Downtown Dallas, Texas Joint Center
for Transportation & Air Quality
Newsletter
August 2007 Volume 1, Number 2
Joint Center for
Transportation
& Air Quality

Houston Metro Rail

HARC

Texas
Joint Center Activities and Research
Joint Center Annual Advisory Committee Meeting
The Joint Center held its second annual Advisory Committee meeting on June 27, 2007 to review Center activities and to recommend selection of 2007-2008 projects. The Committee discussed regional SIP processes pertaining to transportation measures. Presentations covered regional SIP experiences and on-going projects.

The Committee rated nine proposals on four topics: 1) use of B99/B100 biodiesel in major Texas transportation emissions; 2) application of information/communication technologies (ICT) to reduce trips or shift trips to alternative travel modes; 3) MOBILE6 CO and NOx emissions over/under estimation; and 4) vehicle scrappage/turnover acceleration analysis. Two proposals were selected for funding: a biodiesel project from the University of North Carolina (Adobe PDF 13 KB) and a project addressing MOBILE6 issues from The University of Texas at Austin (Adobe PDF 15 KB).

Using Solar Energy and Rainfall to Reduce NOx Emissions
Past research has shown that the sun's ultraviolet rays and rainfall might be used to reduce NOx emissions near roadways. Photocatalytic surfaces have been tested by researchers in Japan and Italy, and more recently at Lamar University as part of the Joint Center's activities. Many questions and challenges remain requiring further research. For more on photocatalytic paving surfaces see:
Regional News
Houston Transportation Measures to Addresses Air Quality
Regional Air Quality Planning
At the June Advisory Committee meeting, Graciela Lubertino, the Chief Air Quality Coordinator for the Houston-Galveston Area Council (H-GAC), discussed the most recent air quality planning in the Houston region. Dr. Lubertino's presentation (Adobe PDF 485 KB) included on-road and non-road control measures. She emphasized the evaluation process and implementation barriers that exist as part of the State Implementation Plan (SIP) process. She also described innovative approaches to facilitate the inclusion of new and less quantifiable measures for on-road and non-road emissions.

Increasing Safety while Reducing Emissions
Houston has two recent programs for reducing congestion and increasing safety as ways of reducing vehicle emissions: SafeClear and the Mobility Response Team.

Recent news on roadway safety highlights the role of Houston's SafeClear program. This program was designed to quickly remove vehicles and passengers from dangerous roadway situations. Safer roads can also reduce roadway congestion and air pollution.

The City of Houston has also launched the Mobility Response Team (MRT). This team of 21 mobility service officers, operating within the I-610 Loop, will patrol major Houston roads to quickly address traffic problems. Using highly mobile motor scooters, the MRT can help solve minor traffic and traffic signal problems without taking police officers from other duties.

Houston's Newest Regional Transportation Plan
On July 24, 2007, the 2035 Regional Transportation Plan for the Houston-Galveston region was approved. The Plan focuses on meeting the needs of the region's rapid growth that is forecast to include another 3.5 million people by 2035.

To provide a more efficient transportation system while improving air quality, the Plan incorporates several new elements. Goals and development scenarios were formulated through regional meetings as part of Envision Houston Region, and then incorporated into the 2035 Plan. The Plan explicitly acknowledges the reciprocal relationship between land use and transportation. While the region can increase system capacity, manage demand, and improve the efficiency the transportation system, the strategy of connecting transportation and land use is likely to have the largest effect.

2035 Plan Goals and Strategies
Regional Goals Major Strategies
  • Improve mobility, less congestion and cost (cost effectiveness and savings)
  • Build stronger communities
  • Increase transit
  • Preserve floodplains for water detention and recreation
  • Healthier environment
  • System Capacity – by increasing highway and transit capacity)
  • Demand Management – for peak-period travel
  • Operations Management – by improving the efficiency of existing facilities
  • Livable Centers – by coordinating land use and transportation investments

Dallas-Ft. Worth Region (DFW) Studies Driver Insurance Program
The DFW region has been testing Pay-As-You-Drive (PAYD) insurance as part of a pilot program begun in 2005. PAYD has shown promise for reducing travel and vehicle emissions by offering insurance premiums based on amount of travel. The program's second phase mid-term results show that driving has been reduced (961 less miles on average), and that more than half (52%) of these miles were during commuting hours.

Progressive Insurance OBD Chip
Progressive TripSensor
Plugs into vehicle's On-Board Diagnostic (OBD-II) system
The North Central Texas Council of Government (NCTCOG) has partnered with Progressive Insurance for this two-phase program that targets current customers in the DFW area. NCTCOG will evaluate results to determine if this financial incentive program can be used to reduce the region's vehicles-miles-traveled (VMT) and vehicle emissions.

Phase I examined the relationship between VMT and driver risk. Lower mileage was shown to be associated with lower accident claims. Phase II will determine if a PAYD premium insurance incentive is sufficient to induce customers to participate while reducing VMT. Vehicle emission reductions will also be estimated in this Phase. Read more...

State and National News
Texas Provides Incentive to Upgrade to Cleaner Vehicles
Texas will begin this December (2007) offering a $3,000 incentive for qualified light duty car and truck owners to upgrade to newer, cleaner vehicles. This income-based incentive expands the previous vehicle replacement program to get more of the older, high-emitting vehicles off the road. For more information see the following:
Technology
Driver Feedback Systems to Reduce Fuel Use
Light duty cars and trucks routinely measure engine performance, but drivers rarely see these data. Fuel economy and emission reductions can be improved with driver feedback systems, according to recent announcements from Nissan Motors. All future Nissan models will come equipped with fuel efficiency gauges as standard equipment. Trial studies reportedly found that drivers averaged 10% improvements in fuel economy. Nissan has been using on-line member-based game strategies (CARWINGS) as part of its eco-driver initiative.

While such gauges have been available both as an OEM product and as an after-market add-on, they have had limited use. The research community will need to examine the extent to which driver behavior can be affected through provision of this and other on-vehicle data.

Audi has also announced (August 27, 2007) vehicle designs that will provide driver guidance to reduce fuel use and emissions. The driver can select an efficiency mode and the powertrain will switch to a low-consumption operating map, saving as much as 20 to 30% in fuel use.

Read more at:
Commentary
The Case for Hybrid Trucks and Buses in Texas
"Texas needs hybrid trucks and buses" to meet air quality and energy challenges, according to Mr. Bill Van Amburg. Mr. Van Amburg is the Senior Vice President of WestStart-CALSTART, North America's leading advanced transportation technologies consortium and the operator of the Hybrid Truck Users Forum (HTUF). The Hybrid Incentives Working Group organized with HTUF participants has set forth guiding principles for incentives that are needed to help bring hybrid trucks and buses fully into the market.

Read more in Why Texas Needs Hybrids and How to Texas Can Make It Happen (Adobe PDF 173 KB)

About Us
Traffic on the Highway

Joint Center for Transportation & Air Quality 		The Joint Center for Transportation & Air Quality is a multi-year, multi-organization program utilizing applied and field research to better understand and solve air quality problems, particularly those associated with transportation in key Texas urban centers such as Houston and Dallas-Fort Worth.

Joint Center partners include: HARC, the University of Texas at Austin, the Texas Transportation Institute, Texas A&M at Galveston, and Lamar University.

Please visit our website at www.harc.edu/JointCenter/ for more information.