The U.S.
Department of Transportation has included as one of its policy objectives the
conservation of energy through the promotion of the implementation of
transportation system improvements which will result in the reduction of motor
fuel consumption. Accordingly, in a
manner similar to the documentation of the reduction of air pollutant
emissions, information relating to motor fuel (user cost) savings has been
included in the
In addition,
transportation provisions in the NY State Energy Plan (SEP) call for
“redirection of transportation funding toward energy-efficient transportation
alternatives, including public transportation, walking, and bicycling”. The NY SEP recognizes the role of
transportation projects in improving air quality and reducing greenhouse gases,
particularly CO2.
A review was conducted of the projects added to the
The results of the analysis are summarized in Tables 9 and
10. The analysis indicates that by year
2010, with the implementation of the
Table 9
Energy
Impacts of the
|
Direct Energy Consumption (by motor
vehicles) |
|
|
|
|
||||||
Scenario |
Gasoline used (gallons per day) |
% Increase of Gasoline from 2003 |
Vehicular Travel (thousands of miles
per Day) |
Miles Per Gallon (Daily) |
Gasoline used (thousands of gallons
per year) |
Direct Energy (billions of BTU's
per year) |
Annual Direct Energy Net Change: |
Regionally Significant Projects: 5
Year |
|||
Year
1990 |
|
|
17,740 |
|
|
|
|
|
|||
Year
1996 |
|
|
20,470 |
|
|
|
|
|
|||
Year
2003 |
1,155,344 |
na |
23,498 |
20.3 |
300,389 |
37,549 |
|
|
|||
Year
2008 No-build |
1,241,044 |
7% |
25,109 |
20.2 |
322,671 |
40,334 |
|
0 |
|||
2010
with 2005-10 |
1,142,828 |
-1% |
23,356 |
20.4 |
297,135 |
37,142 |
(3,192) |
931 |
|||
Year
2015 No-build |
1,289,308 |
12% |
26,564 |
20.6 |
335,220 |
41,903 |
|
|
|||
2015
with 2005-10 |
1,134,437 |
-2% |
23,776 |
21.0 |
294,954 |
36,869 |
(5,033) |
|
|||
Year
2015 with full New Visions Plan [2] |
1,079,338 |
-7% |
22,734 |
21.1 |
280,628 |
35,079 |
(1,791) |
|
|||
Year
2025 No-build |
1,352,658 |
17% |
28,530 |
21.1 |
351,691 |
43,961 |
|
|
|||
2025
with 2005-10 |
1,191,786 |
3% |
25,645 |
21.5 |
309,864 |
38,733 |
(5,228) |
|
|||
Year
2025 with full New Visions Plan 2 |
1,130,219 |
-2% |
24,501 |
21.7 |
293,857 |
36,732 |
(7,229) |
|
|||
Table 10
Greenhouse
Gas Impacts of the
|
Greenhouse Gas
Emissions Resulting |
|
|||
|
from the Operation of
Motor Vehicles |
|
|||
Scenario |
Vehicular Travel (thousands of miles
per day) |
Carbon Emissions (tons per year) |
Percent Increase in Carbon
Emissions from 2003 |
Annual Motor Vehicle Tons of Carbon
Emission Net Change: |
Regionally Significant
Projects: 5 Year |
Year
1990 |
17,740 |
|
|
|
|
Year
1996 |
20,470 |
|
|
|
|
Year
2003 |
23,498 |
800,912 |
Na |
|
|
Year
2008 No-build |
25,109 |
860,322 |
7% |
|
0 |
2008
with 2005-10 |
23,356 |
792,236 |
-1% |
(68,085) |
20,263 |
Year
2015 No-build |
26,564 |
893,780 |
12% |
|
|
2015
with 2005-10 |
23,776 |
786,421 |
-2% |
(107,359) |
|
Year
2015 with full New Visions Plan [4] |
22,734 |
748,224 |
-7% |
(145,556) |
|
Year
2025 No-build |
28,530 |
937,696 |
17% |
|
|
2025
with 2005-10 |
25,645 |
826,175 |
3% |
(111,521) |
|
Year
2025 with full New Visions Plan 2 |
24,501 |
783,496 |
-2% |
(154,200) |
|
CDTC has, and is
continuing to address energy and air quality concerns through the planning
process. Two of the most cost-effective
methods of minimizing motor fuel consumption and traffic congestion problems
currently being carried out through CDTC's UPWP
include the reduction of traffic demand through ridesharing and CDTC’s Transportation Demand Management program.
CDTC's ridesharing program, initially funded by the
New York State Energy Office, and the Federal Transit and Highway
Administrations began in January 1989. The rideshare program, called the Commuter Register, provides a free
mechanism for people to advertise for and/or find a carpool partner. The Commuter
Register started as a newsprint tabloid in January 1989 and was converted
to a web-based virtual tabloid ten years later in January 1999. Both the newsprint version and the web
version contain informational articles on the connection between carpooling,
reduction in fuel consumption, improvement in air quality and reduction in
traffic congestion. Information
regarding proper vehicle maintenance and associated environmental benefits is
also a part of the Commuter Register. The Commuter
Register also provides information and links to the area’s transit
provider, schedules and fares. It is
estimated that the Commuter Register
resulted in the formation of 525 new carpools with benefits exceeding 17.8
million vehicle-miles of travel reduced since its inception. Approximately 711,000 gallons of fuel have
been saved with attendant tailpipe emission reductions, including CO2.
Using funds
programmed under RG27, Transportation Demand Management (TDM), CDTC and CDTA
staffs have initiated two very successful pilot programs aimed at reducing
vehicular travel by introducing people to the merits of commuting by bus. The first pilot program was initiated in 2001
when the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) moved
from
CDTC staff also
performs the role of the Capital District
CDTC staff
estimates that implementation of CDTC's
recommendations for low-cost improvements to reduce delay and energy
consumption through CDTC's 1989-1993 TSM/Traffic
Count Program results in a fuel savings of 136,000 gallons per year.
Concern with energy has been addressed in
other CDTC planning activities and projects.
For example, park-and-ride services were identified in CDTC's Public
Transportation Plan (1971) and in its Fuel
Conservation/Fuel Contingency Energy Plan (1979) and corridor service
potential was documented in its Park-and-Ride
Study (1980). The CDTA service
potential was documented in its Park-and-Ride
Study (1980) and in the 1986 Park-and-Ride
Survey and the Transit Commuter
Corridor Study and Saratoga County
Park-and-Ride
[1] The “Financially
Constrained New Visions Plan” for 2010, 2015 and 2025 includes the
[2] “Year
2015 with full New Visions Plan” and
“Year 2025 with full New Visions
Plan” includes
[3] The “Financially
Constrained New Visions Plan” for 2010, 2015 and 2025 includes the
[4] “Year
2015 with full New Visions Plan” and
“Year 2025 with full New Visions
Plan” includes