Recent itsdavis_whitepapers items

In Search of Less Parking: How Curb Management Is Failing Future Mobility

Wed, 13 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

In Search of Less Parking: How Curb Management Is Failing Future Mobility

"Stop” and Think about It: How the Different Interpretations of What Counts as a “Major Transit Stop" in California Make a Difference

Fri, 6 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

“Major transit stop”: how these three words are defined determines what can be built where, throughout much of California. In order to address housing supply constraints, the state legislature has enacted a number of laws that streamline approval and remove zoning constraints in areas close to high-quality transit. But what, exactly, is a “major transit stop”? Planners, developers, and elected officials construe the sparse definition in state law in many ways — though genuine interpretive disagreement, due to modeling and data constraints, and/or in order to serve political goals of encouraging or stymying development. Differences in interpreting the definition of “major transit stop” collectively make a big difference in what areas are covered by state zoning incentives. A maximal approach to defining “major transit stop” grows the eligible area by over three times more than a minimal approach. The area within half a mile of a major transit stop has generally increased over time....

Vehicle Weight Safety Study Academic Report

Mon, 2 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The Vehicle Weight Safety Study provides supporting analysis for the California Transportation Commission’s study on therelationship between vehicle weight and road user injury and roadway degradation required by Assembly Bill (AB) 251, which was signed by the Governor in October 2023. To inform the work of the CTC, this report summarizes trends of road user injuries and fatalities in California and potential factors contributing to these trends (Chapter 2); summarizes trends in vehicle weight, size, and height for registered vehicles in California (Chapter 3); documents the landscape of policy solutions focused on vehicle size that might address California’s road user injuries and fatality challenge (Chapter 4); analyzes the impact of potential weight-based fees on consumer vehicle purchasing behavior (Chapter 5); and, analyzes the relationship between shifts in passenger vehicle weight and degradation of road infrastructure (Chapter 6).

Local and State Government Procurement to Reduce Transportation Infrastructure Environmental Impacts

Thu, 16 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Green Public Procurement is to be understood as a set of policies, actions and practices that leverage acquisitions to address all types of environmental challenges. This white paper lays out the case and a recommended approach for establishing public procurement programs to reduce, as fast as possible, the environmental impacts of keeping and improving transportation infrastructure functionality. The white paper covers various motivations and potential goals, benefits and co-benefits, readiness of industry and state and federal initiatives, identification and addressing of risks and challenges, basic definitions and tools to be used, the overall recommended approach, and a summary of the program elements needed to implement such a program.

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Sustainable EV Market Incentives: Lessons Learned from European Feebates for a Zero Emissions Future

Tue, 10 Sep 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Strong policies are needed to accelerate the zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) transition so that it occurs at a pace in line with international climate goals. The purchase price of new vehicles tends to be the variable that most affects consumer decisions. With urgency for a ZEV transition, fiscal pressure for governments can be high as rebates for consumers and incentives supporting manufacturers in the switch to ZEV technologies will be needed for a mass-market transition. Fees on high-polluting vehicles—and rebates on clean ones—have become an effective and increasingly common strategy in European countries. The feebate mechanism can raise the necessary capital for financing a ZEV transition in combination with other regulatory mechanisms. This paper reviews and assesses feebate design types, issues, and implementation strategies in France, Germany, Italy, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. These examples show that feebates can be designed in a variety of ways to meet unique policy...

Sustainable EV Market Incentives: Equitable Revenue-Neutral Incentives for Zero-emission Vehicles in the United States

Tue, 10 Sep 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The United States (US), under the Biden Administration, has set a goal of reaching a 50% sales share for zero-emission vehicles by 2030. The administration is pursuing a combination of aggressive fuel economy and greenhouse gas performance standards along with tax credits for consumers who purchase electric vehicles (EVs). Given the anticipated high costs of the EV transition and limited public funds, policy mechanisms that generate extra-budgetary funding are enticing. Feebates—where a fee charged on some purchases is used to offer a rebate for others—can serve as a self-sustaining tool. Feebates have been attempted at the state and federal level in the US but did not pass legislatures due to a lack of political support for levying a fee on internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles. However, as governments face increasing fiscal constraints, there is greater support for self- funding EV incentive programs. Feebate policies can provide certainty for both producers and consumers...

A Blueprint for Improving Automated Driving System Safety

Fri, 12 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Vehicle automation represents a new safety frontier that may necessitate a repositioning of our safety oversight systems. This white paper serves as a primer on the technical and legal landscape of automated driving system (ADS) safety. It introduces the latest AI and machine learning techniques that enable ADS functionality. The paper also explores the definitions of safety from the perspectives of standards-setting organizations, federal and state regulations, and legal disciplines. The paper identifies key policy options building on topics raised in the White House’s Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights, outlining a Blueprint for ADS safety. The analysis concludes that potential ADS safety reforms might include either reform of the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS), or a more holistic risk analysis “safety case” approach. The analysis also looks at caselaw on liability in robotics, as well as judicial activity on consumer and commercial privacy, recognizing that...

