What role does transportation play in reducing carbon emissions and other pollution?
Transportation, the source of nearly a third of the United States’ greenhouse gas emissions, is the fast-growing source of carbon pollution globally.
In order to keep global temperatures below levels that are dangerous to humans, we must make a large-scale shift away from driving alone. Thankfully, even small changes, such as a modest increase in bicycling, can keep massive amounts of carbon out of the atmosphere.
If we can reduce the number of cars on the road and, more importantly, the number of total trips, then we can cut not only the carbon pollution threatening the climate, but also the particulate and ozone emissions that carry serious health consequences for communities living near major highways. More information.
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[quote_right][feature_box title=”TDM TAKEAWAY” title_color=”fff” header_color=”369″]Options that combine ride-hailing services like Uber and Lyft and tech-enabled ridesharing could serve consumers who desire sustainability and more affordability.[/feature_box][/quote_right] Boston-based Bridj recently launched limited service between Capitol Hill and Dupont Circle in Washington D.C. to help fill a niche not being targeted by buses. Another company, Split, launched just a couple… Read more »
[quote_right][feature_box title=”TDM TAKEAWAY” title_color=”fff” header_color=”369″]Like in U.S. cities, research shows there is an opportunity to introduce new transportation ideas and options in Chinese mega-cities.[/feature_box][/quote_right] If the 20th Century was the era of America’s honeymoon with the car, the 21st has given way to the reluctant realization that this suitor has come with some baggage –… Read more »
[quote_right][feature_box title=”TDM TAKEAWAY” title_color=”fff” header_color=”369″]School systems, whose faculty and staff take many single-occupancy car trips, are a large untapped market for TDM services. [/feature_box][/quote_right] The only transportation demand management (TDM) program for public school faculty and staff in the U.S. has been created in Arlington County, Virginia. The program, called “ATP Schools,” is being administered by… Read more »
[quote_right][feature_box title=”TDM TAKEAWAY” title_color=”fff” header_color=”369″]Partnering with large events on sustainable transportation can make the experience more enjoyable for everybody.[/feature_box][/quote_right] Music festivals are social events, so why not extend that experience to include a fun trip to and from the sites? RYDE, founded by Brian Allman and business partners Bob Aube and Paul Misso, sells individual… Read more »
[quote_right][feature_box title=”TDM TAKEAWAY” title_color=”fff” header_color=”369″]Messages about how transportation initiatives can improve people’s lives and the environment are good ways for agencies to make the case for transportation-funding needs.[/feature_box][/quote_right] As Earth Day approaches on April 22, it’s worth considering how well state departments of transportation talk about their environmental responsibilities. A new report by the American Association… Read more »
[quote_right][feature_box title=”TDM TAKEAWAY” title_color=”fff” header_color=”369″]Creating ways to help people more easily avoid rush hour has a lot of societal benefits.[/feature_box][/quote_right] Even with the popularity of bikeshare and growing use of public transportation by Millennials, 87.8 percent of all commuting is done by car in the U.S., according to a January 2014 study by the U.S…. Read more »
[feature_box title=”TDM TAKEAWAY” title_color=”fff” header_color=”369″]Education is key to improving public-transportation ridership in low-income communities.[/feature_box] When someone gives up her only parking spot in front of her home for a carshare vehicle for the whole community, you know you’re getting through to people. That’s exactly what happened in Boulder, Colorado – and may be happening even… Read more »
The Washington D.C. area has a deceptively large number of transportation options. Metro, bikeshare and city buses, of course, but what about the D.C. Circulator busline or the Fairfax Connector buses? Is Car2Go actually the best way to get downtown in a hurry? Is there a way to provide this information that would push commuters… Read more »
Over the past few months, Washington D.C. and New York City have each passed laws for employee commuter benefits, and Honolulu and Kansas City are considering it. So why the growing interest? Probably partly because these cities have seen how, in San Francisco, there has been an increase in the use of sustainable commuting modes… Read more »
Gamification will have a significant impact on mobility, traffic, and transportation. Games engage and involve people, and contestants solve problems and learn while playing. Apply the game principle to the field of transportation and the opportunity arises to work on hard-to-change habits such as the daily commute or texting while driving. One of the very… Read more »
This article was originally published at Architect This City. Last weekend a friend of mine sent me an article from The Economist talking about why trams, streetcars, and light rail are a waste of money. The argument is basically that steetcars are expensive, less efficient, and that — despite North America’s renewed interest in them —… Read more »
In 2010, my husband and I moved out to rural Northeast Kansas in order to live a more sustainable lifestyle. Our dream had one major flaw – a complete lack of public transportation. So these two save-the-planet sustainability groupies became just two more single-occupant vehicle drivers with big ugly carbon footprints. And we’re not alone. Forty-five… Read more »