Roads/Highways

Economic and Travel Impacts of Bypass Roads: A Comparative Study of Israel and the U.S.

Pnina Plaut
Elizabeth Deakin
2006

In this study we are documenting and comparing the economic and travel impacts of bypass roads in the United States and Israel on the towns near which they are constructed. Using historical research, on-site observations, interviews, surveys, and data analyses we consider the effects of bypasses on local and through traffic, travel patterns, development patterns, and the local urban economy in the immediately affected communities. We aim elucidate how road design, market forces, local politics, land use policies, planning and zoning and location-specific factors interact to produce the...

Climate Change and Urban Transportation in Latin America: Analysis of Recent Projects

Carolyn McAndrews
Elizabeth Deakin
Lee Schipper
2010

Urban transportation investments present an opportunity to mitigate climate change while supporting effective, clean, safe, and equitable transportation. This study reports on the response of a set of urban transportation investments in Latin America to climate change. A sample of recent transportation projects funded by an international bank was analyzed to learn what kinds of infrastructure, plans, and policies were being pursued and to assess whether projects developed specifically to address climate change differed from other projects. Loans and grants supported a mix of infrastructure...

The Benefits and Challenges of Incorporating Uber and Lyft in Subsidized Ride Programs that Serve Vulnerable Populations

Jeremy Halpern
Elizabeth Deakin
Madeleine Parker
2020

Cities, transit agencies, and social service providers across the U.S. have implemented programs that provide taxi subsidies for people who have difficulty driving a car or using the regular transit system. These programs usually serve older residents and people with disabilities, though a few also serve low income users. Taxi subsidy programs provide curb-to-curb or door-to-door transportation at a fraction of the cost of paratransit.1 However, as Transportation Network Companies (TNCs), such as Uber and Lyft, have entered markets around the country, taxi availability has declined,...

Intelligent Transport Systems

Elizabeth Deakin
Karen Trapenberg Frick
Alexander Skabardonis
2004

If you've seen an electronic massage sign along the highway that tells you how long it will take to get downtown or to the airport, or paid your toll or your parking fees with an electronic tag, or ridden a bus that triggered the traffic lights to turn green as it approached them, then you have experienced some of the benefits of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS)—an umbrella term for a variety of new technologies and operations methods for highways and transit. Other on-the-ground ITS applications are less visible to the average traveler, but every bit as useful: they help traffic...

Calculating and Forecasting Induced Vehicle-Miles of Travel Resulting from Highway Projects: Findings and Recommendations from an Expert Panel

Elizabeth Deakin
Fred Dock
Gordon Garry
Susan Handy
Michael McNally
Elizabeth Sall
Alex Skabardonis
Joan Walker
Karl Rheinhardt
2020

In the context of implementation of SB 743 (Steinberg, 2013), staff at the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) have been developing guidance documents on how to calculate induced travel, working with their counterparts at the California Air Resources Board (CARB) and the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research (OPR). OPR’s technical advisory discusses two methods for estimating induced travel: an approach based on the application of travel models and an approach using elasticities drawn from the peer-reviewed literature (such as the National Center for Sustainable...

Analysis of Potential Fuel Consumption and Emissions Reductions from Fuel Cell Auxiliary Power Units (APUs) in Long-Haul Trucks

Nicholas Lutsey
Christie-Joy Brodrick
Tim Lipman
2007

The idling of heavy-duty trucks results in additional emissions, fuel consumption, and cost. Small fuel cell auxiliary power units (APUs) (now in development) are promising alternatives to idling the main engine. A solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) APU is particularly attractive, because in conjunction with a reformer, it could operate on widely available diesel fuel. Because fuel cell APUs may not only reduce environmental impacts, but also reduce operating costs, this application has been cited as an attractive early market niche for fuel cells. Our objective is to determine whether SOFC APUs...

Lessons learned from the installation and operation of Northern California's first 70-MPa hydrogen fueling station

Tim Lipman
Maggie Witt
Matthew Elke
2013

A hydrogen dispensing facility capable of providing rapid 70-MPa vehicle fills became operational in May 2011 as the first such hydrogen dispensing facility in Northern California. The facility is operated by the University of California – Berkeley in support of fuel cell vehicle research with automakers, regional and state agencies, and industrial groups. In addition to storing and dispensing high-pressure hydrogen fuel, the station also incorporates a number of key advances in hydrogen refueling system capabilities, including novel fuel pre-cooling, fuel storage, and system safety...

Hydrogen Energy Stations: Poly-Production of Electricity, Hydrogen, and Thermal Energy

Tim Lipman
Cameron Brooks
2006

The "hydrogen energy station" is one method of hydrogen production at small and medium scales. Unlike more conventional hydrogen station designs where hydrogen is simply delivered or produced on-site with a fuel "reformer" or water electrolyzer and then compressed and dispensed, energy stations would provide multiple functions in the same facility. They would integrate systems for production of electricity for 1) local uses and/or the utility grid, 2) re-use of thermal energy "waste heat" for building heating/cooling needs, and 3) purified hydrogen for refueling vehicles.Hydrogen energy...

An Assessment of the Near-Term Costs of Hydrogen Refueling Stations and Station Components

Tim Lipman
Jonathan Weinert
2006

Interest in hydrogen as a transportation fuel is growing in California. Plans are underway to construct a “Hydrogen Highway” network of stations across the state to stimulate fuel cell vehicle deployment. One of the key challenges in the planning and financing of this network is determining the costs of the stations. The purpose of this report is to examine the near-term costs of building hydrogen stations of various types and sizes. The costs for seven different station types are analyzed with respect to size, siting factors, and operating factors. The first section of the report reviews...

Driving California’s Transportation Emissions to Zero

Austin Brown
Daniel Sperling
Bernadette Austin
J. R. DeShazo
Lew Fulton
Tim Lipman
Colin Murphy
Jean Daniel
Gil Tal
Carolyn Abrams
Debapriya Chakraborty
Daniel Coffee
Sina Dabag
Adam Davis
Mark Delucchi
Kelly Fleming
Kate Forest
Juan Carlos Garcia Sanchez
Susan Handy
Michael Hyland
Alan Jenn
Seth Karten
Blake Lane
Michael Mackinnon
Elliot Martin
Marshall Miller
Monica Ramirez-Ibarra
Stephen Ritchie
Sara Schremmer
Joshua Segui
Susan Shaheen
Andre Tok
Aditya Voleti
Julie Witcover
Allison Yang
2021

The purpose of this report is to provide a research-driven analysis of options that can put California on a pathway to achieve carbon-neutral transportation by 2045. The report comprises thirteen sections. Section 1 provides an overview of the major components of transportation systems and how those components interact. Section 2 discusses the impacts the COVID-19 pandemic has had on transportation. Section 3 discusses California’s current transportation-policy landscape. These three sections were previously published as a synthesis report. Section 4 analyzes the different carbon scenarios...