Quantifying Reductions in Vehicle Miles Traveled from New Pedestrian Facilities: Summary Report

Under California’s Cap-and-Trade program, the State’s portion of the proceeds from Cap-and-Trade auctions is deposited in the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF). The Legislature and Governor enact budget appropriations from the GGRF for State agencies to invest in projects that help achieve the State’s climate goals. These investments are collectively called California Climate Investments. Senate Bill (SB) 862 requires the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to develop guidance on reporting and quantification methods for all State agencies that receive appropriations from the GGRF. CARB may review and update quantification methodologies, as needed. CARB developed quantification methodologies to provide project-level greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction and co-benefit estimates for administering agencies to use when selecting projects for funding. To measure GHG emission reductions from new pedestrian facilities, CARB relies on a method it published with the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) in 2005 for evaluating motor vehicle fee registration projects and congestion mitigation and air quality improvement (CMAQ) projects. This report summarizes outcomes from a literature review to determine whether and how the CMAQ methods could be modified to better reflect emerging data and methods for estimating reductions in vehicle miles traveled (VMT) from new pedestrian facilities, the first step in estimating GHG emission reductions. The report also explores how VMT reductions from new pedestrian facilities could be quantified using the alternative quantification method developed for bicycle projects in the companion technical documentation titled “Quantifying Reductions in Vehicle Miles Traveled from New Bike Paths, Lanes, and Cycle Tracks” (Bike Facility Report). View the NCST Project Webpage