Transportation Alternatives for Energy Efficiency: A National Perspective

Dr. Michael D. Meyer, P.E.F. R. Dickerson Chair and Professor

School of Civil and Environmental EngineeringGeorgia Institute of Technology

Transportation System Planning and Design

Construction and Maintenance Practices

Transportation System Management and Operations

Vehicle and Fuel Policies

Transportation Planning and Funding

Land Use Codes, Regulations, and other Policies

Taxation and Pricing

Travel Demand Management

Strategy NameKey Deployment Assumptions

Transportation System Planning, Funding, and Design

Highways % Fuel/GHG Reduction in 2030

Capacity Expansion 25 – 100% increase in economically justified investments over current levels

0.07 – 0.29% [0.25 – 0.96%]

Bottleneck Relief Improve top 100 to 200 bottlenecks nationwide by 2030

0.05 – 0.21[0.29 – 0.66%]

HOV Lanes

Convert all existing HOV lanes to 24-hour operation 0.02%0.00%

Convert off-peak direction general purpose lane to reversible HOV lane on congested freeways 0.07 – 0.18%

Construct new HOV lanes on all urban freeways 0.05%

Truck-only Toll Lanes Constructed to serve 10 – 40% of VMT in large/high density urban areas 0.03 – 0.15%

Transit

Urban Fixed-Guideway Transit

Expansion rate of 2.4 – 4.7% annually 0.17 – 0.65%

High-Speed Intercity Rail

4 – 11 new HSR corridors 0.09 – 0.18%

Strategy NameKey Deployment Assumptions

Transportation System Planning, Funding, and Design

Non-motorized % Fuel/GHG Reduction in 2030

Pedestrian Improvements

Pedestrian improvements implemented near business districts, schools, transit stations

0.10 – 0.31%

Bicycle Improvements

Comprehensive bicycle infrastructure implemented in moderate to high-density urban neighborhoods

0.09 – 0.28%

Freight

Rail Freight Infrastructure

Aspiration estimates of potential truck-rail diversion resulting from major program of rail infrastructure investments

0.01 – 0.22%

Ports and Marine Infrastructure &

Operations

Land and marine-side operational improvements at container ports 0.01 – 0.02%

Strategy NameKey Deployment Assumptions

Transportation System Planning, Funding, and Design

Construction and Maintenance Practices % Fuel/GHG Reduction in 2030

Construction Materials

Fly-ash cement and warm-mix asphalt used in highway construction throughout U.S. 0.7 – 0.8%

Other Transportation

Agency Activities

Alternative fuel DOT fleet vehicles, LEED-certified DOT buildings 0.1%

Transportation System Management and Operations

Traffic Management

Deployment of traffic management strategies on freeways and arterials at rate of 700 to 1,400 miles/year nationwide, in locations of greatest congestion

0.07 – 0.08%[0.89 – 1.3%]

Ramp Metering Centrally controlled 0.01%[0.12 – 0.22%]

Incident Management

Detection and response, including coordination through traffic management center

0.02 – 0.03%[0.24 – 0.34%]

Strategy NameKey Deployment Assumptions

Transportation System Planning, Funding, and Design

Transportation System Management and Operations % Fuel/GHG Reduction in 2030

Signal Control Management Upgrade to closed loop or traffic adaptive system 0.00%

[0.01 – 0.10%]

Active Traffic Management

Speed harmonization, lane control, queue warning, hard shoulder running

0.01 – 0.02%[0.24 – 0.29%]

Integrated Corridor Management Multiple strategies 0.01 – 0.02%

[0.24 – 0.29%]

Real-Time Traffic Information 511, DOT website, personalized information 0.00%

[0.02 – 0.07%]

Transit Service

Fare Reductions 25 – 50% fare reduction (2); 50% fare reduction (5) 0.02 – 0.09%0.3%

Improved Headways and LOS

10 – 30% improvement in travel speeds through infrastructure/ops strategies 0.05 – 0.10%

Increase service (min: add 40% to off-peak; max: also add 10% to peak) 0.2 – 0.6%

Intercity passenger rail service expansion

Min: increase federal capital/operating assistance 5% annually vs. trend; Max: Double fed operating assistance then increase 10% annually

0.05 – 0.11%

Intercity bus service expansion 3% annual expansion in intercity bus service 0.06%

Strategy NameKey Deployment Assumptions

Transportation System Planning, Funding, and Design

Truck Operations % Fuel/GHG Reduction in 2030

Truck Idling Reduction

30 – 100% of truck stops allow trucks to plug in for local power 0.02 – 0.06%

26 – 100% of sleeper cabs with onboard idle reduction technology 0.09 – 0.28%

Truck Size and Weight Limits

Allow heavy/long trucks for drayage and non-interstate natural resources hauls 0.03%

Urban Consolidation

Centers

Consolidation centers established on periphery of large urbanized areas; permitting of urban deliveries to require consolidation

