Cutting greenhouse gas emissions is only the beginning: a literature review of the co-benefits of reducing vehicle miles traveled.

Details

• Creators:
  Fang, Kevin ; Volker, Jamey
• Corporate Creators:
  University of California, Davis. Institute of Transportation Studies
• Corporate Contributors:
  National Center for Sustainable Transportation (NCST)
• Subject/TRT Terms:
  • Vehicle miles of travel
  • Greenhouse gases
  • Exhaust gases
  • Emissions reduction vehicle miles traveled
• Resource Type:
  Tech Report
• Geographical Coverage:
  California;United States
• Corporate Publisher:
  National Center for Sustainable Transportation (NCST) (UTC)
• Abstract:
  Traditional evaluation of the transportation system focuses on automobile traffic flow and ; congestion reduction. However, this paradigm is shifting. In an effort to combat global warming ; and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, a number of cities, regions, and states across the ; United States have begun to deemphasize vehicle delay metrics such as automobile Level of ; Service (LOS). In their place, policymakers are considering alternative transportation impact ; metrics that more closely approximate the true environmental impacts of driving. One metric ; increasingly coming into use is the total amount of driving or Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT). ; Since passing the seminal Global Warming Solutions Act (AB 32) in 2006, California has enacted ; two major laws over the past decade that are spurring efforts to reduce VMT: Senate Bill 375 ; (2008) and SB 743 (2013). SB 375 addresses regional GHG emissions reductions from passenger ; travel. For each region in the State with a metropolitan planning organization (MPO), the law ; requires the California Air Resources Board (ARB) to set and regularly update per capita GHG ; emissions reduction targets for 2020 and 2035. To achieve those targets, SB 375 requires each ; MPO to adopt a “sustainable communities strategy” (SCS) as part of its regional transportation ; plan. VMT reductions are a key strategy in SCSs. ; Senate Bill 743 (2013) directs the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research (OPR) to revise ; the guidelines for determining the significance of transportation impacts during analyses ; conducted under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). SB 743 requires a ; replacement metric that will “promote the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, the ; development of multimodal transportation networks, and a diversity of land uses.” It mandates that “automobile delay, as described solely by LOS shall not be considered a significant impact on the environment” under CEQA, except in “locations specifically identified in the guidelines, if any.” VMT is OPR’s currently recommended replacement metric (OPR, 2016).
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• Format:
  PDF
• Download URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/32254/dot_32254_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 464.72 KB]
• Collection(s):
  University Transportation Centers ; US Transportation Collection
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:341b4325900e6a8cb28e02c7be874f5905db9d55c8d0cc3998b4dfae5f75b9ab060182cd13a830dc378f5edee6bdd22fc5fbe893e751a0e67018786c7edb8625