logo

Select Sidearea

Populate the sidearea with useful widgets. It’s simple to add images, categories, latest post, social media icon links, tag clouds, and more.
hello@youremail.com
+1234567890
 

Transportation

PACE - Transportation with electric car pumps

Background

The transportation sector is the single largest source of emissions in Connecticut. Contributing 38 percent of total, the emission come primarily from the use of fossil fuels in passenger cars and light-duty trucks. To achieve necessary emission reductions in this sector, Connecticut must accelerate its transition toward a modern, clean transportation system.

Decreasing transportation-generated emissions in a community can have an immediate effect on local air quality in a way that other sustainability activities may not. Encouraging people-powered transportation (e.g., bikes, walking), increasing access to public transportation, and supporting non-fossil fuel transportation options (e.g., electric vehicles) are all ways to move toward this goal. Towns and cities have a unique and powerful role in accelerating the transition to clean transportation.

Getting Started

As with other areas of the 100PercentCT project, the strategy for transportation is to quantify current energy usage, reduce it, then replace remaining energy use with clean alternatives. The Benchmark Energy Assessment provides a starting point for this analysis. Using town-specific data from the tax roll, this analysis yields an estimate of the energy consumed by vehicles registered in town. This calculation entails summarizing the community’s fleet of vehicles by Connecticut Class Code and then using Department of Transportation estimates for miles per gallon (MPG) and vehicle miles travelled (VMT).

This quantitative assessment focuses on the current vehicle fleet of your town. The next step is a qualitative review of transportation systems other than motor vehicles. These should include bus systems, trains and other public conveyances in the community.

These quantitative and qualitative assessments then form the basis for a range of policies, regulations and initiatives aimed at reducing energy usage and emissions, and then replacing them with clean energy alternatives.

Checklist

  • Complete a quantitative energy benchmarking exercise for your town’s vehicle inventory. The Resource section below provides a link to the data request from the town tax roll to get started.
  • Carry out a qualitative assessment of public transit infrastructure, bicycle/pedestrian resources, etc.
  • Develop a town-specific plan, as part of the broader Energy Plan, to reduce vehicle miles traveled (VMT), shift transport to public alternatives and accelerate the transition to low and zero-emission vehicles.
  • Electrify town vehicle fleet. Municipalities can accomplish several goals by electrifying their fleet – first they are leading by example – second they will achieve operating economies because of reduced fuel consumption and decreased maintenance requirements.
  • Consider deploying all-electric municipal or school buses (see resources below).
  • Conduct a study of your town’s electric vehicle readiness. An excellent resource here is the detailed study carried out in Fairfield.
  • Assess your town’s Plug-In Electric Vehicle Readiness Scorecard, administered by the U.S. Department of Energy.
  • Assess where electric vehicle charging infrastructure is needed in town and develop a plan for building it out.
  • Add additional charging stations on municipal properties.
  • Consider property tax incentives for electric vehicles.
  • Require new construction to be EV-Ready.
  • Educate residents about local public transportation options.
  • Implement the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Complete Streets
  • Achieve bronze certification as a Bicycle Friendly Community from the League of American Bicyclists.
  • Encourage commuting by entering the CTRides Transportation Leaders Program.
  • Explore opportunities to expand local bike/pedestrian trails.
  • Conduct a no idling campaign.

Resources

Our Partners