0.01%

Reduced Speed Limits 55 mph national speed limit 1.2 – 2.0%

Strategy NameKey Deployment Assumptions

Transportation System Planning, Funding, and DesignTravel Demand Management % Fuel/GHG Reduction

in 2030

Workplace TDM (general)

Widespread employer outreach and alternative mode support 0.1 – 0.6%

Teleworking Doubling of current levels 0.5 – 0.6%

Compressed Work Weeks

Minimum – 75% of government employees; Maximum – double current private participation (1) Requirement to offer 4/40 workweek to those whose jobs are amenable (5)

0.1 – 0.3%2.4%

Ridematching, Carpool, and

VanpoolExtensive rideshare outreach and support 0.0 – 0.2%

Mass Marketing Mass marketing in 50 largest urban areas 0.14%

Individualized Marketing

Individualized marketing reaching 10 percent of population 0.14 – 0.28%

Car-Sharing Subsidies for start-up/operations 0.05 – 0.20%

Grasman, et al, “Alternative Energy Resources for the Missouri DOT,” Jan. 2011.

Missouri DOT

Grasman, et al, “Alternative Energy Resources for the Missouri DOT,” Jan. 2011.

Grasman, et al, “Alternative Energy Resources for the Missouri DOT,” Jan. 2011.

Sivek and Schoettle, “Eco-Driving: Strategic, Tactical and Operational Decisions of the Driver that Improve Vehicle Fuel Economy,” UMTRI, University of Michigan, Aug. 2011.

“Furthermore, increased efforts should also be directed at increasing vehicle occupancy, which has dropped by 30% from 1960. That drop, by itself, increased the energy intensity of driving per occupant by about 30%.”

Sivek and Schoettle, “Eco-Driving: Strategic, Tactical and Operational Decisions of the Driver that Improve Vehicle Fuel Economy,” UMTRI, University of Michigan, Aug. 2011.

MARTA Carbon Footprint

Carbon Footprint of MARTA (2008)

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CNG Bus Diesel Bus Paratransit Heavy Rail Non-Revenue Vehicles

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Upstream Vehicle-Cycle

Upstream Fuel/Energy-Cycle

Direct

“Driving and the Built Environment” (TRB, Sept 2009)

1. More compact development patterns are likely to reduce VMT.

2. The most reliable studies estimate that doubling residential density across a metropolitan area might lower household VMT by about 5 to 12 percent, and perhaps by as much as 25 percent, if coupled with higher employment concentrations, significant public transit improvements, mixed uses, and other supportive demand management measures.

3. More compact, mixed-use development can produce reductions in energy consumption and CO2 emissions both directly and indirectly.

4. Significant increases in more compact, mixed-use development result in only modest short-term reductions in energy consumption and CO2 emissions, but these reductions will grow over time.– Bottom Line: Reduction in VMT, Energy Use, and CO2

emissions from more compact, mixed-use development in the range of <1 % to 11 % by 2050.

– Committee disagreed about plausibility of extent of compact development and policies needed to achieve high end estimates.

5. Promoting more compact, mixed use development on a large scale will require overcoming numerous obstacles.

6. Changes in development patterns entail other benefits and costs that have not been quantified in this study.

“Moving Cooler” (ULI/CS, 2009)• Evaluated non-technology transportation strategies

for (a) GHG reductions and (b) cost-effectiveness in reducing GHG

• Analyzed 46 individual transportation strategies and 6 “bundles”

• The 6 “bundles” of strategies:1.Near Term/Early Results2.Long Term/Maximum Results3.Land Use/Transit/Non-motorized4.System and Driver Efficiency5.Facility Pricing6.Low Cost

• Did not analyze technology/fuel strategies (instead, technology is part of the baseline)

Individual strategies achieve GHG reductions ranging from <0.5% to 4.0% cumulatively 2010-2050, compared to on-road baseline GHG

• 15,186 mmt - carbon pricing equivalent to $2.71/gallon • 3,361 mmt – VMT fees equivalent to $2.53/gallon• 2,428 mmt – speed limit reductions/enforcement• 2,233 mmt – PAYD auto insurance (100%)• 1,815 mmt – eco-driving by 20% of drivers• 1,445 mmt – at least 90% of new urban development is

compact, with high quality transit• 1,241 mmt – congestion pricing fully implemented in 120 metro

areas at 65 cents/mile• 575 mmt - $1.2 trillion transit expansion • 352 mmt – combination of 10 freight strategies

• Promote transit-oriented design (TOD) by increasing housing and job density near transit nodes.

• Promote mixed use development. • Increase the connectivity of new developments,

using techniques such as reducing the number of cul-de-sacs and increasing the number of through streets.

• Integrate safe bikeways and pedestrian paths into the transportation mix and provide bicycle parking and other facilities to encourage bicycling.

SANDAG

Summary• Transportation sector an important source of

energy savings• Vehicle/fuel strategies most effective• Pricing, not surprisingly, the most effective of

behavioral strategies• Systems operations…as a package• Transit….it all depends• Land use….it all depends