research report

Shared Mobility Policy Briefs: Definitions, Impacts, and Recommendations

Abstract

In 2017, researchers from UC Berkeley’s Transportation Sustainability Research Center and the Institute of Transportation Studies produced eight policy briefs on shared mobility. Shared mobility – the shared use of a vehicle, bicycle, or other travel mode – services are experiencing rapid growth and expansion. This is, in part, due to the launch of innovative business models across California, and their use of the smartphone as a way to enable on-demand transportation options. There is a need to clarify emerging terms and best practices for policymakers amidst the fast-paced developments of the field. Fluency in data-sharing opportunities and standards, funding options, and equity considerations will be needed to implement flexible, forward-thinking policies. These topics are covered in the briefs that follow. Each brief includes a presentation of research findings, a description of the research approach, and recommendations for the California Legislature. Policymakers and legislatures can refer to these briefs for digestible explanations of research findings and suggestions of ways to apply research to improve California’s transportation system

research report

Exploring the Costs of Electrification for California’s Transit Agencies

Publication Date

December 1, 2017

Author(s)

Alissa Kendall, Hanjiro Ambrose, Nicholas Pappas

Abstract

The California Air Resources Board is considering regulatory changes to require an increasing share of public transit buses to produce zero emissions by 2040. This report attempts to identify and assess critical drivers of electric bus adoption costs, characterize uncertainty in forecasting agency transition costs, and provide an approach to support agencies’ assessment of strategic investments in new vehicle technologies. While current purchase costs for electric buses are 40% higher compared to conventional diesel or clean-natural gas buses, by 2030, electric buses are likely to become the most cost-effective option. Taking total cost of ownership into consideration, replacing a bus fleet by 2030 with a 100% electric fleet is estimated to decrease overall costs by $0.1 to $3.6B compared to replacing the current fleet. Results are likely to vary depending on agency size as small and rural agencies have orders of magnitude smaller fleets than the largest agencies and the estimates take into account current subsidies for purchases of electric buses. The report concludes that total costs of ownership for electric buses are likely to be lower than current fleets and that agencies need better tools to be able to evaluate integrated technology and systems planning, particularly as it relates to transit bus electrification.

research report

State-Level Strategies for Reducing Vehicle Miles of Travel

Publication Date

September 1, 2017

Author(s)

Michelle Byars, Susan Handy, Yishu Wei

Abstract

California adopted a statewide target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions to 40% below 1990 levels by 2030. To meet these goals, the state must achieve a 15 percent reduction in total travel by light-duty vehicles by 2050 compared to expected levels. Under current state policies, reductions of this magnitude are likely. This report explores the evidence for strategies to reduce vehicle miles of travel in pricing, infill development, transportation investments, and travel demand management programs. For each category, the report outlines programs from other states that, if adopted, have the potential to reduce (vehicle miles traveled) VMT and thus greenhouse gas emissions.

research report

PRSM Review Year 1 Report A: Review of PRSM Use at Caltrans

Publication Date

September 1, 2017

Author(s)

Iris Tommelein, Nigel Blampied

Abstract

The California Budget Act of 2016 included a provision to “complete a post-implementation review of the Project Resourcing and Schedule Management (PRSM) information technology system upgrade completed by the Department of Transportation.” The PRSM system referenced is Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS) software deployed at Caltrans in 2014 and intended to enable Caltrans to effectively plan State employee and consultant time spent on activities related to projects in its Capital Outlay Support (COS) program. In this Part A report, the researchers studied PRSM as implemented and in practical use, based on a Caltrans document review and interviews conducted with sample groups of Caltrans staff. The result is this factual, non-judgmental description of how PRSM is used and what it is used for. The researchers’ initial sense from the PRSM review meetings is that over the course of three years of deployment, PRSM has become a well-established project management system for approximately 3,000 Caltrans users with read/write access and many others with read-only access, yet PRSM is not yet fully living up to its title. While PRSM is an acronym for “Project Resourcing and Schedule Management,” Caltrans is only using it for project resourcing, especially for annual budgeting, and is not using PRSM’s scheduling functions to their potential.

research report

Sustainable Transportation Terms: A Glossary

Publication Date

September 1, 2017

Author(s)

Albee Weist, Michelle Byars, Susan Handy

Areas of Expertise

Abstract

One of the challenges in developing a consensus around the goal of sustainable transportation is a lack of consensus around the terms used to define and describe sustainable transportation. The goal in this project was to assemble a list of relevant terms and provide clear and simple definitions. Because it is not uncommon to find multiple terms used to refer to the same concept, the report also aims to differentiate the preferred terms from less preferred terms and terms that should not be used for various reasons. Terms were identified based on a review of documents from transportation agencies, websites and publications from transportation organizations, and papers published by the academic community, and the list in consultation with Ellen Greenberg, Deputy Director of Sustainability at the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans). Terms are grouped into categories based on purpose, mode, destinations, community type, and others. The intent of this work is to create a useful resource for those working to advance sustainable transportation

research report

New Methods for Monitoring Spatial Truck Travel Patterns in California Using Exisiting Dectector Infrastructure

