MPOs making little progress on climate

The bad news: With some exceptions, MPOs appear to be devoting relatively little attention to their role in climate mitigation―reduction of VMT. The somewhat better news: where they are paying attention, MPOs seem to generally be living up to their commitments in their project programming.

Post-COVID calls for “Responsible Transport”

A recent think piece published in the journal of Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives makes a very compelling case for rethinking our current “smart”, “innovative”, and “intelligent” transportation policies. Through their idea of “responsible transport”, the authors want policy makers to move away from the top-down planning approach to a more individual-centric planning attitude, where they want the end user to know the exact impact of their transportation choices before making a mobility decision.

Minneapolis transportation plan addresses climate, pandemic

The City of Minneapolis has released a draft of its Transportation Action Plan (TAP), as a companion to its 2040 Comprehensive Plan. In the latest ITE Journal, Transportation Planning Manager Kathleen Mayell outlines details of the plan, which sets out to respond to the declared climate emergency by prioritizing low-carbon means of transportation, while focusing on additional city goals.

“Dear diary, I took the bus today!” – Cost-efficient travel behavior influencers

“Soft” transportation policy measures can influence a significant reduction in personal car use, according to a new research. Six psychological variables that can affect travel behavior: attitudes; emotions; habits;  social, cultural, and moral norms; knowledge and awareness ; and capability and self-efficacy. The results show that interventions that focus on social, cultural, and moral norms have the most significant effect on travel behavior.