Smart community planning, more transportation options lead to reduced carbon emissions

Reducing the impact of climate change, cutting greenhouse gas emissions, and lessening dependence on foreign oil are high priorities for the Obama Administration.

Today, I brought that message of aggressive action for a clean-energy environment to the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. Here's a brief idea of what I said in a hearing on Transportation's Role in Climate Change and Reducing Greenhouse Gases:

• We must take action to make all forms of transportation more fuel efficient while stepping up efforts to introduce low-carbon fuels and alternative power sources for all types of vehicles.
• However, even if we were to achieve a 55 mile-per-gallon fuel efficiency standard in the coming years, carbon emission levels from transportation would still only decline modestly. We must implement policies and programs that reduce vehicle miles driven.
• This means providing communities with additional transportation choices, such as light rail, fuel-efficient buses, and paths for pedestrians and bicycles that intersect with transit centers. These options will also reduce household transportation costs, strengthen local economies, lower traffic congestion, and reduce reliance on foreign oil.
• Our strategy also calls for investing transportation dollars in coordination with housing and economic development. By doing so, we can promote strong communities with mixed-income housing located close to transit in walkable neighborhoods.

Well there it is, for all to read:

If we want to reduce transportation carbon emissions, we need to reduce the amount of driving we do.

In the end, folks, we're not talking about huge sacrifices. The DOT and the strategies outlined above can help smooth the transition to a less-car-dependent mobility.

And, I look forward to working with Congress to achieve these important goals in both the climate change and surface transportation bills.

Comments

[Aaron]

This is magnificent news, and long overdue for implementation. I hope that Secretary LaHood makes good on his promise to ensure better funding for inner-city and intra-city rail.
If Americans can be convinced to use bicycles for short trips and rail or bus for longer trips, than the roadways can be reserved for important vehicles like freight and emergency vehicles.

[Andrew]

In many countries where they provide efficient station to station mass transit for a low price people still have cars and they use them as leisure vehicles but they take the train, trolley, bus, bicycle, etc. to work or shopping.
Lots of the cars they have don't get all that great gas mileage so its not rocket science to leave them at home.
In the US many don't have a bus that travels on their street and when you get on a bus it takes an hour and a half to travel the same distance you'd travel in 20 minutes with your car. To solve this problem we need station to station transit and inexpensive rental cars, motorcycles and electric assist bicycles.
And new solutions that haven't been tried before.

[Jim Jaquish]

As the Metropolitan Planning Organization for a major metro area, the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) http://www.atlantaregional.com applauds the combined efforts of the DOT, HUD and EPA to encourage smarter growth patterns and greater access to multimodal transportation systems. In fact, ARC has experienced great success through its Livable Centers Initiative http://www.atlantaregional.com/lci program for the last 10 years, providing more than $140 million to help local governments plan more livable, walkable communities that have the necessary transportation infrastructure to support them.

ARC is very pleased and supportive of these similar efforts on the national level and we look forward to working with the new administration as we continue to envision our future through our Fifty Forward http://www.atlantafiftyforward.com process and begin to build Lifelong Communities http://www.atlantaregional.com/lifelong throughout the Atlanta region.

[Bruce Wright]

I complete agree that additional transportation choices are needed in most communities, especially better bicycle facilities. Please remember that the best bike facilities for those who use bikes for transportation are often on-road and not on trails. Properly designed bike lanes and signed bike routes are often safer, involve fewer conflicts with motorists, and usually provide a more direct route for cyclists than trails.

Thanks for thinking about the needs of bicyclists and other nonmotorized transportation modes that have often been marginalized in the past. They truly can have an impact on reducing carbon emissions and improving citizen health.

[Michelle Marcus]

It's true, one has to be very careful with fuel efficiency. By increasing MPG it effectively reduces the cost of each mile of driving. Since transportation mode is largely an economic decision, reducing the cost of driving can induce more driving (which minimizes fuel savings and increases congestion, crashes, etc.) So, better fuel efficiency is important, but must be part of a larger program that prices back in the externalities of motor vehicle travel and makes transit, walking, and cycling more efficient and attractive.

[Sam Goater]

This talk is great, but it needs to implemented, on the ground, now. I see many road improvements around Connecticut. I see no improvements to cycling conditions. For example, the Route 7 widening in Wilton. There was no need for it to be widened in the first place, but currently the outside 2 lanes are closed to cars and are proving to be fantastic bike lanes. Why not leave it this way? Soon the cars will be back in both lanes, and this road, just like Route 1 will again become a bike and pedestrian blocker-forcing people into their cars to cross it. Where are the bike lanes? where is the trolly? where is the traffic calming? Every project I see encourages more driving, at faster speeds. Someone needs to make sure ConnDOT is following the rules.

On another note, people in Europe ride their bikes without fear, because drivers are educated about sharing the road before they can get a licence, and are held accountable in accidents. In town speed limits are very low -like 10mph, and strictly enforced. There is no problem doing 110 mph on the freeway (as long as we get the trucks off it and onto rail), but people aren't going to walk, cycle, or interact in an environment that is conducive to speeding.

[Gerald Weinand]

Sec. LaHood:

I would suggest that revised planning and especially zoning need be considered.

Creating neighborhoods of mixed use development would allow for some - maybe most - residents to walk or bicycle to work, shops, and entertainment.

Cheers

[ladies bike]

Still no mention of safe cycle routes or any encouragement to take up this low carbon mode of transport.

[Robert Hurst]

I wholeheartedly welcome Mr. Secretary's initiatives toward a less car-intensive transportation policy. Better late than never.

The issue of bicycling facilities is full of pitfalls that tend to go unrecognized by planners, who tend not to be experienced riders themselves.

http://www.industrializedcyclist.com/61609_Bigger_than_bikelane.html

Thanks for progress,
Robert Hurst
author, The Art of Cycling and The Cyclist's Manifesto

[Krista Nordback]

Thanks, Secretary LaHood! I agree. Thanks for your leadership on this.

[Cycle communiter]

This is the right direction. More bicycles are central to a better America!

[Alan Gregory]

Americans have got to stop driving so much. Neighbors of ours routinely motor a quarter-mile to the post office to retrieve their mail. This has got to stop. No wonder obesity is rampant in the U.S. Too many folks have forgotten how to walk.

[callie]

This is just great, but without gas taxes where are the transportation dollars going to come from?

[W. K. Lis]

Step one: sidewalks.

No more development without sidewalks. Forget the NIMBYs, and put sidewalks in all existing communities.

Step two: ban the cul-de-sac.

No more roads that go in semi-circles or dead-ends. They add distance to destinations that are visually close by.

[Mark Rhoades]

This is terrific, finally, as is HUD's recent appointment of Shelley Poticha. The one enormous benefit that is left out of this discussion though is public health. The third and fourth bullet points touch it, but walkable, bikeable communities will improve overall public health.