Mode Share Changes in California: An Exploratory Analysis of Factors Affecting Decreases in Walking, Biking and Transit Use from 2012 to 2017

Thu, 21 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000

This study explores the factors associated with observed changes in transportation mode shares over the period from 2012 to 2017 (corresponding with the period between the two most recent household travel surveys conducted in California). In contrast with the goals of the California Department of Transportation and the State Transportation agency, walking, biking, and using transit all decreased during this period, and driving and the use of personal vehicles increased. There are a number of factors typically associated with transportation mode choices, including socio-demographics, attitudes, life stages, land use and infrastructure availability. Further, large scale events may also have an effect on travel trends; for example, the Great Recessionmay have impacted individuals’ ability to own a personal vehicle and therefore increased the use of alternative means of transportation during the years leading up to our survey period. Similarly, the 2013 passage of legislation allowing...

Recommended Approach for Use of Cradle-to-Gate Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) in Procurement of Civil Infrastructure Materials

Mon, 17 Apr 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Procurement of more environmentally sustainable materials for civil infrastructure can be supported using environmental product declarations (EPDs). An EPD is a standardized label that is a scientifically sound way to communicate the potential environmental impacts and selected resource use and waste production flows from all or part of the life cycle of a product. To be called a Type III EPD, the life cycle assessment (LCA) for products used in civil infrastructure must be performed in accordance with ISO standards and the relevant product category rule (PCR) for the product type. Most EPDs for civil infrastructure materials in North America are “cradle-to-gate”, i.e., they include the impacts from the extraction of raw materials from the earth and end at the point at which the product is ready to leave the gate of the last manufacturing location. The steps leading to publication of an EPD include: 1) Developing the PCR, 2) Developing the LCA for the EPD, 3) Creating the EPD,...

Pass-Through of Alternative Fuel Policy Incentives: Evidence from Diesel and Biodiesel Markets, the U.S. Renewable Fuel Standard, and Low Carbon Fuel Standards in California and Oregon

Thu, 19 Jan 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Biodiesel and hydrotreated renewable diesel (RD)—or collectively biomass-based diesel (BBD)—have become integral components of compliance with policies aiming to reduce U.S. transportation sector greenhouse gas emissions. Such policies include the U.S. Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS), and Oregon’s Clean Fuel Program (CFP). These policies, along with a federal Blender’s BBD Tax Credit (BTC), provide financial incentives for BBD. In this white paper, the authors study pass-through of implicit taxes and subsidies, introduced by federal and state policies, to a variety of diesel and soy biodiesel fuel prices in the context of the U.S. diesel sector, focusing on fossil diesel and soy biodiesel. They apply time series methods techniques to estimate how a variety of diesel fuel price spreads across the country and in California and Oregon responds to changes in the implicit taxes placed on petroleum diesel and the implicit subsidies awarded...

Accelerating ZEV Transitions in India

Fri, 13 Jan 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Accelerating ZEV Transitions in India

Jobs and Automated Freight Transportation: How Automation Affects the Freight Industry and What to Do About It

Fri, 2 Dec 2022 00:00:00 +0000

The expansion of automation in the U.S. economy is increasingly tangible and will presumably entail positive and negative impacts that are not yet well understood. In the freight sector, there is uncertainty about how and when automation will impact labor. Beyond this, there are further unknowns about what the impacts will be on such freight subsectors as warehousing, long- and short-haul. It is expected that penetration rates of freight automation will vary across subsectors. In some subsectors, new jobs will be created and/or working conditions will improve. Other subsectors will see declining job quality and/or job losses that require workers to transition to new roles or sectors entirely, when possible. Changes in job opportunities and quality will vary within sectors and subsectors, by region, and/or by firm. This study offers an overview and recommendations in three directions. First, despite the uncertainties and based on past and present examples of automation, it provides...

From LOS to VMT: Repurposing Impact Fee Programs Since Adoption of SB 743

Mon, 28 Nov 2022 00:00:00 +0000

This white paper assesses how cities are modifying transportation impact fees in response to Senate Bill (SB) 743, adopted in 2013 to orient environmental review of transportation impacts of development projects and plans in California to support sustainable development. SB 743 and its implementing guidelines eliminated “level of service” (LOS) standards for automobile traffic delay as an environmental impact to be addressed under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), recommending instead that localities and other lead agencies responsible for CEQA review analyze, and if possible, mitigate impacts on vehicle miles traveled (VMT) instead. As cities proceed to implement SB 743, some are going further than the minimum required to analyze and mitigate for VMT at the development project level. Instead, they are also pursuing “programmatic” approaches, including altering citywide impact fees imposed on developers, to support more systematic analysis and mitigation than...

