Decarbonizing Transportation

Transportation is the leading source of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States. Local policies, particularly around development, land use, and street design, can have a major impact on transportation emissions in a community. 

Bike lane and pedestrian crossing with yellow markings on the road, showing a bicycle symbol and a parent with a child holding hands.

Expanding Bike and Pedestrian Infrastructure

In order to get more people walking, biking, and rolling rather than driving, these methods of transportation must be made safe, convenient, and pleasant. Cities can do this by devoting more space and protection for pedestrians, bicyclists, and those in wheelchairs, scooters, and other forms of transportation. Car-free zones, protected bike lanes, raised and separated bike lanes and paths, wider sidewalks, robust crosswalks, and lower speed limits are some of the ways to ensure more people are able to move sustainably and safely through your community.

An aerial view of a parking lot filled with rows of parked cars, surrounded by trees and adjacent to a street.

Eliminating Minimum Parking Requirements and Lowering Maximum Parking Allowed for New Construction

The availability of parking (or lack thereof) is one of the biggest determinants of whether people choose to drive or use sustainable transportation options. Cities can regulate how much parking is built during new construction. For decades, many cities have required new development to include a certain amount of parking. By eliminating these minimum requirements and instead imposing parking maximums, local governments can have a major impact on how much new parking is built. Cities can also add sustainable transportation requirements (also known as transportation demand management, or TDM) for new construction, such as covered bicycle parking or on an onsite car share vehicle.

People boarding and waiting to board a city bus with orange and silver exterior, some smiling and talking, some adjusting clothing, in an urban setting.

Fare-Free Public Transportation

Fare-free public transit is the epitome of an equitable climate solution that prioritizes economic justice and mobility for all. By providing public transportation at no costs, a municipality can make the ability to move freely a right rather than a privilege. Car ownership and use is not only accelerating the climate crisis — it is also extremely expensive. Robust, fare-free public transit allows more people to get to more places without the use of an automobile — regardless of their physical ability or income. To make public transportation fare-free, local governments must work to find alternative funding for public transit to replace the lost revenue that fares generate.

City street scene at dusk with traffic, some cars stopped, others moving, on wet pavement, buildings on either side, traffic lights, and street signs for W Pender St and Cardero St.

Restrictions/Fees on Gasoline-Powered Vehicles in Downtown

For traffic, air quality, noise, safety, and quality of life purposes, cities around the world have restricted or penalized the use of internal combustion engines in downtown areas. Such policies are of course also beneficial from a climate standpoint as they disincentivize greenhouse gas emissions from automobiles and encourage sustainable transportation. New York City is poised to become the first city in the U.S. to adopt such a policy (hence the lack of examples below).

A white trolley bus with red and blue accents, labeled 'Blue Line,' traveling on tracks on a city street with tall buildings, a few cars, and a bicycle lane.

Expansion of Public Transportation

Expanding and improving public transportation improves the quality of life of those already using transit while simultaneously attracting new users. Public transit, especially when propelled by electricity, emits vastly less per passenger mile traveled than personal automobiles. It also uses less space, resources, and is more affordable – for the user and for the taxpayer. There are numerous ways to improve and expand transit systems, including creative solutions like bus rapid transit.

Electric car charging at a charging station with a grey vehicle plugged in, in an outdoor parking lot.

Subsidies for Electric Vehicles and/or Electric Bicycles

Municipalities can accelerate the transition to electric transportation by providing incentives or rebates for residents looking to purchase electric cars, bicycles, or other mobility options. This option is particularly viable for municipalities that own or control their electric utility, as the utility and ratepayers typically benefit from the additional electric demand (when these electric vehicles charge, this creates new revenue for the utility, lowering costs for customers).

Line of Bluebikes rental bicycles parked on a city sidewalk, with tall buildings in the background.

City Support of Shared Mobility Systems

Bikeshare, carshare, scooter share, and other shared mobility systems are critical for allowing residents and visitors alike to reduce their use of cars. Bikesharing makes biking convenient, accessible and affordable for a wide array of people, including those who do not own a bicycle. Scooter-sharing is often an even lower cost and more physically accessible option than bike share. Carsharing systems allow more residents to avoid car ownership while still having affordable access to a vehicle when needed. Avoiding car ownership is critical to reducing emissions. Whether or not someone owns a car is the single biggest factor that influences how much one uses a car for transportation.

Bicycles parked at a bike rack under an overpass, with a pink basket attached to the back of one bike.

Transportation Demand Management Requirements 

Transportation demand management policies and programs are those that reduce the use of single occupancy vehicles and therefore reduce the demand for car infrastructure such as parking spaces.

Indoor bike parking area with two-level bike racks holding numerous bicycles, including a white mountain bike on the upper rack.

Improve Bicycle Parking

Beyond building out city-wide bicycle lane networks, ensuring robust bike parking infrastructure at destinations is key to ensuring bicycle adoption. Bicyclists highly value security and comfort at parking destinations, especially with the growing popularity of e-bikes. These factors play a significant role in determining whether people choose to bike in cities. Cities can expand bike infrastructure by mandating developers to incorporate it, constructing it directly on public property, or partnering with private shared bike system companies. Cities should focus on expanding bike parking infrastructure in key areas such as housing, transit hubs, retail centers, and office spaces. 

Electric bus with Proterra branding and Battery Electric text parked outdoors with trees and cloudy sky in the background.

Electrify Municipal Fleet/Public Transportation

Municipalities own or lease vehicle fleets, sometimes even owning or controlling public transportation in their jurisdiction. As municipalities work to get residents to switch to electric vehicles, they must lead the way by converting their own vehicle fleets to electric.

A black and white speed limit sign indicating a speed of 10 miles per hour, with trees and a cloudy sky in the background.

Lower Speed Limits

Lowering speed limits helps reduce emissions and improve safety for walkers and cyclists. Lower speeds significantly enhance fuel efficiency and reduce CO2 emissions. Further, lower speeds result in fewer crashes and reduce injury and death when collisions do occur.

Three electric vehicle charging stations in a parking garage, each with a black and white cord and a green sign indicating their purpose, and the parking spots marked with yellow lines and a sign painted on the ground stating 'Electric Vehicle Parking Only'.

As municipalities work to enable and encourage more people to walk, bike, roll, and use public transit, they also need to ensure that the cars that do remain on the road are electric. This requires charging infrastructure. Municipalities can require that a percentage of new parking built has EV charging stations or at the very least has the electrical infrastructure to support a charging station.

Requiring EV Charging Stations in New Developments

Additional Resources on Decarbonizing Transportation: