Modeling the relationships among urban passenger travel carbon dioxide emissions, transportation demand and supply, population density, and proxy policy variables

To support the development of policies that reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by encouraging reduced travel and increased use of efficient transportation modes, it is necessary to better understand the explanatory effects that transportation, population density, and policy variables have on passenger travel related CO₂ emissions. This study presents the development of a model of CO₂ emissions per capita as a function of various explanatory variables using data on 146 urbanized areas in the United States. The model takes into account selectivity bias resulting from the fact that adopting policies aimed at reducing emissions in an urbanized area may be partly driven by the presence of environmental concerns in that area. The results indicate that population density, transit share, freeway lane-miles per capita, private vehicle occupancy, and average travel time have a statistically significant explanatory effect on passenger travel related CO₂ emissions. In addition, the presence of automobile emissions inspection programs, which serves as a proxy indicator of other policies addressing environmental concerns and which could influence travelers in making environmentally favorable travel choices, markedly changes the manner in which transportation variables explain CO₂ emission levels.

• Record URL:
  • https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trd.2014.08.010
• Record URL:
  • http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1361920914001114
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/13619209
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Abstract reprinted with permission of Elsevier.
• Authors:
  • Mishalani, Rabi G
  • Goel, Prem K
  • Westra, Ashley M
  • Landgraf, Andrew J
• Publication Date: 2014-12

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: References; Tables;
• Pagination: pp 146-154
• Serial:
  • Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment
  • Volume: 33
  • Issue Number: 0
  • Publisher: Elsevier
  • ISSN: 1361-9209
  • Serial URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/13619209

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Environmental policy; Greenhouse gases; Passenger traffic; Pollutants; Urban areas
• Geographic Terms: United States
• Subject Areas: Environment; Highways; Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation; I15: Environment; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01545873
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Nov 26 2014 4:34PM