How Two Cities Actually Reduced Driving, by Angie Schmitt, Streetsblog, Feb 8, 2019 27 Photo: The Urbanist Two American cities have finally cracked one of the hardest codes in city planning: Even with low gas prices, even with population growth, even with Uber and Lyft circling 24/7, Minneapolis and Seattle have reduced the amount of driving in their cities. Vehicle miles traveled are down 2 …
Can road pricing make transit more equitable if income is used for free transit, walk and bike infrastructure improvements?
Can road pricing be used to make LA’s transportation system more equitable? By Rayla Bellis, SSTI, February 11th, 2019 Tags: equity, road pricing California nonprofit TransForm and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) recently released a new report and toolkit with guidance for bringing equity into the implementation of congestion pricing. While conversations about congestion pricing and equity often focus on minimizing the negative—reducing disproportionate impacts to …
Aircraft start beating bullet trains in costs and travel times over distances greater than 620 miles
Vox.com Feb 2019 …Aircraft start beating bullet trains in costs and travel times over distances greater than 620 miles. That’s just a bit more than the distance between Los Angeles and Salt Lake City. So even with a high-speed rail network across the US, there will still be a market for air travel, and no one is proposing to get …
German Climate Act plans 55% GHG decrease across energy, transport, ag, industry, housing by 2030. Germany achieves coal phase-out with commitment to the equivalent of €40 billion ($46 billion) over 20 years into coal-dependent regions
Climate-related parts of the proposal are due to go into a climate act that the government has promised for later this year. The wide-ranging act is due to cover not only energy but also transport, agriculture, industry and housing. It will set out how these sectors need to be restructured to meet a 2030 target of 55 percent lower carbon emissions …
E-scooters reducing car trips
Portlanders Say No Thank You To Buying Cars When They Have Electric Scooters, Detroit Frowns! by Nicolas Zart, Clean Technica, February 6th, 2019, excerpt The city of Portland tackled 4 critical objectives a few years ago: 1. Reduce traffic congestion by shifting trips away from private motor vehicle use 2. Prevent fatalities and serious injuries on Portland streets 3. Expand access to opportunities for underserved …
Lack of adequate public transit service exacerbates environmental and economic disparities as well as climate change
By Basav Sen, Inequality.org, February 7, 2019 | https://popularresistance.org/lets-honor-rosa-parks-by-continuing-her-struggle-for-transit-equity/CREATE! The lack of adequate public transit service exacerbates environmental and economic disparities as well as climate change. Only 5.2 percent of commuters nationwide use public transit to get to work, but 11 percent each of Black and Asian-American commuters and 7.7 percent of Latinx commuters use transit. People of color are clearly more dependent on transit. This is …
Transition to 100% renewable energy in Europe across power, heat, transport sectors will be economically competitive with today’s conventional fossil fuels and nuclear system
100% Renewable Energy Across Europe Is More Cost-Effective Than The Current Energy System, Clean Technica, February 8th, 2019 Excerpt…Energy Watch Group and LUT University combined their resources to work on a new research that proves the feasibility of a European energy transition to 100% renewable sources. The study has simulated a full energy transition in Europe across the power, heat, transport, …
UK rights to public paths under threat: looming deadline for the Right to Ramble
David Bollier | February 6, 2019 For centuries, ordinary Brits have enjoyed a legal “right to ramble” throughout the countryside even when they might cross someone’s private property. In England and Wales alone, there are an estimated 140,000 miles of footpaths and bridlepaths that are considered public rights of way. Now, as reported by the website Boing Boing, the full scope of …
Tailpipe pollution here is going up, not down in California: alternatives short of a combustion vehicle ban
Reuters excerpt, Feb 3 2019 …Tailpipe pollution here is going up, not down, despite billions of dollars spent by one of the most environmentally progressive governments on earth. “The strategies that we’ve used up until now just haven’t been effective,” Mary Nichols, the head of the California Air Resources Board, told Reuters. That failure has less to do with energy …
Experts debate low carbon fuels
Experts Debate Low Carbon Fuel Standard, CarbonWA, February 2, 2019 You may have seen news or alerts about HB 1110, a bill to create a low carbon fuel standard, passed out of its first committee in the state legislature. CarbonWA has endorsed the bill, but even climate advocates have at times raised questions and concerns about the approach. The political tea leaves for the fuel …