Two of the biggest transportation issues of our time–climate change and safety–were the center of attention at the December National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board (TPB) meeting.

“Meaty” discussion of climate change study 

According to TPB Chair Charles Allen, the “meatiest item” on the December agenda was the Climate Change Mitigation Study of 2021 (or CCMS). The CCMS is a scenario study whose goal is to identify potential pathways to decrease on-road, transportation-related emissions to meet COG’s goals for regional greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions for 2030 and 2050, namely 50 percent and 80 percent reductions, respectively, compared to 2005 levels.

The study’s scenarios, which were all fairly aggressive, explored single and combination pathways to reduce emissions. The strategies that were examined included measures to: 1) improve vehicle technology, such as stepped-up deployment of electric vehicles; 2) reduce driving (measured as Vehicle Miles of Travel or VMT) by increasing the supply of alternatives to solo driving, as well as reducing demand through road and parking pricing; and 3) operations improvements through strategies like better incident management and signal coordination, as well as future deployment of clean fuel vehicles, particularly connected/automated vehicles. All the scenarios were tested with three potential levels of improved efficiency in the region’s electric grid, including a zero-emissions grid.

None of the transportation scenarios analyzed in the study fully achieved the overall regional goals for 2030, in part because full deployment of the most effective measures cannot be implemented in such a short amount of time. However, several of the transportation scenarios achieved estimated GHG reductions for 2030 that could align with COG’s 2030 Climate and Energy Action Plan if coupled with the assumed reductions from the non-transportation sectors. For the 2050 goals, a handful of scenarios, particularly those that combined a variety of vehicle technology and VMT reducing measures along with an enhanced electric grid, did achieve the overall COG regional goals for GHG reductions.

The findings fundamentally reaffirm the point that transportation actions alone cannot be expected to meet the region’s GHG reduction goals. Instead, a variety of tactics–both transportation and non-transportation–will be needed.

Chairman Allen said the study also highlighted the need for regional coordination.

“There’s not a single one of us that is going to make it on our own,” he said. “It’s going to take regional thinking and cooperation… and vision, frankly.”

Incoming TPB Chair Pam Sebesky committed to continuing the discussions in 2022 to identify practical actions to follow up on the study, which will be finalized in January.

Action to enhance regional roadway safety enforcement

Given the troubling number of injuries and fatalities occurring on the region’s roadways, the TPB has prioritized actions and strategies that advance roadway safety. The most recent example of this focus has been an interest in forging a reciprocal agreement among the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia to enforce citations issued by automatic traffic enforcement (ATE) devices. While the three states in our region belong to a national compact regarding traffic safety enforcement, this compact does not provide for reciprocity in enforcing citations issued by ATE devices.

In November, TPB Chair Allen called for the TPB to write a letter to the two governors and mayor asking for the states to establish a multi-state system for such enforcement. The board discussed a draft letter at its November meeting, but in that discussion some members asked for more time to engage with their local jurisdictions on the issue. A revised letter was approved by the board at its December meeting.

Approval of projects through Regional Roadway Safety Program

The TPB approved five new projects for FY 2022 to improve safety at the community level through the Regional Roadway Safety Program. The projects range from intersection designs to data collection to education for kids. Valued at $250,000, the projects will provide consultant technical assistance to local jurisdictions in our region.

PBPP: Briefing on draft 2018-2022 highway safety targets

Continuing the topic of safety, the board learned about the proposed 2018-2022 targets for highway safety performance measures as part of federal Performance Based Planning and Programming (PBPP) requirements.

Targets are set annually for five performance measures: 1) Number of fatalities; 2) Fatality rate (ratio of total fatalities to Vehicle Miles of Travel, or VMT); 3) Number of serious injuries; 4) Serious injury rate (ratio of total serious injuries to VMT); Number of nonmotorist fatalities & serious injuries.

Board action is anticipated in January.

End of Year Business

The board elected the following members to serve as officers for 2022:

• Chair: Pamela Sebesky, City of Manassas Councilmember
• 1st Vice Chair: Reuben Collins, Charles County Board of Commissioners President
• 2nd Vice Chair: Christina Henderson, District of Columbia Councilmember

In addition to recognizing Chair Allen for his service, the board acknowledged and thanked Elisa Walton, 2021 Chair of the Community Advisory Committee, and Jason Groth, 2021 Chair of the TPB Technical Committee.

In his farewell remarks, Chair Allen emphasized the important role of the TPB.

“I hope that the TPB continues to push state and local leaders to develop transportation projects that take a larger, regional perspective,” he said. “Our transportation system is so necessarily interconnected, and we are the body responsible for ensuring that states and localities build a transportation system with that in mind.”