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Alternative Transportation

Contents 1. Definition                       2. Use/Application     a. Established Techniques     b. Emerging Trends 3. Use an Integrated Approach 4. Resources 5. Associated Strategies 6. Case Studies

Curbing use of the automobile fights suburban sprawl, obesity, and increasingly high medical costs. Alternative transportation choices mean less congestion, reduced pollution, and fewer auto crash deaths and life-changing injuries. There is a wide range of alternative transportation modes to consider in order to reduce fuel consumption and support reduced carbon emissions.

Among them are:

• Bicycles: a great, sustainable alternative to the automobile for individuals and businesses.
• Car Sharing: a system in which a fleet of vehicles is owned and operated by an organization or individual and is made available for use by members of the car-share group.
• Electric Vehicle: a vehicle with one or more electric motors for propulsion, although care must be taken to ensure that the source of the electricity is renewable.
• Flexible Fuel Vehicle: an automobile that can typically alternate between two sources of fuel, such as gasoline mixed with varying levels of bioethanol (gasohol).

  Hybrid Car

• Hybrid Vehicle: a vehicle using an on-board rechargeable energy storage system (RESS) and a fueled power source for vehicle propulsion. Hybrids pollute less and use less fuel.
• Hypercar: an automobile applying whole-system design concepts. The hypercar’s defining features are ultra light construction, low-drag design, hybrid-electric drive, and minimized accessory loads.
• Light Electric Vehicles: vehicles ranging in size from electric scooters small enough to fit under a bus seat to one-person cars capable of driving on freeway high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes.
• Motorized Bicycle: a bicycle with an attached motor used to assist with pedaling.
• Paratransit: an alternative mode of flexible passenger transportation that does not follow fixed routes or schedules.
• Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV): a hybrid that has additional battery capacity and the ability to be recharged from an external electrical outlet.

  Metro

• Paratransit: an alternative mode of flexible passenger transportation that does not follow fixed routes or schedules.
• Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV): a hybrid that has additional battery capacity and the ability to be recharged from an external electrical outlet.
• Public Transportation: all transport systems in which passengers do not travel in their own vehicles.
• Ridesharing/Dynamic Ridesharing: a system of sharing an automobile ride with someone within and between towns and cities. Numerous Internet sites now make the process convenient. Dynamic ridesharing combines a high-tech instant rideshare request system with incentives for drivers to invite passengers into otherwise single-occupant vehicles. It is also known as online/instant/real-time ridesharing/ridematching or casual carpooling.
• Zero-Emissions Vehicle (ZEV): a vehicle that produces no emissions or pollution when stationary or operating.

In the planning stages of any new project, site selection should include criteria for making accommodations for alternative forms of transportation. Select a site that is located near public transportation or encourages walking and other forms of alternative transportation. Design features into the project to support the use of alternative forms of transportation, such as bike racks, showers, or electric charging or refueling stations for vehicles. Conduct transportation needs surveys among potential clients or building occupants to create an integrated set of strategies that will accommodate a wide range of needs. Consider the sharing of resources such as parking facilities to reduce the need for additional structures.

Identify strategies that reduce pollution and land-use development impacts from automobile use, such as:

• Transit-oriented development
• Walkable streets
• Compact and/or mixed-use development
• Bicycle networks, among others

Strategies to implement that support the list above include:

• Alternative transportation, including public transportation access
• Bicycle storage and changing facilities
• Alternative fuel vehicles
• Reduced parking capacity
• Priority parking spaces for identified vehicles
• Car-charging stations
• Car-sharing programs

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Numerous policies are being enacted that support the reduction of fuel and improved fuel economy in vehicles. Stringent standards for air quality such as those adopted in California oblige automakers to reduce their global-warming emissions by 30 percent, starting in 2009 and culminating in 2016. Major automakers have agreed to voluntarily reduce the global-warming emissions of cars and light trucks sold in Canada by 5.3 million metric tons, or about 25 percent, by the end of 2010. It could force automakers to adopt similar stringent emissions rules for vehicles sold throughout the United States.

The technology also exists to cost-effectively reduce emissions of smog-forming pollutants and global-warming gases. Future regulations will require all passenger vehicles to meet the same smog-forming emissions standards by 2009, but there are

no significant engineering barriers to accomplishing this sooner. Several recent studies have demonstrated that off-the-shelf technologies can reduce global-warming pollution from both cars and trucks while saving consumers money at the pump. Incorporating these technologies into automakers’ product plans will yield much needed improvements in public health and environmental quality.

The Sustainable Transportation Movement has been growing since the 1980s. Sustainable transportation is used to describe all forms of transport that minimize emissions of carbon dioxide and pollutants. It can refer to public transport, car sharing, walking, and cycling, as well as technology such as electric and hybrid cars and bio-diesel. The movement shifts the emphasis

in public spending and actions away from building and supply to management and demand. The movement also focuses on the values of heightened respect for the environment and prudent use of natural resources.

Transit-Oriented Development, which supports a residential or commercial area that is designed to maximize access to public transport and often incorporates features to encourage transit rider-ship, is also growing as a movement.

A new way of thinking must be adopted in order to meet the goal of reducing carbon emissions associated with buildings.  Your solutions can begin by integrating four possible methods.  None works alone, and they are not all relevant in considering every strategy.  However, considering the following tactics is necessary:

• Reduce the overall energy use in your building
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• Specify energy-efficient equipment and technologies.
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• Use renewable strategies and purchase green power.
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• Educate building owners, operators, and occupants
  • Educate building owners, operators, and occupants about the value of alternative transportation and its relation to reduced energy use.
• Support the use of alternative forms of transportation within your office.
  • Educate your employees about the various alternative transportation options.