The Current and Future Performance and Costs of Battery Electric Trucks: Review of Key Studies and A Detailed Comparison of Their Cost Modeling Scope and Coverage

Wed, 29 Jun 2022 00:00:00 +0000

This project aims to assess the current and future performance and costs of battery electric trucking, through reviewing key recent studies in the U.S. and presenting a detailed comparison of their cost modeling scope and coverage. This white paper presents a review of 10 recent studies of the total cost of ownership (TCO) of battery electric trucks (BET), now and in the future, compared to a baseline diesel truck, for the following 3 important types of truck: heavy-duty long-haul trucks, medium-duty delivery trucks, and heavy-duty drayage/short-haul trucks. The researchers break down the studies into their estimates for a range of important cost and operating factors, such as vehicle purchase cost, efficiency, fuel cost, maintenance cost, required range and thus battery pack sizing, and other factors. Of note are differences in major assumptions of studies and variables that are included or excluded from consideration. The authors do not judge these studies against each other...

Improving the Transfer of Knowledge from Scientists to Policy Makers: Best Practices and New Opportunities to Engage

Thu, 23 Jun 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Many scientific projects are intended to inform public policy, however there are often difficulties transferring or translating research from scientists to policy makers. This paper reviews the existing literature on the quality of communication between scientists or field experts and policy makers and the challenges they face in conveying their research. A majority of best practice recommendations related to effective communication are rooted in anecdotal evidence and have not yet been subjected to systematic scientific study. This is, in part, because the nature of public policy makes data collection, randomization, or correcting for confounding factors extremely challenging. Studies that do put these recommendations to the test are most commonly fielded as national surveys of field experts and policy makers in comparative contexts. Few studies examine this subject in the United States, however, and most find mixed results as to the efficacy of well-accepted scientific communication...

Challenges and Opportunities for Publicly Funded Electric Vehicle Carsharing

Tue, 1 Mar 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Over the last six years, from 2016 through 2021, a wave of new federal, state, and local funding has supported carsharing services that use electric vehicles and install electric vehicle chargers to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) and address climate change. In addition, many of these same funding programs allow support for the location of services in underserved communities with fare levels that enable community members to access these services. This study first explores the potential climate change benefits for carsharing services and the need for these services in underserved areas by reviewing the available published literature. Next, the study discusses the evolution of carsharing in the U.S., including non-profit, for-profit, and recent government-funded carsharing, drawing on published reports, newspaper articles, and expert interviews. Finally, the authors draw conclusions of relevance for future government-funded carsharing programs.

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What Happened and Will Happen with Biofuels? Review and Prospects for Non-Conventional Biofuels in California and the U.S.: Supply, Cost, and Potential GHG Reductions

Tue, 30 Nov 2021 00:00:00 +0000

This paper examines past and future trends for non-conventional biofuels in transportation in the next decade and beyond in California and the U.S., drawing on existing literature. It finds policy was geared toward expanding use of technology-ready biofuels in the 2010s; hydroprocessed renewable diesel from lipid feedstocks and biogas were beneficiaries alongside conventional ethanol and biodiesel. Cellulosic ventures largely failed due to lack of technological readiness, high cost, and an uncertain and insufficient policy environment. Policy goals for competitive cellulosic fuels remain, yet fuels from technologies already in the market may suffice to meet low carbon fuel policy targets, at least in California until 2030, considerably more oilcrop-based biofuels. How much biofuel will be needed there and elsewhere to meet climate targets hinges critically on the pace and scope of zero emission vehicle, and particularly electric vehicle, rollout. Analysis of unintended market...

Practitioner Guide: An Inventory of Vehicle Design Strategies Aimed at Reducing COVID-19 Transmission in Public and Private Pooled and Shared Transportation

Wed, 13 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +0000

The COVID-19 pandemic has had dramatic impacts on transportation globally, reducing travel and deterring travelers from using shared and pooled modes such as public transit, carpooling, car-sharing, pooled ride-hailing, and micromobility. These modes are critical components of a decarbonized and equitable mobility future, but already comprised a small fraction of pre-pandemic travel in the U.S., and will likely remain further suppressed in the wake of the pandemic if people continue new mode choice habits. Those who do continue to rely on public transportation are disproportionately at risk due the degree that these modes leave them susceptible to disease transmission. For pooled and shared travel to return to and ideally surpass pre-pandemic levels, it is important to implement solutions to reduce the real and perceived risks of infectious disease transmission. This white paper presents an inventory and typology of vehicle design strategies that have been proposed or implemented...

Local Policies for Better Micromobility

Fri, 27 Aug 2021 00:00:00 +0000

This report highlights key themes from a series of ten interviews with U.S. cities with micromobility programs in their jurisdictions (Atlanta, GA; Austin, TX; Chicago, IL; District of Columbia; Denver, CO; Los Angeles, CA; Oakland, CA; Portland, OR; San Diego, CA; Seattle, WA). The research aims to shed light on both the regulatory process and identify best practices for dockless bike and scooter sharing policy. The following themes emerged among the cities interviewed: a) Data-sharing requirements for scooters and dockless bikes are critical for evaluation and monitoring for compliance with policies like equitable distributional requirements; b) Clear parking regulations for dockless bikes and scooters must balance flexibility and preserve community space ; c) Fines are effective tools to reduce bad behavior from users of micromobility devices, e.g., incorrect parking, or reckless riding behavior; and d) Clear classifications of micromobility devices will allow cities to target...

