"Modeling Car Ownership Decisions and Vehicle Availability in the State of Maryland"
Dr. Gerrit-Jan Knaap - PI
Urban Studies & Planning (CITSM, MDSHA & NCSG)
Under a contract with the Maryland StateHighway Administration and in cooperationwith Parson’s Brinkerhoff, the NationalCenter for Smart Growth is buildinga sketch-level transportation model. Thatmodel, which will include the entire statesof Maryland and Delaware, the Districtof Columbia, and parts of Virginia, WestVirginia, and Pennsylvania will be used fora variety of purposes, including but notlimited to examining the effects of varioustransportation investments on trafficflows, examining the effects of transportationinvestments on land use patterns,and examining alternative future developmentscenarios. The model is expected toplay an important role in transportationdecision making for years into the future.Among the many policy decisions thatmust be made in the near future is howto respond to climate change. A recentlyissued report from the Maryland ClimateCommission recommends that emissionsassociated with vehicle miles traveledbe reduced by 25 to 50 percent of 2006levels by 2020. Interim reduction goalsare 10 percent by 2012 and 15 percent reductionsby 2015, respectively. Under thisproject supported by the Maryland UniversityTransportation Center, researchersat the National Center for Smart Growthwill enhance the capacity of the transportationmodel and exercise the model toexplore alternative options for meetingthese greenhouse gas reduction goals.
