Nearly every state DOT is grappling with how to reduce traffic and carbon emissions—many states developed official , and congestion relief is often at the top of a DOT’s priority list. But a new study from Swedish researchers says that some of the most common ways to address these challenges—using only “carrots” rather than “sticks,” in the researchers’ words—may leave states struggling to achieve their goals.
Environment
Repairing highways is better for the economy than expanding them
The U.S. faces a $1 trillion backlog of roads and bridges needing repair, according to FHWA. Yet we still spend roughly $27 billion per year (25% of the total) expanding and building new highways. Mounting evidence shows that shifting those dollars toward maintenance and rehabilitation could yield greater benefits.
Despite efficiency gains, rising travel demand pushes emissions higher
Advances in technology have made transportation more energy efficient in recent decades, lowering emissions per mile and per unit of freight. But according to a new study, those efficiency gains haven’t been enough to offset the rise in emissions from new transportation demand. To hold transportation emissions steady going forward, the study says, global transportation demand must not continue rising, or we must make a more dramatic shift toward electrification than currently imagined.
More transit means safer streets
To reduce traffic deaths, public transit should be seen as a core part of safety infrastructure, not just an alternative mode of travel. Every day, thousands of car crashes occur in the U.S., resulting in injury or death, yet they receive far less attention than the much rarer crashes involving public transit. For city planners working to reduce roadway fatalities, understanding how these perceptions influence travel choices is critical.
More states are moving away from the 85th percentile rule to set speeds
States are increasingly moving past the outdated “85th percentile rule” for setting speed limits, weighing factors other than the observed traffic flow in those calculations. The AP recently highlighted Ohio among a wave of efforts to consider roadway context and the presence of walkers and bikers in allowing lower speeds to ensure safer roads. For states looking to follow suit, a newly released report from the Center for Pedestrian and Bicyclist Safety offers states a data-driven, objective framework to set speed limits based on roadway context, not just vehicle movement.
State action spurs local parking reform
Earlier this month, Denver, Colorado eliminated minimum parking requirements from its zoning code for all developments across the city. We’ve promoted the benefits of reforming outdated parking policies, including lower construction costs and better traffic management. In Denver and many other cities, changes at the state level helped catalyze the city’s reforms.
Emotional perceptions can be a tool for predicting street safety
How a street feels can matter just as much as how it’s physically built. A new study shows that emotional perceptions about whether a street seems inviting, secure, or rundown can help explain safety for people walking or biking—a reminder that planners should think beyond conventional design standards. Road designers should also consider the character and aesthetics of the spaces they create.
Resilient infrastructure, responsible development can reduce insurance risk
Carolyn Kousky, founder of Insurance for Good and longtime researcher on climate impacts and insurance markets, told MIP and SSTI widespread insurance protects local economies, as well as lenders and mortgage markets. “As a warming planet increases the risks of weather-related extremes, insurance becomes harder to get and more expensive. The only long-term solution is serious investments in risk reduction and climate adaptation,” Kousky said in an email.
There’s a rougher road ahead for electric vehicles
Lately, news about electric vehicles hasn’t been so rosy. The federal government has dramatically changed its transportation priorities, and the private sector has pulled back from or delayed significant EV investments. With electrification of the transportation system looking like it may proceed more slowly, states can still take other avenues toward a more sustainable system.
Climate change, equity factor into recent litigation against state DOT projects
Pursuing statewide or agency climate and equity goals isn’t just preferable for state DOTs, it can also be a matter of risk management. Several lawsuits targeting major transportation infrastructure projects, most recently in Wisconsin and Oregon, have taken aim at alleged failures to consider alternatives to capacity expansion that would reduce harm to the environment or inequitable project outcomes.