Charging Forward: Deploying Electric Vehicle Infrastructure for Uber and Lyft in California

Wed, 26 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000

With recent policies such as the Clean Miles Standard in California and Lyft’s announcement to reach 100% electric vehicles (EVs) by 2030, the electrification of vehicles on ride-hailing platforms is inevitable. The impacts of this transition are not well-studied. This work attempts to examine the infrastructure deployment necessary to meet demand from electric vehicles being driven on Uber and Lyft platforms using empirical trip data from the two services. The Widespread Infrastructure for Ride-hail EV Deployment (WIRED) model was developed to examine a set of case studies for charger installation in San Diego, Los Angeles, and the San Francisco Bay Area. A set of sensitivity scenarios was also conducted to measure the tradeoff between explicit costs of infrastructure versus weighting factors for valuing the time for drivers to travel to a charger (from where they are providing rides) and valuing the rate of charging (to minimize the amount of time that drivers have to wait to...

Setting TNC Policies to Increase Sustainability

Thu, 22 Apr 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Cities and states across the U.S. are assessing fees or taxes on transportation network company (TNC) platforms, such as Uber and Lyft. The goals of these policies include traffic and emissions mitigation, as well as revenue generation, among other objectives. This research aims to assess the goals and effectiveness of these fees in achieving some of these policy objectives, primarily congestion and emissions mitigation. The analysis addresses a core difficulty in comparing TNC fees—some fees are assessed per mile and others per trip. The researchers compared 21 fees implemented by state and local governments across the United States and apply a methodology to compare these diverse fees and taxes based on a hypothetical ride informed by Uber’s fare calculator, as well as other sources. The findings show that when adjusted for comparison, the highest fees, by a wide margin, are assessed in downtown New York City and Chicago (during peak hours). A key policy implication of this...

What California Gains from Reducing Car Dependence

Fri, 8 May 2020 00:00:00 +0000

Cars provide an unparalleled level of mobility but have negative financial, public health, environmental, and social impacts. Reducing the need for driving in California would produce a range of household- and community-level benefits. Driving is associated with adverse health effects (e.g., obesity, high blood pressure, depression, injuries, fatalities), while commuting by walking or biking provides numerous physical and mental health benefits. A reduction in driving would also improve public health by decreasing air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. It would save substantial sums of money: households spend about $9,000/year or 16% of their expenses on private vehicle ownership (2017 data) and the state spends over $500 million per year on highway maintenance. A less car-dependent society would also be more equitable for those with limited income or limited physical abilities who cannot drive, to the benefit not just of those individuals but the community as a whole....

User Perceptions of Safety and Security: A Framework for a Transition to Electric-Shared-Automated Vehicles

Wed, 22 Jan 2020 00:00:00 +0000

The confluence of vehicle electrification, sharing and pooling, and automation alters petroleum-fueled, human-piloted, and privately-owned and operated vehicles for personal mobility in ways that raises such questions as, “Are such systems safe and secure?” and, “Who is being kept safe and secure from what (or whom)?” Answers are implied by filling in the “who” and “whom” of the second question: system, product, producer, road, and user. This white paper focuses on (actual and potential) users of systems of electrically-powered, shared, and automated vehicles (e-SAVs) as well as other road-users, e.g., pedestrians and cyclists. The role of user perceptions of safety and security are reviewed to create an initial framework to evaluate how they may affect who will initially use systems of e-SAVs for personal mobility and how safety and security will have to be addressed to foster sustained transitions. The paper will primarily be a resource for e-SAV user research, but will also...

Lessons Learned for Designing Programs to Charge for Road Use, Congestion, and Emissions

Fri, 3 Jan 2020 00:00:00 +0000

Pricing externalities from vehicle use such as road damage, vehicular emissions (both greenhouse gases and local pollutants), and congestion has become an important topic in the transportation sector in recent years. Road user charge pilot programs are being explored in various states in the U.S.; cities like New York and San Francisco are following in the footsteps of Stockholm and London by announcing plans to implement congestion pricing; and numerous cities and countries have announced gasoline vehicle phase-outs or bans. In this study, we provide an overview of the academic literature related to vehicle pricing, we examine case studies of locations where pricing has been implemented, and we investigate the design choices for programs that would address each of three major externalities related to vehicle use: road damage, emissions (both greenhouse gases and local pollutants), and congestion. Our analysis finds opportunities for integrating technology across multiple pricing...

