Congestion Management to Promote Environmental Sustainability

城市交通拥堵仍然是美国一个主要的经济、环境和社会问题。石油价格的波动、城市污染以及对全球气候变化和温室气体排放的担忧，为制定减少城市拥堵的有效措施提供了新的动力。新的信息和通信技术为制定新的城市拥挤管理措施提供了机会。在本项目中，研究小组将在过去工作的基础上，纳入这些新的关注点和技术，估算外部成本，开发一个系统的、一致的拥堵管理措施分析工具，并评估拥堵管理措施在成本、城市空气污染和温室气体排放方面的有效性。该小组还将调查这些措施在发展中可能发挥的作用。精明增长?准则和标准。综合考虑气候变化、空气污染、新技术和交通拥堵管理，要求项目参与者具备所有这些领域的知识，并有能力将这些不同的关注点整合到交通拥堵管理策略的令人信服的分析中。例如，以乙醇和插电式混合动力车形式引入的替代燃料改变了对拥堵排放和燃料消耗的估计。这个整体分析是这个项目的主要目标。该项目将产生新的工具，以确定和制定缓解城市交通拥堵造成的巨大经济、环境和社会影响的战略。开发的模型和方法将确定具有成本效益的拥堵管理方法，包括温室气体排放和减少城市空气污染的效益。该小组将评估城市拥堵管理的潜在贡献。楔子战略?与其他运输策略（如直接排放控制和汽油价格下限）相比，实现温室气体减排目标。该项目将使大量消费者了解其决策的生命周期影响，并使行为改变成为可能。此外，该项目将允许交通当局和决策者在拥堵管理方面考虑各种选择。一个由研究生和本科生组成的多元化群体将参与项目团队。

Urban transportation congestion continues to be a major economic, environmental and social problem in the United States. The volatility of petroleum prices, urban pollution, and concern for global climate change and greenhouse gas emissions provide new incentives to develop effective measures for reducing urban congestion. New information and communications technologies provide opportunities for the development of novel urban congestion management measures. In this project, the research team will build upon past work to incorporate these new concerns and technologies, estimating external costs and developing a systematic, consistent analysis tool for congestion management measures and assessing the efficacy of congestion management measures with regard to costs, urban air pollution, and greenhouse gas emissions. The team will also investigate the possible role of such measures in the development of ?smart growth? guidelines and standards. This integrated consideration of climate change, air pollution, new technologies and congestion management requires project participants with knowledge in all these areas and the ability to integrate these different concerns in a compelling analysis of congestion management strategies. For example, the introduction of alternative fuels in the form of ethanol and plug-in hybrids alters the estimation of congestion emissions and fuel consumption. It is this holistic analysis which is the primary goal of this project. This project will result in new tools to identify and develop mitigation strategies for the large economic, environmental and social impacts of urban transportation congestion. The models and methods developed will identify cost effective approaches to congestion management, including greenhouse gas emission and urban air pollution reduction benefits. The team will assess the potential contribution of urban congestion management as a ?wedge strategy? to attain greenhouse gas emission reduction goals relative to other transportation strategies such as direct emissions controls and gasoline price floors. The project will enable large numbers of consumers to gain understanding of the life cycle impacts of their decisions, and enable behavioral change. Furthermore the project will allow transportation authorities and decision makers to consider various options when it comes to congestion management. A diverse group of graduate and undergraduate students will participate on the project team.