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Title:

Growing a Culture of Transportation Sustainability in Massachusetts

Accession Number:

01551507

Record Type:

Component

Availability:

Transportation Research Board Business Office

500 Fifth Street, NW
Washington, DC 20001 United States

Abstract:

The transportation sector is a growing focus of sustainability efforts, given the large scale of its impacts, and yet it remains one of the more difficult sectors to reform. Private automobiles powered by petroleum-based fuels dominate transportation in the U.S. and the primary mission of most transportation agencies for many decades has been to facilitate safe, unencumbered automobile use. This singular focus is reflected throughout agency culture, making sustainability efforts a challenging undertaking. The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) is among a growing number of state agencies tackling this issue and its approach offers valuable lessons for others. This paper traces the evolution of MassDOT’s sustainability efforts, beginning with its revised Project Development and Design Guide, published in 2006, and ultimately encapsulated in its ongoing GreenDOT program, launched in 2010. These efforts represent the combined actions of state legislators, agency leaders, and personnel at all levels of MassDOT. The GreenDOT program provides a useful framework for achieving sustainability goals both within the agency and throughout the state. It enabled greater agency-wide communication and coordination, which has led to substantial improvements in efficiency at MassDOT. Paired with subsequent and ongoing policies and programs, it is also changing how the agency views its role in influencing statewide travel impacts, such as in the range and types of options it provides to travelers throughout Massachusetts.

Supplemental Notes:

This paper was sponsored by TRB committee ADD40 Transportation and Sustainability.

Monograph Accession #:

01550057

Report/Paper Numbers:

15-4562

Language:

English

Corporate Authors:

Transportation Research Board

500 Fifth Street, NW
Washington, DC 20001 United States

Authors:

McCahill, Christopher
Ebeling, Mary
Codd, Ned

Pagination:

16p

Publication Date:

2015

Conference:

Transportation Research Board 94th Annual Meeting

Location: Washington DC, United States
Date: 2015-1-11 to 2015-1-15
Sponsors: Transportation Research Board

Media Type:

Digital/other

Features:

Figures; References

Geographic Terms:

Massachusetts

Subject Areas:

Administration and Management; Environment; Highways; Public Transportation; I10: Economics and Administration; I15: Environment

Source Data:

Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting 2015 Paper #15-4562

Files:

TRIS, TRB, ATRI

Created Date:

Dec 30 2014 1:30PM