Understanding the Early Adopters of Fuel Cell Vehicles

Fri, 25 Oct 2019 00:00:00 +0000

In this study, the author presents results from a survey of 906 FCV and 12,910 BEV households in California. They investigated the sociodemographic profile of FCV buyers and compare them to BEV households. FCV and BEV households are similar in many areas. There is no significant difference in household income, number of people in the household, number of vehicles in the household, gender, or level of education. However, FCV and BEV households do differ in some key areas. Compared to BEV households, FCV households are slightly older; less own their own home; more live in an apartment, condo, or townhouse; they have owned more alternative fuel vehicles previously (but fewer BEVs); they have higher VMT; and slightly longer commutes. These differences may explain why these households choose to adopt a FCV. As fewer FCV households own their home, and more live in multi-unit dwellings they may have more barriers to accessing recharging from home, which may be why they selected a...

Exploring the Role of Natural Gas in U.S. Trucking (Revised Version)

Mon, 14 Oct 2019 00:00:00 +0000

The recent emergence of natural gas as an abundant, inexpensive fuel in the United States could prompt a momentous shift in the level of natural gas utilized in the transportation sector. The cost advantage of natural gas vis-à-vis diesel fuel is particularly appealing for vehicles with a high intensity of travel and thus fuel use. Natural gas is already a popular fuel for municipal and fleet vehicles such as transit buses and taxis. In this paper, we investigate the possibility that natural gas could be utilized to provide fuel cost savings, geographic supply diversity and environmental benefits for the heavy-duty trucking sector and whether it can enable a transition to lower carbon transport fuels. We find that a small, cost-effective intervention in markets could support a transition to a commercially sustainable natural gas heavyduty fueling system in the state of California and that this could also advance some of the state’s air quality goals. Our research shows that an...

North American Resources and Gas Supply to the State of California

Mon, 14 Oct 2019 00:00:00 +0000

The last decade has been witness to an incredible transformation in the US energy fortune. The combination of hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling in upstream operations targeting ultra-low porosity, ultra-low permeability hydrocarbon bearing shale formations has unlocked a bounty of natural gas and crude oil resource. This transformative innovation has literally turned the US energy market on its head. Fewer than ten years ago a number of large capital players were developing liquefied natural gas (LNG) regasification terminals with an eye toward importing large volumes of natural gas to the US from distant locations. Today, there is a prevailing expectation that the US will soon be an exporter of LNG, largely due to the rapid growth in natural gas production from shale that has occurred in the last 8 years (see Figure 1). In fact, US gross natural gas production has risen from an annual average rate of 64.3 billion cubic feet per day (bcfd) in 2005 to 82.7 bcfd in 2013,...

Three Routes Forward For Biofuels: Incremental, Transitional, and Leapfrog

Mon, 14 Oct 2019 00:00:00 +0000

Besides the authors of this paper, many other people from the Sustainable Transportation Energy Pathways (NextSTEPS) research consortium assisted in the underlying analysis and internal review. This includes, but is not limited to, Joan Ogden, Steve Kaffka, Rich Plevin, Mark Delucchi, Sonia Yeh, Colin Murphy, and Paul Gruber. The NextSTEPS biofuels team wishes to thank representatives of the California Energy Commission (CEC) and the California Air Resources Board (ARB) for their valuable comments during a recent presentation of this work. The team also wishes to thank the NextSTEPS consortium members for their intellectual contributions and support of this research

State-of-the-Knowledge White Paper Series: How Zero-Emission Vehicle Incentives and Related Policies Affect the Market

Mon, 7 Oct 2019 00:00:00 +0000

How, and how effectively, different electric vehicle (EV) related policies will work is an immediate and important question for California as the state updates its EV policies. Adding urgency, Assembly Bill (AB) 615, which was signed by the Governor, requires the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to produce a report by December 2018 on related topics, in consultation with the University of California Institute of Transportation Studies (UC ITS). Senate Bill (SB) 498, also signed, also requires CARB reporting with somewhat different but overlapping topics. The need is to define the state of the research on policies to support EV deployment in a manner that is directly usable by California in updating policies. The specific need for CARB is material estimates of these factors (called out in AB 615): "impact of income caps, increased rebates for low-income consumers, and increased outreach on the electric vehicle market, as well as a quantification of emissions reductions attributable...

Exploring the Role of Natural Gas in U.S. Trucking (Revised Version)

Thu, 26 Sep 2019 00:00:00 +0000

Mobility Data Sharing: Challenges and Policy Recommendations

Mon, 23 Sep 2019 00:00:00 +0000

Dynamic and responsive transportation systems are a core pillar of equitable and sustainable communities. Achieving such systems requires comprehensive mobility data, or data that reports the movement of individuals and vehicles. Such data enable planners and policymakers to make informed decisions and enable researchers to model the effects of various transportation solutions. However, collecting mobility data also raises concerns about privacy and proprietary interests. This issue paper provides an overview of the top needs and challenges surrounding mobility data sharing and presents four relevant policy strategies: (1) Foster voluntary agreement among mobility providers for a set of standardized data specifications; (2) Develop clear data-sharing requirements designed for transportation network companies and other mobility providers; (3) Establish publicly held big-data repositories, managed by third parties, to securely hold mobility data and provide structured access by...

