research report

Equitable Congestion Pricing

Publication Date

December 1, 2020

Associated Project

Author(s)

Brittany White, Mollie Cohen D'Agostino, Paige Pellaton

Areas of Expertise

Safety, Public Health, & Mobility Justice Transportation Economics, Funding, & Finance

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Abstract

Congestion pricing can be an equitable policy strategy. This project consisted of a review of case studies of existing and planned congestion pricing strategies in North America (Vancouver, Seattle, and New York) and elsewhere (Singapore, London, Stockholm, and Gothenburg). The analysis shows that the most equitable congestion pricing systems include 1) meaningful community-engagement processes to help policymakers identify equitable priorities; 2) pricing structures that strike a balance between efficiency and equity, while encouraging multi-modal travel; 3) clear plans for investing congestion pricing revenues to equalize the costs and benefits of congestion relief; and lastly, 4) a comprehensive data reporting plan to ensure equity goals are achieved. This project was developed to support the San Francisco County Transportation Authority in its efforts to conduct the Downtown Congestion Project.

presentation

Asphalt Pavement Preservation Treatments, Materials, Construction and Quality Assurance

Publication Date

November 16, 2020

Associated Project

City and County Pavement Improvement Center (Years 2-8)

Areas of Expertise

Infrastructure Delivery, Operations, & Resilience

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Pavement Life Cycle Cost Analysis: The Basics

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Hot Mix Asphalt - Local government Model Specification

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Introduction to Pavement Engineering and Management

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Best Practices for Pavement: Pavement Condition Index

presentation

Pavement Sustainability

presentation

International Symposium on Pavement, Roadway, and Bridge Life Cycle Assessment

policy brief

Concrete pavement sample specifications

Publication Date

November 1, 2020

Associated Project

City and County Pavement Improvement Center (Years 2-8)

Areas of Expertise

Infrastructure Delivery, Operations, & Resilience

View policy brief

Related Publications

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Pavement Life Cycle Cost Analysis: The Basics

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Hot Mix Asphalt - Local government Model Specification

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Introduction to Pavement Engineering and Management

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Best Practices for Pavement: Pavement Condition Index

presentation

Pavement Sustainability

presentation

International Symposium on Pavement, Roadway, and Bridge Life Cycle Assessment

policy brief

Heavier Alternative Fuel Trucks Are Not Expected to Cause Significant Additional Pavement Damage

Publication Date

November 1, 2020

Associated Project

Effects of Increased Weights of Alternative Fuel Trucks on Pavement and Bridges

Author(s)

Alissa Kendall, Arash Saboori, Ashkan Saboori, Changmo Kim, John Harvey, Jon Lea, Marshall Miller, Miguel Jaller

Areas of Expertise

Freight, Logistics, & Supply Chain Infrastructure Delivery, Operations, & Resilience

View policy brief

Abstract

Medium- and heavy-duty trucks on California’s roads are shifting from conventional gasoline and diesel propulsion systems to alternative fuel (natural gas, electric, and fuel cell) propulsion technologies, spurred by the state’s greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction goals. While these alternative fuel trucks produce fewer emissions, they are also currently heavier than their conventional counterparts. Heavier loads can cause more damage to pavements and bridges, triggering concerns that clean truck technologies could actually increase GHG emissions by necessitating either construction of stronger pavements or more maintenance to keep pavements functional. California Assembly Bill 2061 (2018) allows a 2,000-pound gross vehicle weight limit increase for near-zero-emission vehicles and zero-emission vehicles to enable these trucks to carry the same loads as their conventional counterparts. The law also asked the UC Institute of Transportation Studies to evaluate the new law’s implications for GHG emissions and transportation infrastructure damage. To conduct this analysis, researchers at UC Davis considered three adoption scenarios of alternative fuel trucks in two timeframes, 2030 and 2050 (Figure 1). Based on these scenarios, the researchers used life cycle assessment and life cycle cost analysis to evaluate how heavier trucks might affect pavement and bridge deterioration, GHG emissions, and state and local government pavement costs. The study did not evaluate the safety implications of increasing allowable gross vehicle weights.

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Effects of Increased Weights of Alternative Fuel Trucks on Pavement and Bridges

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What Factors Drive Commuters’ Demand for Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure?

