Curbing our automobile use: Can transportation demand management strategies mitigate climate change?

摘要

This thesis explores the use of transportation demand management strategies as a tool to lower carbon dioxide emissions and mitigate climate change. Transportation demand management strategies are plans or policies that aim to change or reduce demand for car use by encouraging the behavioral change of household and individual choices of travel. Many of today's proposed transportation solutions designed to lower emissions include plans for renewable energy, lower carbon fuels, or more efficient vehicles, largely overlooking the most obvious component: our ever-growing reliance on driving.; Specifically, this research examines whether London's congestion charge and San Diego's I-15 HOT lanes reduce vehicle miles traveled. A one-to-one relationship exists between vehicle miles traveled and carbon dioxide emitted, thus providing the framework for comparison.; When evaluated individually, the impacts of some transportation demand management strategies may appear limited, however, when implemented in a comprehensive manner, their effects could be cumulative and synergetic.