California Climate Change Target Setting: A Workshop Report and Recommendations to the State of California Based on the Third California Climate Policy Modeling Dialogue and Workshop

Thu, 1 Aug 2019 00:00:00 +0000

California has a range of existing and proposed targets toward a low carbon future. This paper summarizes an analytical review, focused on modeling approaches and what is known about their feasibility and cost. The findings in this paper are based on the Climate Change Policy Modeling (CCPM) forum, which included modelers, policy makers and stakeholders evaluating targets and pathways to low-carbon futures and identifying required policies to achieve goals. The third forum, CCPM-3, was on May 14th, 2018, at the University of California, Davis and provided critical discussion and a gathering of the key experts in this topic area This report builds on the findings of CCPM and integrates with other literature where possible. It includes a review of the CO₂-relevant targets, discussion of studies and modeling efforts to assess meeting such targets, including feasibility and cost. This includes analysis in the transportation and energy sectors, as well as land use and carbon...

Making Bicycling Equitable: Lessons from Sociocultural Research

Tue, 28 May 2019 00:00:00 +0000

This white paper provides guidance for how planning, policy, and advocacy may better account for complex sociocultural forces, including gender, class, and race. The authors reviewed a large body of sociocultural research on bicycling with complex models capable of addressing an intersectional understanding of identity, the innerworkings of power in society, and the nature of inequity. These findings coalesced into four recommendations for those promoting bicycling as a mode of everyday transportation: (1) Extend what it means to embrace difference; (2) Recognize that the streets are not equally safe for all; (3) Engage in a meaningful way with marginalized communities and share decision-making power; and (4) Understand how local and national histories of injustice influence and relate to current bicycling planning processes. Integrating these recommendations into advocacy, policy, and planning can lead to greater equity in representation, distribution of resources, and decision-making...

Strategies to Maximize Asset Utilization in the California Freight System: General Recommendations and Potential Improvement Strategies

Thu, 23 May 2019 00:00:00 +0000

A number of stakeholders met with the ultimate goal of identifying inefficiencies faced by the freight system and putting forward a set of strategies to achieve a more efficient freight system. In doing so, a key first step was to provide insight as to the possible root cause(s) of major inefficiencies affecting the system. In addition to assessing inefficiencies, this research describes some of the aspects and necessary conditions that need to be considered when defining or identifying remediating strategies. Moreover, the research discusses a number of efficiency improvement strategies. These include:

• Voluntary Off-Hour Delivery Programs.

• Receiver-led Consolidation.

• Development of a Chassis Pool of Pools Fully Integrated System.

• Improvement of Traffic Mitigation Fee Programs.

• Implement Advanced Appointment/ Reservation Systems.

• Developing an Integrated System for Dray Operations and Services.

• Load Matching and Maximizing...

We Can Get There From Here: New Perspectives on Transportation Equity

Wed, 3 Apr 2019 00:00:00 +0000

Achieving transportation equity is a transportation system goal that is becoming increasingly important in both the public sector and academia. An equitable transportation system would ensure that the benefits and burdens created by transportation projects, policies, and plans are shared fairly such that no groups would be unduly burdened by a lack of access to adequate transportation nor by the negative effects of proximity to transportation infrastructure. Such a system would also ensure that public participation in the transportation decision making process is meaningful and effective and that participants would have a reasonable expectation that their voices would be heard and decisions changed in response. The purpose of this white paper is to provide an overview, synthesis, and critical assessment of academic research and transportation planning practice in order to provide a shared foundation for the many parties working toward equitable transportation systems. Throughout,...

Aligning California's Transportation Funding with Its Climate Policies

Wed, 3 Apr 2019 00:00:00 +0000

California has established itself as a leader in efforts to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from transportation. At the same time, the state has not reflected its ambitious policies for GHG reduction and climate action in its practices for allocating state transportation funding. This white paper reviews the complex systems through which California generates and allocates state revenue for transportation investment. It finds that the state’s framework for funding transportation is disconnected from its climate goals. The paper also suggests preliminary steps for revising this framework to reinforce GHG reduction goals. Such recommendations are particularly salient given the state’s recently completed study of road user charges as an alternative transportation revenue source. Implementation of road charges – or any other new or revised transportation revenue source – would need to address the disposition of revenues generated. The paper argues that California should use...

Cutting Greenhouse Gas Emissions Is Only the Beginning: A Literature Review of the Co-Benefits of Reducing Vehicle Miles Traveled

Mon, 18 Mar 2019 00:00:00 +0000

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). While state goals for reducing GHG emissions have been one motivation for the shift to VMT measures, reductions in VMT produce many other potential benefits, referred to as “cobenefits,” such as reductions in other air pollutant emissions, water pollution, wildlife mortality, and traffic congestion, as well as improvements in safety and...

A Framework for Projecting the Potential Statewide Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) Reduction from State-Level Strategies in California

Sat, 16 Mar 2019 00:00:00 +0000

In this paper, the authors consider the evidence available and assumptions needed for projecting statewide VMT reductions for each category of strategies. The authors goal is to provide a framework for projecting the magnitude of reductions that the state might expect for the different strategies. This framework helps to illuminate the sequence of events that would produce VMT reductions and highlights important gaps in knowledge that increase the uncertainty of the projections. Despite uncertainties, the evidence justifies state action on these strategies: the available evidence shows that the strategies considered in this paper are likely to reduce VMT if promoted by state policy.

