The key objective of this contract is to inform the California Air Resources Board on the quickly evolving transportation patterns resulting from the deployment and adoption of emerging transportation technologies, and the disruptions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, and identify opportunities for reduction of vehicle miles travelled (VMT) and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from transportation.
Specifically, the work included in this contract will provide information useful to support policy making in a number of areas, including the development of the Clean Miles Standard (CMS) regulation in response to Senate Bill (SB) 1014 and future complementary policies aimed to support CMS, and the identification of the available strategies to reduce VMT and GHG emissions from transportation in California as the state recovers from the impacts of the pandemic and the resulting modifications in individual behaviors and economic activities.
To support this goal, the project team at the University of California, Davis (UCD) will
(1) analyze data available from previous projects conducted at UCD and other institutions,
(2) conduct an original data collection to evaluate the temporary and longer-term impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on mobility, and
(3) evaluate the policy space for VMT reductions in the "after COVID-19" world.
The project will product insightful information that will be used by California Air Resources Board (CARB) staff to support the development of policies to decarbonize transportation, and promote societal benefits including increased use of public transit and active transportation at a time of deep disruptions caused by the deployment of new transportation technologies and the devastating pandemic that is likely to change employment activities, household organization and individual travel choices in the longer term.