This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Salt Lake County government employees could have traveled around the world 28 times, and probably more, with the miles they saved last year through a trip-reduction program.

With initiatives ranging from van pools to discounted TRAX fares, the county has tried for years to reduce the number of government-bound commuters. Question is, has it worked?

Yes. And the numbers only begin to tell the story.

Last year, the county provided discounted van pools to employees living in towns as far away as Springville, Tooele and Clinton. That initiative — paid jointly by employees and government — saved an estimated 707,886 road miles in personal commutes.

Environmental Policy Coordinator Kimberly Barnett, who oversees the trip-reduction program, reports that those saved miles reduced gasoline consumption by about 27,000 gallons and kept 272 tons of carbon-dioxide pollution out of the air.

But the county's calculation of road miles is incomplete.

The county doesn't quantify the number of trips saved through discounted fares on UTA buses and trains — only how many passes it has provided. In 2010, county employees received 2,785 discounted monthly passes. That was fewer than in 2009 (2,804 passes), but more than the two previous years (2,701 passes in 2008 and 2,212 in 2007).

The trip-reduction program wasn't the brainchild of two-term Mayor Peter Corroon, but he has tried to expand it during his six years in office, according to his intergovernmental liaison, Ann Ober.

"It has been a way for us to encourage our employees to travel smarter and safer," Ober said. "It is great that we can use van pools, TRAX and buses to move our employees and minimize air-quality impact."

Years have passed since the so-called guzzlegate scandal embroiled Salt Lake County after top officials acknowledged stealing fuel with government gas cards and using county vehicles for unauthorized trips.

But the county has seen a turnaround since then. Employee travel now is good news. —

By the numbers

707,886 • Road miles saved through the county's van-pool program.

27,000 • Fewer gallons of gasoline used.

2,785 • Discounted UTA fares provided by the county.

28 • How many times the saved miles from the van pool program could wrap around the globe.