LPDD

Pathway 4.

Energy Efficiency, Conservation, and Fuel Switching in Transportation → Transforming Transportation Demand

4.1.3 Promoting Alternatives to Car Transport

LPDD Recommendation: “Federal, state, and local laws, polices, and programs, as well as metropolitan planning organizations, need to be altered to devote a larger share of transportation funding to providing meaningful alternatives to driving, and to increase funding for projects that better connect various modes in order to expand transportation choices.”

LPDD Recommendation: “Localities should adopt policies and programs that permit buses and light rail cars to move faster than motor vehicles, such as providing dedicated lanes for transit and signal prioritization that allows transit vehicles to move through intersections more quickly.”

LPDD Recommendation: “Localities should improve frequency of transit service, rather than geographic scope of coverage, to make transit more competitive with motor vehicles where it is deployed.”

LPDD Recommendation: “States, MPOs, and localities should also fund new types of services, like bike share programs.”

LPDD Recommendation: “Federal, state, and local design standards that mandate unnecessarily wide, high-seed roads should be modified to make them more flexible and context-sensitive in order to promote non-motorized transportation.”

LPDD Recommendation: “States, MPOs, and localities should join the more than 1,325 agencies that have adopted ‘complete streets’ policies.”

San Francisco’s Transit-Only Streets

Local Governments
San Francisco has transit-only lanes on 30 miles of streets and plans to add 20 more miles in the next decade. It has even highlighted some busy lanes with red paint to make them more visible to drivers, resulting in fewer cars blocking the lanes.

Denver’s FasTracks Program

Local Governments
In 2004, Denver voted to expand public transit to the tune of $4.7 billion, adding 122 miles of commuter, light rail, and bus rapid transit lines across the region, which work continues under the FasTracks program.

Atlanta Sales Tax Increases for Transit Expansion

Local Governments
In 2016, Atlanta voters approved a pair of sales tax increases that are projected to raise $300 million over five years and another $2.5 billion over 40 years to fund transit expansion and enhancement.

Virginia’s Dedicated Fund for Rail Projects

States and State Governments
Virginia has created a dedicated fund for intercity passenger rail, and the state’s Six-Year Improvement Program adopted in 2017 allocates almost $800 million to passenger rail projects.