[sustran] Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Transportation Workshop

[Todd Litman]

Last week I attended the federal government sponsored "Workshop on Reducing
Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Transportation in Canada," April 2-3 in
Toronto. More than 150 participants (more than had been expected) spent the
two days reviewing the problem and discussing solutions. Here are my
impressions of the event:

*  Canada made a commitment at Kyoto to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by
6% from 1990 levels by 2012. Because vehicle emission trends are increasing
(more drivers, more vehicles, more miles per vehicle, lower fuel
efficiency), this will require a 21% or greater reduction in emissions over
what would otherwise occur. Similar reductions will be needed to meet the
U.S. 7% emission reduction goals (which have yet to be ratified by Congress).

*  There has been a long-standing debate as to whether the best way to
achieve this reduction is through technological modifications to
automobiles (more efficient vehicles and alternative fuels), or through
changes in travel behavior. The general consensus among the experts at this
workshop is that both will be needed. Richard Gilbert of the Centre for
Sustainable Transportation estimates that technology improvements could
achieve about 1/3, and travel behavior could achieve about 2/3 of the
needed reduction at the lowest cost. (For more information contact the
Centre at 15 Borden Street, Toronto, ON, Canada, M5S 2M8; 416-923-9970;
email: cstctd at web.net).

*  A number of presenters emphasized that increased vehicle fuel efficiency
reduces the cost of driving, resulting in more total vehicle travel which
consumes a portion of the energy savings. Thus, if fleet fuel efficiency
increases by an average of 30%, vehicle owners will drive perhaps 10% more
than if their per-kilometre fuel costs were higher, resulting in only a 20%
net fuel savings. This is called a "take back" effect. Analyses that fails
to take this into account will overestimate the emission reduction benefits
of vehicle efficiency improvements (are you listening Amory Lovins?).

*  My greatest frustration with the conference was the tendency to evaluate
solutions only in terms of greenhouse gas emission reductions, without
considering other benefits to society. The evaluation criteria that we were
required to use in breakout sessions where individual solutions were
discussed and prioritized, included "Emission Reduction Effectiveness" and
"Costs to Society", but no category for "Other Benefits to Society."
Frankly, greenhouse gas emission reduction is a pretty low priority for
most transportation professionals. Only if we can identify strategies that
help address their problems are we likely to achieve coordination between
different stakeholders: planners, transportation engineers, local
government officials, environmentalists, public health advocates, etc. In
other words, we are still using "reductionist" thinking to solve problems
that require integrated solutions.

*  I did my best to promote "Win-Win" strategies, which are travel demand
management strategies which are justified for their economic benefits
(reduced congestion, road and parking facility costs, crash costs, user
costs, etc.) and for the sake of equity, but which could also reduce a
significant portion of greenhouse gas emissions (see summary below).
However, there is still a lot of ignorance about travel demand management
(the only strategies many "experts" seem to know about are increased fuel
taxes or road pricing). Many environmentalists don't seem to appreciate how
little weight environmental issues carry among transportation professionals
(most of whom are still eager to widen roads to accommodate more vehicle
travel and urban sprawl.) I can see that it will take a lot more work for
TDM strategies to get the attention they deserve.

*  There is a lot of interest in emission trading, but nobody seems to know
how it could apply broadly to transportation. In theory, emission trading
allows the cheapest strategy to be used to reduce emissions, but
environmentalists are skeptical that it will result in anything more than
an accounting exercise, in which high-polluters pay token amounts for
greenhouse gas emission reduction measures that would have been implemented
anyway. 

* There is a lot of research just beginning to identify and prioritize
potential emission reduction strategies. Canada's National Round Table on
the Environment and Economy is commissioning a "Backgrounder" to summarize
the issues and options, and there is ongoing research by U.S. federal
laboratories and OECD agencies.


Sincerely,

Todd Litman, Director
Victoria Transport Policy Institute
"Efficiency - Equity - Clarity"
1250 Rudlin Street
Victoria, BC, V8V 3R7, Canada
Phone & Fax: 250-360-1560
E-mail:      litman at islandnet.com
Website:     www.islandnet.com/~litman





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		Win-Win Transportation Management Strategies
			To Reduce Greenhouse Gases

	          Victoria Transport Policy Institute

"Win-Win" transportation management strategies provide economic,
environmental and social benefits. They can meet a significant portion of
greenhouse gas emission reduction goals and reduce traffic congestion, road
and parking facility costs, accidents, and local pollution; increase travel
choices; save consumers money; increase employment and economic
productivity; improve community livability; and increase social equity. 

Win-Win strategies are cost effective and technically feasible. They remove
distortions in transportation markets that encourage automobile travel and
discourage development and use of more efficient alternatives. They are
ideal "no regrets" measures that should be implemented regardless of
uncertainties concerning global warming impact costs. 

