Greening Mass Transit & Metro Regions: The Final Report - MTA

TRANSFORMATIONAL RECOMMENDATIONS
Recommendation 1. Capture Two-Thirds of Additional
Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) in the MTA Region
The MTA should work collaboratively with New York State,
Connecticut, counties, cities, local communities, and other
partners throughout its service region to create the conditions
that will enable the MTA to capture two-thirds of all
additional vehicle-miles traveled (VMT) between 2009
and 2030. These additional trips would be taken on the
MTA’s transit network rather than on the metropolitan road
network. The MTA should identify and research the best
practices that will advance this goal. Clustering residential
and commercial development around the MTA network will
not only achieve environmental benefits, it will also expand
the lifestyle choices of residents and newcomers. The MTA,
in collaboration with its governmental and local partners,
should work to create communities that reduce automobile
usage, encourage pedestrian and bicycle travel, and enable
the development of households and businesses with lighter
environmental footprints.
Recommendation 2. Cluster Two-Thirds of New Development Near MTA Access
The MTA, in collaboration with New York State, New York City, the State of Connecticut, suburban counties, and local
communities, should encourage the clustering of two-thirds of new residential and commercial development in its service
region within a quarter-mile to a half-mile of MTA network access. The MTA should employ its geographic reach, influence,
and expertise to assist communities in establishing greener land-use patterns throughout its service area. Eliminating gaps
between residential areas and the transit network will allow the MTA to “capture” additional regional development. Acting
as a consultant to local communities, the MTA should identify routes for station feeder systems, identify links between
transit, residential neighborhoods, and employment centers, and improve synchronization of bus and rail schedules to
optimize transit access.
A Look at the California Model: SB 375
The Two-Thirds Target For Greener Regional Growth
The MTA’s greatest contribution to sustainability comes directly through the
“mode shift” from single-passenger automobile traffic to rapid transit. This
shift, in turn, brings a significant net decrease in regional greenhouse gas
emissions and other air pollutants through denser development that allows
pedestrian, bicycle, and other non-automotive travel, while also reducing
traffic congestion. For the MTA the most effective way to promote this mode
shift is by capturing shares of new growth, both in increased commuting and
in green community development. For that reason, the Commission recommends
that the MTA seek to capture two-thirds of all new growth in both categories
by 2030. That means capturing two-thirds of the additional vehicle
miles traveled (VMTs) in the MTA service area between now and 2030. It
also means working with public and private partners. The MTA should foster
conditions so that two-thirds of all new development through 2030 is within
a quarter-mile to a half-mile of MTA bus or rail stations.
Few ideas make as much “green sense” as smarter links between transportation and land development. That’s the aim of California’s new SB 375. The law provides incentives
for development patterns that reduce driving and GHGs. It builds on existing law that requires all regional transportation plans to include a development plan. It then
uses that development plan to achieve regional GHG reduction targets set by the region’s air quality regulatory agency, the California Air Resources Board (CARB).
The law requires CARB to set regional GHG reduction targets. It then adds new smart growth incentives to the Regional Transportation Plan (RTP); new land use policies to
decisions that implement a Sustainable Communities Strategy, new modeling provisions to account for the transportation impacts of land use decisions, and a new provision
for determining the regional housing needs consistent with the Sustainable Communities Strategy.
Recommendation 3. Position and Promote Transit as a Climate-Stabilization Strategy
While the role of energy-efficiency and renewable-energy sources in reducing GHGs is now widely understood, the
powerful greening effect of transit systems is not. Transit dramatically reduces GHGs by reducing automobile VMTs and
promoting more clustered residential and commercial development. The MTA, in collaboration with the American Pubic
Transportation Association (APTA), should intensify its efforts to educate legislators, regulators, industry leaders, and the
public on the role of a major transit system like the MTA as a leading climate stabilizer – what experts call a climatestabilization
wedge.
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