Environment

Environmental Life-cycle Assessment of Passenger Transportation: A Detailed Methodology for Energy, Greenhouse Gas and Criteria Pollutant Inventories of Automobiles, Buses, Light Rail, Heavy Rail and Air

Chester, Mikhail
Horvath, Arpad
2007

The passenger transportation modes of auto, bus, heavy rail, light rail and air are critical systems relied upon for business and leisure. When considering their environmental effects, most studies and policy focus on the fuel use of the vehicles, and ignore the energy and other resource inputs and environmental outputs from the life cycles of necessary infrastructures, fuels, and vehicles. The goal of this project is to develop comprehensive life-cycle assessment (LCA) models to quantify the energy inputs and emissions from autos, buses, heavy rail, light rail and air transportation in...

Unintended environmental impacts of nighttime freight logistics activities

Sathaye, Nakul
Harley, Robert
Madanat, Samer
2009

In recent years, the reduction of freight vehicle trips during peak hours has been a common policy goal. To this end, policies have been implemented to shift logistics operations to nighttime hours. The purpose of such policies has generally been to mitigate congestion and environmental impacts. However, the atmospheric boundary layer is generally more stable during the night than the day. Consequently, shifting logistics operations to the night may increase 24‐hour average concentrations of diesel exhaust pollutants in many locations. This paper presents realistic scenarios for two...

Environmental Life-cycle Assessment of Passenger Transportation: A Detailed Methodology for Energy, Greenhouse Gas and Criteria Pollutant Inventories of Automobiles, Buses, Light Rail, Heavy Rail and Air v.2

Chester, Mikhail
Horvath, Arpad
2008

The passenger transportation modes of auto, bus, heavy rail, light rail and air are critical systems relied upon for business and leisure. When considering their environmental effects, most studies and policy focus on the fuel use of the vehicles, and ignore the energy and other resource inputs and environmental outputs from the life cycles of necessary infrastructures, fuels, and vehicles. The goal of this project is to develop comprehensive life-cycle assessment (LCA) models to quantify the energy inputs and emissions from autos, buses, heavy rail, light rail and air transportation in...

The Environmental Impacts of Electric Bikes in Chinese Cities

Cherry, Christopher
Weinert, Jonathan
Ma, Chaktan
2007

Electric bikes have captured a large share of trips in many Chinese cities. They provide high levels of mobility and use little energy, two things that Chinese cities need to optimize. However, these benefits come at a cost, particularly emissions from primarily coal power plants and increased lead waste from battery use. Chinese policy makers are struggling with developing appropriate policy that maximizes modal options and mobility and minimizes environmental impacts. Electric bikes use very little electricity and, as a result, emit low levels of pollution per vehicle (passenger)...

A Review of Green Logistics Schemes Used in Cities Around the World

Geroliminis, Nikolaos
Daganzo, Carlos F.
2005

Freight carriers strive to provide higher levels of transportation service with lower costs. However, the economic and environmental viability of cities are negatively affected by the present organization of urban goods distribution. Can these two competitive goals be harmonised to create efficient and environmentally friendly urban logistics systems? This paper presents several examples of “green logistics” schemes tried in a number of forward-looking cities around the world. The review highlights the basic qualitative ideas of these schemes and the results of field tests. Most of the...

Bus Rapid Transit Impacts on Land Uses and Land Values in Seoul, Korea

Cervero, Robert
Kang, Chang Deok
2009

More and more cities are turning to Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) as a way of cost-effectively expanding public transit services to help relieve traffic congestion, reduce carbon emissions, and increase mobility options for the poor. Because of the inherent flexibility advantages of rubber-tire buses – e.g., unlike rail systems, the same vehicle that functions as a line-haul carrier can also morph into a neighborhood feeder -- BRT is especially suited for many lower density and non- CBD settings.Some of the most advanced and widely heralded BRT services today are found in Latin America, such as...

Toward Green TODs

Ververo, Robert
Sullivan, Cathleen
2010

Green Transit Oriented Developments (TODs) shrink environmental footprints by reducing Vehicle Kilometers Traveled (VKT)/ Vehicle Miles Travled (VMT) and incorporating green urbanism and architecture in community designs. Synergies from combining TOD and green urbanism derive from increased densities, which promote transit usage and conserve heating/cooling expenses; mixed land uses which promote non-motorized transportation and limited-range electric vehicles; reduced impervious parking services matched by increased open space and community gardens; and, opportunities for generating solar...

Unintended Impacts of Increased Truck Loads on Pavement Supply-chain Emissions

Sathaye, Nakul
Horvath, Arpad
Madanat, Samer M.
2009

In recent years, the reduction of freight truck trips has been a common policy goal. To this end, policies aimed at influencing load consolidation, load factors and increasing maximum truck weight limits have been suggested and implemented, resulting in higher gross vehicle weights. The purpose of such policies has generally been to mitigate congestion and environmental impacts. However, trucks cause most of the damage incurred by highways pavements. The supply chain associated with pavement maintenance and construction releases significant air emissions, raising the question of whether...

Performance Measures for Complete, Green Streets: A Proposal for Urban Arterials in California

Sanders, Rebecca
Macdonald, Elizabeth
Anderson, Alia
2010

The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans or “Department”) manages more than 15,000 miles of state highways, ranging in scale and function from local streets to interstate highways. Historically, Caltrans has been governed by the principles of highway engineering, which focus on providing mobility to motorized vehicles. Over the past decade, however, the Department has joined in a national movement to better incorporate non-motorized transportation and community-level outcomes into its transportation decision-making framework, embodied by the approach known as "Complete Streets...

Evaluation of the Safe Routes to Transit Program in California

Weinzimmer, David
Sanders, Rebecca L.
Dittrich, Heidi
Cooper, Jill F.
2014

This paper elaborates on findings from an evaluation of the San Francisco Bay Area’s Safe Routes to Transit (SR2T) program, which funded enhancements to increase walking and cycling to regional transit stations. To understand how the program influenced travel choices, behavior, and perceptions of safety and local air quality, researchers surveyed transit users and observed driver, pedestrian, and bicyclist behavior in the periods before and after the enhancements were made at multiple transit stations. Data from the treatment and control stations suggest that the streetscape and roadway...