Unit 3, Lesson 3

Average Vehicle Occupancy (AVO) in Your Community

Objectives:

The students will:

• > determine the average vehicle occupancy (AVO) in the community or school;
• > develop, administer, and analyze a survey to determine attitudes toward carpooling, biking, walking, air pollution, and transportation; and
• > develop a trip-reduction program for the community or school.

While it is true that cars are "cleaner" than in the past, the rapid rise in the number of vehicles on the highways still creates pollution. Many states in the United States, and many countries around the world, have serious air quality problems. And, while the pollution may start in a particular geographic area, winds carry these clouds of pollution to other regions. As cities grow in size, air pollution problems often grow as well. One way to reduce pollution and get everyone where they’re going is to use alternative means of travel such as buses, trains, bicycles, and carpools. In this activity students will survey AVO, make predictions, use mathematics, and develop ideas that promote carpooling, bicycling, bus riding, and walking.

TEKS:

English, Language Arts and Reading

• 13, 13E

Mathematics

• Algebra: (a6)

Science

• Geology, Meterology, and Oceanography: 2A-D, 3A-D, 9B-C

Time:

5 to 10 class periods (depending on chosen pace), one morning or evening (group activity homework)

Materials:

• > City street map or school map
• > Pencil
• > Paper
• > Overhead: example of AVO calculation

Teacher Preparation:

Background information, Average Vehicle Occupancy and Trip Reduction

Average Vehicle Occupancy and Trip Reduction
Many laws have been passed to force polluters to clean up their business, most notably the Clean Air Act in the United States Industries such as paper mills, steel foundries, and chemical plants must adhere to strict emissions guidelines and undergo regularly scheduled smokestack tests to make sure that unhealthy levels of pollution are not blown into the air. These laws have helped significantly in improving our air.

One of the biggest sources of pollution is gas-powered vehicles—notably cars, trucks, buses, motorcycles, and other engines that need gasoline in order to run. As the population has increased, so too has the number of vehicles. Travel data from the 1997 U.S. census have shown a 39 percent increase since 1980 in the number of miles driven in our vehicles. In other words, for every 100 miles traveled by cars in 1980, cars in 1997 traveled 139 miles. In the same census, people carpooled for only 9 percent of their trips, took transit only 4 percent of the time, and biked or walked for only 6.5 percent of the trips.

The Clean Air Act Amendment of 1990 requires the counties in the most polluted regions of each U.S. state to monitor specific air pollutants and to take action to reduce air pollution from vehicle emissions. One way to reduce air pollution and traffic congestion is by promoting alternative ways of traveling. Employers can play a big role by encouraging their employees to carpool, use the bus, walk, or bike to work, and by offering special benefits for those employees who participate.

The number of people traveling divided by the number of vehicles gives us an average vehicle occupancy, or AVO. For example, according to the Federal Highway Administration, as of 1997 the United States had an AVO of 1.59. This is the same as saying that 159 people are getting to their destinations by using 100 vehicles:

159 people / 100 vehicles = 1.59 AVO

Directions:

1. As a whole group, use a street map of your community to highlight the major "commuter roadways." These are the major roadways that people use to travel to or from work and school. From this map determine the best locations to conduct a survey of traffic and the number of people traveling in each vehicle. An alternative to using locations throughout the community would be to determine key entry points to the school parking lot. Students can survey vehicles entering/exiting the school parking lot to determine AVO of the students and teachers.
   
   
2. Before conducting the survey, inspect each observation point and carefully select the safest place to stand. Divide the class into groups based on the number of observation points. Explain how AVO is calculated (see teacher preparation). In their groups, students should predict what they think the AVO will be at their observation point.
   
   
3. Have the groups meet at their assigned location either half an hour before school starts or at the end of the day or both. If surveying community locations, have them conduct the survey during the hours of 6 a.m. and 10 a.m. when most people are traveling to work. Then, using a tally sheet, have students determine the number of vehicles and the number of people in each vehicle. Counters should make very specific comments to the recorder. Example: "car, one person," "truck, two people." Students should keep a separate count of any walkers or bikers. Have students survey for 10 to 15 minutes.
   
   
4. Compare the different sites at your school or in the community. Calculate the AVO for your school or community.
   
   
5. Have students develop a written or oral survey to determine commuters' attitudes toward trip reduction. The survey should determine the number of miles that students and teachers drive to school and back each day. The survey should target why people decide to carpool or take transit, as well as reasons drivers have for driving alone. Students might ask what would be needed for commuters to reduce driving their cars.
   
   
6. Have each group gather an assigned number of responses to the survey they have developed. For example, each student could be required to obtain at least five survey responses. Have students tabulate the survey results. After analyzing the survey responses, have your students come up with ideas that promote carpooling, bicycling, bus riding, and walking. Discuss actions they could take to reduce the amount of cars traveling in their community or to and from the school.
   
   
7. Show the students examples of trip-reduction programs already in place. Using the results of the survey and the ideas discussed, have each group design a trip-reduction program for the school.
   
   
8. After groups have composed their trip-reduction programs. Have the students present their AVO calculation findings, survey results, and trip-reduction programs in class presentations.
   
   

Source: Al Stenstrup, Education Outreach; Mittsy Voiles, Air Education Specialist; http://www.easybreathers.org/