Transportation & air quality are connected issues, critical to evaluating and deciding on transportation initiatives. This collection of solutions and blocks provides a quick summary of resources on this topic.
Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) corridors provide dedicated lanes to busses in high traffic areas. They allow this method of transportation to be conducted much more efficiently than in the model where buses are part of normal vehicle traffic. This is turn creates higher demand for the service and cuts down on extra vehicles. Because of this congestion-relieving effect, BRT is the one exception to the Corporation of Chenai's preferential treatment of pedestrian traffic.
We will do this by applying a resilience, mobility, and equity lens to assess and select capital improvement projects, exploring participation in County’s Community Choice Aggregation program, and exploring innovative financing tools for resilience projects, including EcoBlocks.
The City is currently on track to replace or retrofit 90 percent of its diesel on-road vehicles to meet 2007 emissions standards or better by 2017. The impact is significant—it is estimated that replacing or retrofitting a vehicle to 2007 standards reduces emissions by approximately 90 percent over the previous standard. The City will consider targeting the remaining 10 percent of its diesel on-road vehicles. The City is also promoting the adoption of new technologies through a variety of innovative projects, including increasing electric vehicles in its fleet. This follows a legacy of leadership in technology development and adoption. For example, DSNY tested state-of-the-art technology and alternative fuels and helped pioneer the improvements in heavy-duty diesel emissions that are now taking place nationwide. At present, the City operates over 800 Electric Vehicle (EV) plug-in units of some type and plans to reach at least 1,000 EV units in operation by 2017. The City currently operates 203 EV chargers, which is the largest network in the state of New York. We plan to have at least 250 chargers in operation by 2017. By 2016, the City also plans to introduce fast-charging chargers and at least one solar carport, an EV charger that draws all its power from solar panels.
This solution addresses lack of environmentally sustainable transportation in Paris, France for local communities
The recently updated DEP Air Pollution Control Code controls emissions from currently unregulated sources such as commercial charbroilers, wood boilers, refrigeration trucks, and mobile food trucks. Altogether, these unregulated sources account for 14 percent of local PM2.5 emissions. Reducing emissions from commercial charbroiling is a cost-effective way to address a currently unregulated and significant pollution source. An analysis based on 2005-2007 data estimated that installing existing control technology could reduce charbroiler emissions in New York City by 85 percent and result in over 300 avoided deaths and 500 avoided emergency department visits and hospitalizations for cardiovascular and respiratory disease annually. The code also provides incentives to use clean technologies for auxiliary power units (APUs) for mobile food trucks and refrigeration trucks through registration-fee waivers and stricter controls on idling for vehicles without APUs.
This solution addresses need for mobility improvements in Mexico City, Mexico for local communities
A bicycle sharing program will allow for missing gaps in the transportation network to be filled. This program allows city goers to rent public bicycles from a fleet on a as needed basis. Features such as a dense bike network, self-moderating rental stations, and a "smart" checkout system will be included into this program.
The city will hire a Transportation Coordinator to redesign our regional transit system to connect people, employment, and services. We'll encourage use of mass transit use by providing public employees with a pre-tax transit pass. At the same time, we'll work with the Regional Transit Authority (RTA) to develop a vision for a multimodal regional transit network that integrates bicycle and pedestrian networks.
Currently, the City’s Hunts Point Clean Trucks Program offers rebates to trucks servicing the Hunts Point market for voluntary upgrades to cleaner vehicles or fuels, including diesel replacements. Rebates are offered for the costs of upgrading or retrofitting to a CNG or hybrid, and old “dirty” trucks are being scrapped to ensure they are not resold. As of March 2015, the Hunts Point Clean Trucks Program has funded diesel replacement for close to 450 trucks, reducing their particulate matter emissions by 97 percent. The City will consider replicating the Hunts Point Clean Trucks Program in other industrial areas, with a focus on environmental justice communities and including private waste haulers serving those communities.
Vehicle idling is a major source of pollution in New York City. According to the Environmental Defense Fund, air pollution from idling engines is a contributor to elevated levels of air pollutants, and people who live near heavily-trafficked roadways face significantly greater risks of suffering from asthma and heart diseases, among other conditions. Existing laws need to be enforced, and we will work with the City Council to explore new ways to address this serious problem. Finally, the City will work with the MTA to expand the use of gateless tolling—a system that dramatically speeds up the process of toll payment—to reduce congestion and the attendant vehicle emissions at major bridge and tunnel crossings in New York City.
This solution addresses environmental degradation and public health problems associated with greenhouse gases in New York City, USA for local communities
At the start of the Street Design Project, the City of Chenai took bold measures to reevaluate who uses the streets and how these usage figures should manifest themselves in street design features. This reevaluation suggested a dramatic change was needed. Instead of placing cars at the top of the pecking order, walking and non motorized vehicles were placed first. The redesign of the streets carries out this shift in the form of new safety measures, travel zones, and street distribution.
This solution addresses lack of air quality improvement in New York City, USA for local communities
This solution addresses lack of cycling options as part of multi-modal strategy in Paris, France for local communities
This solution addresses "siloed" decision making in Durham, North Carolina, USA for city professionals, environmental professionals, transit professionals, etc.
This solution addresses gaps in understanding interconnectivity in cities internationally for regional/local governments, real estate developers, researchers, etc.
This solution addresses gaps in understanding TOD factor interconnectivity in cities in the United States for regional/local governments, real estate developers, researchers, etc.
