01155030

Component

https://doi.org/10.3141/2174-02

http://scholar.google.com...etta&publication_year=2010

Recent federal, state, and international initiatives suggest growing interest in the sustainability of transportation systems, environmentally, economically, socially, and otherwise. This paper explores commonalities and variations in sustainability activities and describes best practices in sustainable transportation planning and evaluation at state departments of transportation (DOTs) in the United States. A survey of the 50 state DOTs identified current policies, programs, and evaluation methods. With a 94% response rate, the survey results reflect well the range of practices at state DOTs. The survey shows that some state DOTs appreciate the importance of sustainability in their external and internal activities and can point to specific initiatives that demonstrate their interest in sustainability. However, agencies clearly are focused on a range of activities and address sustainability at different levels of engagement. The survey results also reveal several general trends driven largely by federal requirements and state or regional priorities. Each DOT has a unique package of policies or programs, but all state DOTs point to their environmental planning activities as evidence of sustainable practices. Overall, DOTs in the Pacific division are most active in sustainable transportation practices, while those in the Northeast are particularly active in climate change planning and land use planning. Based on the survey responses and supporting literature, a national policy on sustainable transportation may provide guidance for state DOTs and other transportation agencies on specific elements of sustainable transportation, but it will need to be flexible to allow DOTs to address local issues and priorities.

01324592

10-1713

English

pp 10-18

2010

Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board

9780309160445

Print

References (9) ; Tables (6)

Best practices; Climate change; Environmental policy; Guidelines; Land use planning; State departments of transportation; Surveys; Sustainable development; Transportation planning

Environment; Highways; Planning and Forecasting; I15: Environment; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning

TRIS, TRB, ATRI

Jan 25 2010 10:46AM

• Accessibility-Based Multicriteria Analysis for Facility Siting
• Can Transit-Oriented Development Reduce Peak-Hour Congestion?
• Comparing Methods for Measuring Excess Commuting and Jobs–Housing Balance: Empirical Analysis of Land Use Changes
• Development of a Microsimulation Analysis Tool for Paratransit Patron Accessibility in Small and Medium Communities
• Do Freeway Traffic Management Strategies Exacerbate Urban Sprawl? The Case of Ramp Metering
• Dynamic Wide-Area Congestion and Incident Monitoring Using Probe Data
• Estimating a Statewide Transportation Infrastructure Funding Shortfall Using Long-Range Plans of Metropolitan Planning Organizations
• Five Years of Experience with the ConnectOregon Multimodal Funding Program
• Governance of Metropolitan Planning Organizations: Board Size, Composition, and Voting Rights
• Hedonic Analysis of Office Space Rent
• Improving Shuttle Ridership Using Intelligent Transportation System Technologies: National Park Case Study
• Incorporating Uncertainty into Transportation Decision Making: Sustainability-Oriented Approach
• Integrated Multiple-Criteria Decision-Making Method to Prioritize Transportation Projects
• Measuring and Assessing Perceptions of Success in a Transit Agency's Stakeholder Involvement Program
• Measuring Public Outreach: Estimation of Information Audience Rate
• Residential Property Values and the Built Environment: Empirical Study in the Boston, Massachusetts, Metropolitan Area
• Use of Intergovernmental Networks for Establishing a Collaborative Environment in Tribal Transportation Initiatives: Best Practices
• Using Aggregated Federal Data to Model Freight in a Medium-Sized Community