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The Effects of Ride Hailing Services on Travel and Associated Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Sat, 16 Mar 2019 00:00:00 +0000

Towards the close of the first decade of the 21st Century, ride-hailing services began to enter the transportation market through smart phone applications that allowed consumers to hail and pay for a ride from drivers using their own vehicle. The information and communication technologies used by these platforms allow for more reliable service, to more locations, with shorter wait times, and at a lower cost than traditional taxi services and, perhaps, public transit. Today, an estimated 15% of adults across the U.S. and 21% in major cities have personally used these services. The successful entrance of ride-hailing services into the transportation market has raised questions about their effect on the overall transportation system, including congestion, total vehicle miles traveled (VMT), and greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs). Reliable answers are limited, in large part, because of their rapid expansion and the lack of publicly available data from these private ride-sharing companies....

Local Government Pavement Research, Development, and Implementation Organization in Several States

Fri, 15 Mar 2019 00:00:00 +0000

This white paper presents the results of a survey administered by the University of California Pavement Research Center (UCPRC) exploring the successes, challenges, funding, and organizational structure of six centers in other states that share a similar mission to support the improvement of city and county pavement practices. Five of the six centers that participated in the survey are statewide centers located in Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, Ohio and Texas. The sixth is a regional center located in Washoe County, Nevada, the Regional Transportation Commission. These centers were selected as being the nation’s most advanced based on an extensive internet search and discussions with key pavement professionals across the country.

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Measuring Land Use Performance: Policy, Plan, and Outcome

Fri, 22 Feb 2019 00:00:00 +0000

Much research in the transportation-land use domain has measured the impact of land use on vehicle miles traveled (VMT) or on travel behavior indicators like mode choice that suggest VMT. Land use attributes such as residential density, land use mix, accessibility, network connectivity, and jobs-housing balance generally correlate with modest reductions in VMT. Such evidence has fostered support for public policy that promotes higher density development, greater mixture of land uses, and improved access to employment and housing. By passing the Sustainable Communities and Climate Protection Act of 2008 (SB 375), California lawmakers acknowledged that land use planning could attenuate automobile use and consequently help to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Further, the law raises expectations for California communities to grow more equitably, with attention to affordable housing. It syncs local housing planning with regional transportation planning, requires local governments...

The Role of Life Cycle Assessment in Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Road Construction and Maintenance

Thu, 21 Feb 2019 00:00:00 +0000

This white paper summarizes the state-of-knowledge and state-of-the-art in pavement life cycle assessment (LCA) modeling, with particular emphasis on life cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and on interpretation and analysis that lead to GHG reductions from the on-road transportation sector. The paper synthesizes research from a number of previous and current projects, highlighting both broadly agreed upon methods and findings, and those that are emerging or currently debated. It lists a number of recommendations for applying LCA to policy.

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A Funding Compromise Can Set Transportation on Path Towards Sustainability

Thu, 21 Feb 2019 00:00:00 +0000

A number of proposals in the past year have sought to address aspects of securing or reforming state and federal transportation funding. This white paper assembles the most prominent of these proposals and reviews them in the context of sustainable transportation: funding sustainability, environmental sustainability, and social justice. Funding recommendations include a one-time use of corporate taxes to allow states to reduce the backlog of maintenance needs. The federal gas tax would be continued and indexed to inflation. Greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction targets would be set for each state and states would be allowed to ‘buy down’ their gas tax as they reduce their GHG emissions. States would be given pricing and tolling authority and have the authority to implement a vehicle miles traveled (VMT) tax. States would also assume responsibility for all roads. Taken together, these strategies would set transportation on the path toward sustainability.

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"Actual Results May Vary": A Behavioral Review of Eco-Driving for Policy Makers

Thu, 21 Feb 2019 00:00:00 +0000

The most commonly stated function of eco-driving has been increased on-road fuel economy. Other functions, such as emissions reductions and safety, have been substituted or conflated with fuel economy. There is no consensus on what behaviors constitute eco-driving: definitions differ by functions, forms, and contexts. To aid in systematizing eco-driving classifications, the authors propose a framework grounded in behavioral theory. Because definitions vary, so too do estimates of effects. Still, the literature presents a compelling case that drivers can increase their vehicles’ fuel economy compared to established vehicle ratings. Equally clear, there is much yet to be done to ensure that drivers capture and sustain these improvements. Most eco-driving interventions have focused on driving behaviors. They have largely been limited to training and feedback, with tentative conclusions that feedback is more effective. The behavioral framework suggested here highlights the need...

