work. According to city officials, a community outreach campaign to garner feedback on a plan is anticipated to start around February.

“We have this fantastic opportunity to do a really beautiful road diet and have complete streets downtown and have accessible bicycle and pedestrian accessibility, and connect that up in the downtown area,” Knigge said.

The city’s Climate Action Plan outlines multiple measures the city intends to take to lessen transportation based emissions. Part of it is implementing the 2019 Chico Bicycle Plan, improving EV infrastructure and expanding transit services.

Leach said that part of the plan should make alternative transportation methods like biking, walking, carpooling or riding public transit more visible to the public and to stray away from car-centric mentality.

“I think we have a great opportunity here in Chico in order to make those changes and lead us in a better direction in the future,” she said.

A model of the upcoming Bikeway 99 Bridge currently under construction in Chico, Calif.
City of Chico
/
chico.ca.us
A model of the upcoming Bikeway 99 Bridge currently under construction in Chico, Calif.

Sarina recently graduated from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, earning a bachelor’s degree in journalism and a minor in media arts, society and technology. She started writing for her school newspaper during her senior year of high school and has since dedicated her life to news.