Publication Date

November 1, 2020

Associated Project

Factors Affecting Demand for Plug-in Charging Infrastructure: An Analysis of Plug-in Electric Vehicle Commuters

Author(s)

David Bunch, Debapriya Chakraborty, Gil Tal, Jae Hyun Lee

Areas of Expertise

Zero-Emission Vehicles & Low-Carbon Fuels

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Abstract

Government agencies, utilities, automakers, and charging network companies are increasingly investing in charging infrastructure to encourage the adoption of plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs), which include both battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs). Public infrastructure is particularly important for those without access to home charging and for vehicles with driving range limitations. However, it is difficult to quantify the optimal number and location of public chargers needed for a growing number of PEVs. Finding the answer will depend on a mix of behavioral and economic factors that drive charging demand. Much is at stake. Too little infrastructure could cause congestion at the chargers and inhibit the adoption and use of PEVs, while developing more infrastructure than is needed would create unnecessary costs. For example, Level 2 public chargers can cost up to 15 times more than Level 2 at-home chargers. Researchers at UC Davis analyzed the choice of charging infrastructure of more than 3,000 PEV commuters who had access to home, work, and public locations to understand the importance of various factors driving demand for charging infrastructure at the three locations. Key factors include the cost of charging, driver characteristics, accessibility of charging infrastructure, and vehicle characteristics.

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Factors Affecting Demand for Plug-in Charging Infrastructure: An Analysis of Plug-in Electric Vehicle Commuters

policy brief

Understanding the Causes and Consequences of Local Growth Control

Publication Date

November 1, 2020

Associated Project

The Causes and Consequences of Local Growth Control: A Transportation Perspective

Author(s)

Jae Hong Kim, Nene Osutei, Nicholas Marantz

Areas of Expertise

Travel Behavior, Land Use, & the Built Environment

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Abstract

In California, there has been a growing concern about rising housing cost burdens. Declining housing affordability, particularly in job-rich areas, can lead to lengthy commutes and pose significant challenges to achieving sustainable transportation and development patterns. It may also cause disproportionate impacts on vulnerable population groups by pushing members of these group to areas where jobs and other amenities are limited. Although no single factor can fully explain the rise of this critical issue, local growth control measures (e.g., growth moratoriums, density restrictions, and public facilities requirements) and other strict land use regulations have been criticized for constraining the housing supply and adding to jobs-housing imbalances. It is important to understand what motivates local growth control actions, as well as how these controls may affect land use, housing, and transportation.

Related Publications

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The Causes and Consequences of Local Growth Control: A Transportation Perspective

research report

The Impact of COVID-19 on the Mobility Needs of an Aging Population in Contra Costa County

Publication Date

November 1, 2020

Associated Project

The Impact of COVID-19 on the Mobility Needs of an Aging Population in Contra Costa County

Author(s)

David Ragland, Glenn Schorr, Grace Felschundneff

Areas of Expertise

Safety, Public Health, & Mobility Justice Travel Behavior, Land Use, & the Built Environment

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Abstract

In 2018, SafeTREC conducted a survey on transportation mobility issues among older adults in California. A follow-up survey planned for 2020, just as the COVID-19 pandemic changed life for all residents, was redesigned to assess mobility needs and changes during the Shelter-in-Place order and focused on COVID-19 impacts. Results indicate that the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent Shelter-in-Place orders have had a major impact on senior mobility. Communications for many were restricted to phone, email, texts, social media, and video chats. Among those with a medical problem, just over 60% called a doctor or nurse line or went to a doctor’s office, while 11.2% went to an emergency room, and 8.6% did nothing. A total of 8% of respondents said they had run out of food or other important items during the Shelter-in-Place order. Rates of exercise outside the home dropped 20% between January and June 2020, and while over 60% sought outside entertainment in January 2020, by June 2020, nearly 70% accessed their entertainment online at home. Almost 80% of working respondents feared spreading or contracting COVID-19 because of their work or related transportation. Almost 20% felt a lack of companionship or closeness sometimes or often. Over 30% were worried about their current or long-term finances. A total of 84.5% strongly agreed or agreed that the Shelter-in-Place order was necessary. None of the respondents to the follow-up survey were diagnosed with COVID-19, and 88.2% were not concerned about the risk of exposure from any member of their household.

