Sustainable and Alternative Transportation in Knoxville!

Alternative transportation in Knoxville is important for several reasons. Obviously, cars release greenhouse gases that pollute the air and contribute to climate change, but they also are a strain on our household finances. Switching to alternative modes of transportation at least some of the time can save you big bucks and make a huge impact on our air quality and pollution. 

Did you know that transportation is the second-largest budget item for most households, with the average commuter spending $10,000 annually to maintain their car? Also, 50% of our air pollution comes from driving, and working 4 days a week instead of 5 can reduce 20% of traffic congestion, pollution, and parking problems. Just from looking at a few of these basic facts, we can see why curbing our driving offers huge benefits. Let’s take a look at some of Knoxville’s alternatives to driving and the ways the city incentivizes people to drive less.

Smart Trips

Smart Trips promotes alternatives to driving alone by tracking your sustainable trips. Participating in Smart Trips can improve your health, save money, save the environment, and earn you rewards! Smart Trips incentivize their participants by giving you rewards for every alternative trip you take. These rewards add up, and participants can use them for items like water bottles and t-shirts in the Smart Trips commuter store, or you can enter quarterly giveaways, where people win gift cards to local restaurants, stores, and grocery stores. 

Image from Smart Trips

Since the program started, more than 3 and a half million pounds of CO2 emissions have been reduced. Smart Trips participants reduce more than 1 million vehicle miles from Knoxville area roadways each year and have also saved more than $600,000 in fuel costs. So what are you waiting for - you should join Smart Trips today and start tracking your alternative trips! 

Biking

Knoxville is a fairly bike-friendly city with a number of bike lanes along major streets and an extensive greenway system that extends beyond Knox County limits. Additionally, you can always hop on a bus for part of your bike route as all the city buses have bike racks for those longer rides. Whether you are commuting to work or simply want to take a leisurely ride, Knoxville has something for everyone. 

The Knoxville Regional Transportation Planning Organization houses I BIKE KNX, which seeks to promote bicycling as a means of transportation around the city. They have worked extensively since 2009 to promote biking by building bike lanes and making biking infrastructure accessible. You can access a map of all of our region's bike lanes, greenways, bike racks, and bike-friendly roads here. They also host a bike month every May, which includes multiple events like group rides and bike to work day. Watch out for the next bike month in 2021 and learn to love to bike again!

Bike Walk Knoxville is a non-profit organization that works to improve biking and walking opportunities around the city. They host a number of events and educational activities around the city to promote bike safety and more accessible streets for all. They also have a number of resources for Knoxville’s bikers, including information on our local greenways and trails. If you aren’t used to riding your bike on roadways, they also have a number of resources available that include extensive safety information to get you started!

KAT (Knoxville Area Transit)

Image from Knoxville Area Transit

KAT is Knoxville’s bus line, and it features extensive bus routes that service Knoxville and much of Knox County. All of KAT’s buses have bike racks in the front, so you can combine biking and busing for longer trips. KAT also offers Paratransit services called LIFT for passengers who are unable to use their regularly scheduled routes. It’s a door to door service for people who need assistance getting around town and it’s a great low-cost option. 

KAT also has a sustainability program in place, which includes the use of hybrid electric buses and recycling at all of its facilities for all passengers and staff. They recycle ~50% of all their waste. Additionally, the Knoxville Station Transit Center downtown is the city’s first LEED-certified building. These initiatives can make you feel even better about using KAT as your sustainable option. 

And, of course, they are taking Covid very seriously, so you can rest assured that your trip is a safe one. KAT is currently free for all riders, and they are limiting capacity on all buses to ensure social distancing. Masks are required for passengers and the bus driver, and they are cleaning the buses regularly and disinfecting every night. You can see a list of every action they are taking to protect our health here.

Free Knoxville Trolley Rides

There are 3 trolley routes that serve Downtown Knoxville and UT - the Green Line, Blue Line, & Orange Line. This is a great service for getting around the heart of Knoxville, and the Blue Line is accessible from KAT’s transfer station, so you can take the bus downtown to make your trip even more sustainable. Plus you don’t have to worry about parking! You can find more information about the service, including timetables and route maps here. 

So now that you know some of our local alternatives to driving solo what areas do you see yourself utilizing more? Don’t forget to log those trips with Smart Trips and start earning some awesome rewards!