Best Option For Reducing On-Campus Private Car-Based CO2 Emissions: Reducing VKT Or Congestion?

摘要

A sustainable transportation system has been defined as “one that satisfies current transport and mobility needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own” (Black, 1997; Richardson, 1999). The success of sustainable transportation in urban regions depends on encouragement of non-motorized (pedestrian and cyclist) and shared-ride transportation modes instead of car-dependent travel. The level of sustainability in transportation can be simply assessed by calculating the corresponding carbon emissions value and comparing the shares of different travel modes. With today’s engine technology, carbon emissions of motorized vehicles is a function of fuel consumption, which is used to power the vehicle and is measured as Vehicle-Km-Travelled (VKT) or idle-running during waiting times (such as in congestion). Thus, a sustainable transportation policy that aims to effectively reduce CO2 emissions will need to address VKT (especially from private cars) and traffic congestion