If fully implemented, Win-Win strategies could reduce motor vehicle travel
15-30%. Win-Win strategies can generate broad support. Transportation
professionals concerned with congestion, governments concerned with road
and parking facility costs, health officials concerned with traffic
crashes, environmentalists concerned with pollution and sprawl, and
community residents concerned with local quality of life issues all have
reasons to support Win-Win programs.

FEDERAL (CANADA)

Make employer provided transit benefits tax exempt. 
Current federal tax policy allows most automobile commuters to receive free
parking without paying income tax on this benefit, while employer provided
transit passes are fully taxed. Eliminating this bias increases transit
commuting 5-20% among employees offered this benefit. (Employer Provided
Transit Passes: A Tax Exempt Benefit, Transport 2000 Canada, 1997.)


STATE/PROVINCIAL

Distance based vehicle insurance and registration fees.
Basing vehicle insurance and registration fees on distance traveled
provides a significant financial incentive to reduce driving. It is
predicted to reduce vehicle travel by approximately 10%, reduce crash
rates, increase equity, and save consumers money. (Todd Litman, "Distance
Based Vehicle Insurance as a TDM Strategy," Transportation Quarterly,
Summer 1997.)

Least-cost transportation planning and funding.
Least-cost planning means that strategies to reduce demand are considered
equally with strategies to increase capacity, that all significant impacts
are considered, and that the public is involved in developing and
evaluating alternatives. This allows demand management strategies to
receive appropriate consideration. (Dick Nelson and Don Shakow, "Least-Cost
Planning" Transportation Research Record 1499, 1996, pp. 19-27.)


REGIONAL AND LOCAL

Local and regional transportation demand management programs.
Local and regional governments can achieve substantial financial savings
and support environmental goals by encouraging more efficient travel. In
one community, travel demand management is predicted to reduce road
construction costs from $120- to $15-million, and reduce greenhouse
emissions by 3%. (TravelSmart Project, City of Kamloops, British Columbia,
1997.) 

More flexible zoning requirements.
Local governments can reduce parking requirements for businesses that have
travel management programs. This gives businesses more options and reduces
motor vehicle use. (John Shaw, Planning for Parking, Public Policy Center,
University of Iowa, Iowa City, 1997.) 

Transportation Efficient Development and Location Efficient Mortgages.
Several strategies can help develop more transportation efficient
communities (Reid Ewing, Best Development Practices, Planners Press,
Chicago, 1996.), and encourage "location efficient" housing. (Hoeveler,
"Accessibility vs. Mobility: The Location Efficient Mortgage," Public
Investment, American Planning Asso., Chicago, September 1997.) 

Parking "Cash Out".
This strategy means that employees who receive parking subsidies are also
offered the cash equivalent if they use other modes. This typically reduces
automobile commuting by 10-30%, and increases equity by giving non-drivers
benefits comparable to those received by drivers. (Donald Shoup, "An
Opportunity to Reduce Minimum Parking Requirements," Journal of the
American Planning Association, Winter 1995, pp. 14-28.)

Transportation Management Associations.
Transportation management associations provide services such as rideshare
matching, transit information, and parking coordination in a commercial
district or mall. This allows even small businesses to participate in
commute trip reduction programs, and achieves more efficient use of
resources. (Ferguson, Ross and Meyer, "Transportation Management
Associations," Transportation Research Record, #1346, 1992, pp. 36-43.)

School trip management.
Ten to fifteen percent of peak period vehicle trips involve parents driving
children to school. Some communities now support travel alternatives for
these trips. This gives families more choices, encourages exercise, and
reduces vehicle use. (Kowey, Hunter & Associates, Way To Go, Go Green
Choices, Greater Vancouver Regional District, Vancouver, 1997.)

Car sharing.
Car sharing businesses and cooperatives allow residents to use vehicles
when necessary, while maintaining a strong financial incentive to use
alternative modes for other trips. Drivers who join such organizations
typically reduce their vehicle use by 50%. (Steininger, Vogl and Zettl,
"Car Sharing Organizations," Transport Policy, Vol. 3, No. 4, 1996, pp.
177-185.)

Traffic calming.
Traffic calming includes various strategies to reduce traffic speeds and
volumes on specific roads, and make them more pedestrian- and
bicycle-friendly. This increases community livability in addition to other
economic and environmental benefits. (Ewing and Kooshian, "U.S. Experience
with Traffic Calming," ITE Journal, August 1997, pp. 28-33.)


For more information on these and other travel demand management strategies
contact the Victoria Transport Policy Institute, 1250 Rudlin Street,
Victoria, BC, V8V 3R7, Canada; Phone & Fax: 250-360-1560; E-mail:
litman at islandnet.com; Website: www.islandnet.com/~litman