Year: 2008
Type: article
Abstract: The Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) contracted with the University of Vermont Transportation Research Center to: 1) Conduct a literature review of transportation system efficiency measures that relate to rural communities; 2) Examine transportation system efficiency trends in Vermont; and 3) Provide a list of education and policy strategies that might encourage increased transportation system efficiency. Recommendations to increase transportation system efficiency fall into two categories: 1) Strategies to increase individual vehicle efficiency and 2) Strategies to increase transportation system efficiency, such as programs that increase vehicle occupancy rates, targeted public transit investments, and increased education and outreach regarding efficient driving styles, use of non-motorized transportation modes, and efficient vehicle purchases. Briefly, the report findings are as follows: Vermonters are buying more fuel-efficient vehicles; Vermonters and travelers within Vermont are driving less and purchasing less gasoline; State park and ride lots are fairly well distributed as potential meeting spots for commuters, but there is evidence of additional need for lots in the more urban areas of the state; Individual driver style/behavior can reduce gasoline consumption; Increasing vehicle occupancy rates may be the most effective strategy for increasing system efficiency; Improving transportation system efficiency by shifting travelers to fixed route transit systems should focus on commuter link routes and on intra-city systems in those areas with denser population centers; and Significant obstacles to increasing transportation efficiency in Vermont are the state's dispersed settlement patterns, automobile dependency and aging population.
Authors: Richard J. Watts, Elaine Wang, Lisa Aultman-Hall
Language: English
Subfield: Transportation
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
Funder: Vermont Agency of Transportation
OpenAlex ID: W196408865