Yesterday, the Sun-Times reported that the Chicago Transit Authority is so far transporting four percent more riders than in 2007. In fact, public transportation ridership has been shooting up across the country as higher gas prices have made driving less attractive.

Media outlets around the state are also reporting a renewed interest in bicycling as a way of getting to work. The Beacon News recently touted the benefits of biking, and The State Journal-Register reported over the weekend that cycling was gaining popularity in Springfield:

Linda Wheeland, senior transportation planner with the Springfield-Sangamon County Regional Planning Commission, says if just 5 percent of workers living in Springfield who drive their car to work each day rode a bike, walked or took the bus, 1,016 gallons of gas would be saved.

As cycling increases nationwide, American consumers are also ditching SUVs and larger vehicles in favor of more cost-effective and environmentally-friendly cars. GM is giving up on the gas guzzling Hummers, and Ford is shifting its focus away from trucks towards to fuel efficient cars. The only problem is that Illinois residents looking for hybrid vehicles are having an increasingly hard time finding any on the lots -- a issue that would be partly addressed by the passage of the Illinois Clean Cars Act.

To be sure, the skyrocketing cost of gas is a problem that must be addressed by our policymakers at the state and federal level. But the surge in alternative forms of transportation backs up arguments that there may be a silver lining to this summer's high fuel prices.

Image used under a Creative Commons license by Flickr user Andy Stoll.