TRANSPORTATION

Transportation has quickly eclipsed manufacturing as the main source of air pollution in the United States and elsewhere. Over 50% of the harmful air emissions nationwide are a direct result of automobiles. The combustion of fossil fuels is also an important source of greenhouse gasses, which in turn contribute to global warming. It is not an exaggeration to say that transportation is a key sustainability issue for the 21st century.

The sustainability orientation for transportation requires that we move from high impact forms of transportation (like individual cars) to lower impact forms (like pedestrian travel, bicycles, and mass transit). The problem is that the individual automobile is such an important part of our culture, is so convenient, and offers the greatest amount of personal mobility, that it is a hard task to wean people away from them. The strategies needed to reduce dependence on the automobile, and to reduce the emissions, traffic congestion, and other negative impacts need to be multifaceted, which the policies that Burlington has developed illustrate:

THE PRACTICES:

Burlington Bikeways
Campus Area Transportation Management Association
Good News Garage
Pedestrian Improvements and Traffic Calming