U.S. nationwide road travel time index by hour of a typical day

Even if we all drove superefficient Revolutionary+ vehicles, our transportation system would still suffer from serious congestion, highway accidents, and infrastructure shortages. One way to combat these problems is to develop pricing mechanisms that flatten morning and afternoon commuting peaks that are shown in this graph.

 

Traditional housing costs vs H+T index for Atlanta

The Center for Neighborhood Technology has developed an interactive online tool that illustrates what we pay to live far away from work, play, or school. In this example, the Atlanta area has far less affordable housing when transportation costs are added to bare housing costs.

 

Summary of U.S. VMT reduction strategies

Estimates in Reinventing Fire for VMT reduction potential are drawn from several studies and reports. As a conservatism, our modeling results draw upon the lower range of each estimate.

 

Principal means of U.S. transportation to work, 2001–2008

Nearly 77% of U.S. job commuting is by single-person auto. Smart firms are finding many better options.

 

Cost of adding one additional vehicle to traffic in New York City throughout the day

Economist Charles Komanoff calculated that in New York City each additional vehicle that joins traffic during rush hour costs society approximately $150 (not a typo!).

 

Carsharing members (North America and Europe) and projected growth

The carsharing industry has grown significantly in the past three years and offers major business opportunities. Carsharing membership is expected to reach 4.4 million in North America by 2016.