The Effect of Land Use Policies and Infrastructure Investments on How Much We Drive: A Practitioner’s Guide to the Literature

Sat, 16 Feb 2019 00:00:00 +0000

Policymakers aiming to reduce vehicle miles traveled (VMT) want to know what they should do to reduce the amount people drive, and what evidence suggests that this is the best course of action. The relationships between built environment characteristics and driving have generally been shown to be consistent with expectations. As alternatives to solo driving become available, people drive less. As driving becomes more expensive and less convenient, people drive less. As trip destinations and origins move closer together, people drive less. Based on this evidence, policymakers should not hesitate to enact policies and make prudent investments that encourage less driving. However, despite an extensive academic literature on this subject, the specific answer to the policymaker’s question is not straightforward. There is a wide variety of possible policy actions, and the action(s) that will be most effective in a particular situation depend critically on context: who is driving,...

Travel Effects and Associated Greenhouse Gas Emissions of Automated Vehicles

Fri, 1 Feb 2019 00:00:00 +0000

In much the same way that the automobile disrupted horse and cart transportation in the 20^th century, automated vehicles (AVs) hold the potential to disrupt our current system of transportation and the fabric of our built environment in the 21^st century. Experts predict that vehicles could be fully automated by as early as 2025 or as late as 2035. The public sector is just beginning to understand AV technology and to grapple with how to accommodate it in our current transportation system.

Research on AVs is extremely important because AVs may significantly disrupt our transportation system with potentially profound effects, both positive and negative, on our society and our environment. However, this research is very hard to do because fully AVs have yet to travel on our roads. As a result, AV research is largely conducted by extrapolating effects from current observed behavior and drawing on theory and models. Both the magnitude of the mechanism...

What Affects U.S. Passenger Travel? Current Trends and Future Perspectives

Fri, 1 Feb 2019 00:00:00 +0000

The United States is going through an era of unprecedented transformation. Sociodemographic changes, major innovations in information technology, the reorganization of economic activities, and substantial shifts in the urban form of cities all contribute to changing the way Americans live, work, and travel. During the past ten years, transportation demand in the United States has also gone through significant modifications. The use of private vehicles has gone through a period of apparent stagnation. Starting in the mid-2000s, the average per-capita vehicle miles traveled (VMT) have declined, at least temporarily (until 2013), after a long period of steady growth in the previous decades. In addition, an increased portion of Americans live without a car. While the total amount of trips in the country continues to rise, this has not translated into increased car use, and the use of alternative modes (including public transportation and active means of travel) is increasing, even...

Framework for Urban Metabolism and Life Cycle Assessment of Hardscape

Thu, 3 Jan 2019 00:00:00 +0000

Urban hardscapes can be defined as human-altered surfaces in contact with the earth in urban areas other than alterations for horticulture. Hardscape covers large portions of the urban surface area, and has potentially large influence on air emissions, truck traffic and its associated problems, and the potential for flooding. Modeling the inflows of hardscape materials and the outflows of demolished hardscape and other rock-based products from buildings and other civil infrastructure is expected to provide a means to find solutions for reducing these flows and their impacts. Modeling of urban hydrology with respect to the effects of hardscape on surface and groundwater flows from precipitation is expected to provide a means to find solutions that will reduce the risk of flooding and improve groundwater recharge.

The goal of this white paper is to advocate that researchers and policy-makers use the analytical approach of combining urban (UM), material flow analysis (MFA)...

Sustainable Transportation Implications of On-Demand Ride Services

Tue, 16 Oct 2018 00:00:00 +0000

The motivations for this study stem from an uncertainty about whether on-demand ridehailing services such as Uber, Lyft and others, will exacerbate existing transportation issues, or help alleviate them. To that end, the goals of the project were to learn about the perspectives of stakeholders from a variety of sectors, on their reactions to policies and other actions that might enable on-demand services to help alleviate existing transportation issues including congestion, emissions and inequality of access and mobility.

This study aims to address the following three questions: How well do stakeholders in different sectors and regions, agree about the potential outcomes related to on-demand ridehailing and sustainable transportation goals? What are stakeholder perspectives on the policies and strategies that might facilitate emerging on-demand transportation services to most effectively enhance sustainability and mobility outcomes? What decision making venues and approaches...

An Integrated Hydrogen Vision for California

Mon, 27 Sep 2010 00:00:00 +0000

This paper concerns the economic and environmental challenges confronting California and the potential role for clean energy systems and hydrogen as an energy carrier in helping to address these challenges. Hydrogen in particular has recently gained great attention as part of a set of solutions to a variety of energy and environmental problems — and based on this potential the current high level of interest is understandable. In our view, however, full realization of the benefits that hydrogen can offer will not be possible without a clear strategy for producing hydrogen from clean and sustainable sources and in a cost-effective manner. One of hydrogen's greatest benefits — having a wide range of potential feedstocks for its production — also complicates the issue of how hydrogen use may be expanded and necessitates careful forethought as key technology paths unfold. We must remember that the additional cost and complexity of building a hydrogen infrastructure is only justified...

An Integrated Hydrogen Vision for California

Wed, 30 Mar 2005 00:00:00 +0000

An Integrated Hydrogen Vision for California