Publication Date

August 1, 2017

Abstract

This study developed a methodology to accurately estimate network-wide truck flows by leveraging existing point detection infrastructure, namely inductive loop detectors. The tracking model identifies individual trucks at detector locations using advanced inductive signatures and matches vehicle pairs at detector locations, using an extended form of the Bayesian classification model to estimate matching and non-matching probabilities of the vehicle pairs Several vehicle feature selection and weighting methods including Self Organizing Map and K-means clustering were applied to better identify individual vehicles from signature data. It was shown that the proposed extensive feature processing enhanced vehicle identification performance even among vehicle pools sharing similar physical configurations. The developed model was tested along an approximately 5.5-mile freeway segment on I-5 and CA-78 in San Diego, California where only 67 percent of the total trucks were observed at both up- and down-stream detector sites. Results showed balanced performances in exactness and completeness of matching with 91 percent of correct outcomes for multi-unit trucks

research report

New Methods for Monitoring Spatial Truck Travel Patterns in California Using Existing Detector Infrastructure

Publication Date

August 1, 2017

Author(s)

Abstract

This study developed a methodology to accurately estimate network-wide truck flows by leveraging existing point detection infrastructure, namely inductive loop detectors. The tracking model identifies individual trucks at detector locations using advanced inductive signatures and matches vehicle pairs at detector locations, using an extended form of the Bayesian classification model to estimate matching and non-matching probabilities of the vehicle pairs Several vehicle feature selection and weighting methods including Self Organizing Map and K-means clustering were applied to better identify individual vehicles from signature data. It was shown that the proposed extensive feature processing enhanced vehicle identification performance even among vehicle pools sharing similar physical configurations. The developed model was tested along an approximately 5.5-mile freeway segment on I-5 and CA-78 in San Diego, California where only 67 percent of the total trucks were observed at both up- and down-stream detector sites. Results showed balanced performances in exactness and completeness of matching with 91 percent of correct outcomes for multi-unit trucks

research report

Connected and Automated Vehicle Policy Development for California

Abstract

Connected Vehicles (CV), Automated Vehicles (AV), and their combination as Connected Automated Vehicles (CAVs) have been among the most important developments in surface transportation within the past few years. California has been a national leader in the development of these technologies and their predecessors for several decades, but that leadership position is in jeopardy as other states court CAV development and testing outside of California. The paper suggests California actively engages in CAV through a number of different outlets; encouraging the development of state-of-the-art testing facilities where a wider range of vehicles can be tested, building on existing DMV regulatory frameworks, and convening open public discussions about the safety of CAV systems. Public sector engagement and action on this topic are needed in order for California to capitalize on the potential safety, efficiency, and productivity benefits of connected and automated vehicles.

policy brief

Using Zero-Emission Vehicles and Other Strategies to Improve Last Mile Deliveries

Publication Date

June 1, 2017

Author(s)

Hanjiro Ambrose, Miguel Jaller, Leticia Pineda

Abstract

The urban freight system (UFS) is an essential component of the greater freight system and is vital to the urban economy. While the UFS represents a small share of urban traffic, it generates a disproportionate amount of pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, and also has impacts on congestion, safety, and public health. The UFS is largely represented by last mile deliveries, which are characterized as trips that deliver products consumed, or used for other purposes. Last mile deliveries are part of the traditional business to business (B2B) commerce, and the rapidly increasing business to consumer (B2C) and consumer to consumer (C2C) commerce. The UFS is complex and becoming increasingly so as on-demand delivery services proliferate. Online retail sales (B2C) accounted for $394.9 billion or 8.1% of total retail sales in 2016, an increase of 15.1% from 2015i with residential deliveries serving as the main drop-off point for customersii. This trend exacerbates existing challenges for last mile deliveries (e.g., competition for parking, contending with truck size limits and truck technology requirements), and is also requiring a new configuration of the freight system as a whole, and last mile logistics in particulariii . If left unattended, the issues are expected to intensify.

research report

Barriers to Low-Income Electric Vehicle Adoption in California: An Assessment of Price Discrimination and Vehicle Availability

Publication Date

June 1, 2017

Abstract

Adoption of alternative fuel vehicles by African-American, Hispanic, and low-income consumers has lagged in adoption by Asian, White, and high-income consumers. Understanding the low rate of adoption for certain demographic groups is of particular interest to California. In 2015, the Clean Energy and Pollution Reduction Act (SB 350) was signed into law and requires the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to study barriers to zero-emission transportation options faced by low-income consumers. This study analyzes data for over 400,000 California vehicle sales between 2011 and 2015, containing information on the price paid by the consumer, the location of the dealership, the zip code of the buyer, and buyer demographic characteristics (e.g., race, gender, income, age) for each transaction. Researchers test for the presence of two commonly asserted barriers to electric vehicle (EV) adoption: (1) price discrimination against low-income consumers and (2) limited selection of EVs at dealerships proximate to disadvantaged communities, by comparing the prices and distance traveled for buyers of EVs in different demographic groups.  As a control, researchers compare EV sales to sales of internal combustion engine (ICE) cars. Researchers find little evidence that price discrimination amongst demographic groups or differences in EV availability explains low rates of EV adoption.