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Round Robin
 December 12, 2005

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Note: All documents below are in Adobe PDF (Adobe PDF) format.
Discussion Topics
The following is a summary of topics discussed in a round robin session on possible transportation and air quality issues for the Houston and DFW regions.

Discussion Objective
To look beyond current SIP timelines to future research, analysis, and demonstration projects conceived over the next two years.

Discussion Framework
  • What regional/Texas based transportation practices, strategies, or control measures need the greatest attention in the next three years to impact air qulaitiy in the future (actions/projects started in 2006 and 2007 to impact emissions in 5/10 years)?
  • What are the current "pet rocks" for a better understanding of the transportation/air quality challenges and solutions?
  • What transportation/air quality projects would you be supporting/pursuing if time and funding were not extreme limitations right now?
  • What areas in the next 5 years seem most ripe for egional transportation/air quality analysis - modeling, technology, understanding transportation behavior, program development, control measure improvement, decision maker outreach/education, etc.?
Hybrids
  • Hybrid truck technologies have been developed and are being demonstrated for delivery and other vehicles.
  • Current drive cycle testing of emissions from these vehicles do not reflect the full emission benefits of these vehicles.
  • Hybrid trucks also need to be certified against standards that reflect emission benefits.
  • Such vehicles should be showcased in Houston so that decision makers and potential vehicle buyers can see them.
  • METRO currently using five hybrid buses, but these are not marked in ways that people can recognize them.
  • Garbage trucks can use electric motors and hydraulics to offset the use of the diesel engine to reduce emissions.
Telecommuting
  • It is important to understand if and how telecommuting impacts emissions. Informal telecommuting has become a normal part of many workers separately from formal telecommuting programs by employers.
  • Telecommuting is included in transportation modeling to the extent that it is based on travel survey information, but does not necessarily reflect recent changes since travel survey information is collected infrequently.
  • One start-up company has been working with companies in the Houston region to get SIP credit for employees who are telecommuting
  • HGAC has real time commuting program - NuRide - that allows users to sign up for rides and these rides can be accumulated for air quality credit.
    http://www.commutesolutions-hou.com/commuters/nuride.htm
Traffic controls
  • What can be done with traffic controls?
  • The City of Houston has accomplished a great deal in the last year to computerize traffic signals in the central part of the city.
  • Other places in the region may be able to benefit from similar improvements to reduce congestion and reduce emissions.
Regional Airports and Intermodal Facilities
  • What could be done with regional airports? Love Field/Hobby/other
  • Changing parking operations could achieve some reductions.
  • Port activities are concentrated and could be spread out more along the Gulf to increase barge use and decrease congested truck traffic in urban areas.
  • Can fuel improvements be made in intrastate water transportation that would reduce emissions from marine vessels?
  • What other changes could be made at multi-modal facilities (ports, airports, shipping) to reduce emissions - car rental shuttles example at Houston Intercontinental
VMT Reductions
  • Most of the growth in trips are non-work. This is a big challenge to reduce these types of tricks.
  • The high proportion of cold start emissions suggests that different strategies are needed to eliminate/reduce cold starts - not starting the vehicle becomes important for light duty gasoline vehicles relying on catalytic converters that must heat up before they work.
Heavy Duty Trucks
  • Need assessment of truck traffic generated because of NAFTA, particularly trucks from Mexico that have unknown levels of emissions.
  • TTI has already done some work on emission testing on such vehicles.
  • The proposed NTRD diesel database might help understand Mexican truck issues and other issues involving diesel engines for both mobile and non-road.
  • Freight movement can take advantage of vehicle locator devices to reduce trip lengths and trips for heavy duty trucks.
  • Use of vehicle based locator technologies and route planning are part of EPA's Smartway Partnership program.
Eight Hour Standard and Relative Emission Reductions
  • 8-hour standard considers relative reductions rather than absolute; how would this change research needs? Emissions are higher than what they are registered to be.
  • What about starting cars and cold starts - this leads to the need for urban planning to reduce emissions? Flextime doesn't do anything in the 8-hour standard.
Engine Idling
  • Non-road equipment idling? How would we do this? Technology, rules, training?
Dispersion Modeling
  • Need to update CALPUFF to talk to citizens more effectively about the impact of roadway emissions; dispersion modeling only gets to within 150 meters.
What's Missing?
  • What big ticket items are available for the SIP? California strategies offer little for achieving major NOx reductions.
Page Updated/Reviewed: 05/10/2006 9:36 AM