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COVID-19 has Significantly Impacted the Mobility and Activities of the Senior Population in Contra Costa County

policy brief

Electric Vehicle Subsidies Appear to Have Modest Pollution Reduction Benefits

Publication Date

November 1, 2020

Associated Project

Estimating the Pollution Abatement Potential of Electric Vehicle Subsidies

Author(s)

David Rapson, Erich Muehlegger

Areas of Expertise

Safety, Public Health, & Mobility Justice Zero-Emission Vehicles & Low-Carbon Fuels

View policy brief

Abstract

California has adopted aggressive vehicle electrification goals as a means of reducing urban air pollution, carbon emissions, and overall petroleum consumption. The state has several programs to encourage electric vehicle adoption, including the Enhanced Fleet Modernization Program, which was initially piloted in two California air districts and recently expanded to other regions. The program offers subsidies to low- and middle-income residents to scrap their old higher-polluting vehicle and purchase lower-polluting hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and battery electric vehicles, with more generous incentives for residents in disadvantaged zip codes. The extent to which this and other incentive programs help to achieve environmental policy goals depends on the emissions reduced by electric vehicles, and the emissions of the vehicle that would have been purchased had the consumer not chosen an electric vehicle. A household that purchases an electric vehicle will generate a larger environmental benefit if it would have otherwise purchased a gas guzzler rather than a gas sipper. The choice of replacement vehicle also has important implications for projecting future fuel tax revenues. If EVs replace gas sippers, fuel tax revenues will decline more slowly. If they replace gas guzzlers, fuel tax revenues will decline more quickly. To answer these questions, researchers at UC Davis compared the average fuel economy of vehicles purchased in disadvantaged zip codes inside and outside of air districts participating in the Enhanced Fleet Modernization Program, before and after the program began. This quasiexperimental design gives a reasonable estimate of what would have happened without the subsidy.

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Estimating the Pollution Abatement Potential of Electric Vehicle Subsidies

research report

Effects of Increased Weights of Alternative Fuel Trucks on Pavement and Bridges

Publication Date

November 1, 2020

Associated Project

Effects of Increased Weights of Alternative Fuel Trucks on Pavement and Bridges

Author(s)

Alissa Kendall, Arash Saboori, Ashkan Saboori, Changmo Kim, John Harvey, Jon Lea, Marshall Miller, Miguel Jaller

Areas of Expertise

Freight, Logistics, & Supply Chain Infrastructure Delivery, Operations, & Resilience

View research report

Abstract

California’s truck fleet composition is shifting to include more natural gas vehicles (NGVs), electric vehicles (EVs), and fuel cell vehicles (FCVs), and it will shift more quickly to meet state greenhouse gas (GHG) emission goals. These alternative fuel trucks (AFTs) may introduce heavier axle loads, which may increase pavement damage and greenhouse gas emissions from work to maintain pavements. This project aimed to provide conceptual-level estimates of the effects of vehicle fleet changes on road and bridge infrastructure. Three AFT implementation scenarios were analyzed using typical Calif. state and local pavement structures, and results from a federal study were used to assess the effects on bridges. This study found that more NGV, EV, and FC trucks are expected among short-haul and medium-duty vehicles than among long-haul vehicles, for which a range of issues arise with electric vehicles and fuel cell vehicles. But the estimates predicted that by 2050, alternative fuels would power 25–70% of long-haul and 40–95% of short-haul and medium-duty trucks. AFT implementation is expected to be focused on the 11 counties with the greatest freight traffic—primarily urban counties along major freight corridors. Results from the implementation scenarios suggest that introducing heavier AFTs will only result in minimal additional pavement damage, with its extent dependent on the pavement structure and AFT implementation scenario. Although allowing weight increases of up to 2,000 lbs. is unlikely to cause major issues on more modern bridges, the effects of truck concentrations at those new limits on inadequate bridges need more careful evaluation. The study’s most aggressive market penetration scenario yielded an approximate net reduction in annual well-to-wheel truck propulsion emissions of 1,200–2,700 kT per year of CO2 -e by 2030, and 6,300–34,000 kT by 2050 versus current truck technologies. Negligible effects on greenhouse gas emissions from pavement maintenance and rehabilitation resulted from AFT implementation.