Transit Villages: A great way to reduce greenhouse gases?

When people think of ways to reduce greenhouse gases, talk usually centers on solutions like cutting industrial smokestack emissions and encouraging Americans to drive hybrid cards, build more "green" buildings, use solar power, and replace light bulbs with fluorescent ones.

These days, charities will even plant trees in South America and Africa to "neutralize your carbon footprint" if you feel guilty about your SUV or other gas-guzzling automobile.

But here's a key solution that is closer to home yet rarely comes up when people discuss the climate crisis: better land use planning that links "smart growth" to transit.

In the fight against greenhouse gases, most of the regulatory attention continues to focus on smokestacks and other "point" sources in the industrial sector because government officials often feel helpless to address the portion of emissions that comes from the growing number of car and truck trips.

In New Jersey, this is a serious problem, since transportation accounts for the largest source of carbon dioxide emissions: almost 40 percent of greenhouse gases comes from cars and trucks, while industry is responsible for 16 percent of emissions, according to the Department of Environmental Protection.

Hybrid cars, high-occupancy vehicle lanes, and more stringent tailpipe emission standards can help, but much more needs to be done. To wit: We must plan for increased use of transit by creating places that encourage more zero-car and one-car households and dramatically reduce the number and length of vehicle trips taken by everyone else.

A critical first step in reaching this goal is to help communities recognize that such a task is doable. In N.J., we can determine for each municipality just what their clean air responsibility is by breaking down statewide goals into targets for each county. This is essential since transportation is something that can only be addressed on a regional basis.

Mercer County, where the state capital is located, for example, would need to eliminate approximately 25 million car and truck trips by 2020 if the county is to meet its share of the ambitious and much-lauded goals outlined in N.J.'s recently enacted clean air legislation, according to research conducted by PlanSmart NJ. That may sound like a lot, but it is only about seven percent of the current trips for this county.

The next step is to work at the county level to help communities determine the best ways to get that seven percent of trips off the road. Here's where the land use planning comes in. Transit villages and other pedestrianfriendly Main Street-style communities are ideal planning choic- es for reducing vehicle miles traveled (VMTs).

A 2003 study by Rutgers found that residents of Transit Villages owned between 10 percent to 20 percent fewer cars than people living in other communities. In addition, they have greener commuting habits, with more people using trains and buses or walking to work.

Public transit use has been identified as one of the best ways Americans can help to combat climate change. According to research conducted by the American Public Transportation Association, if one person switches from driving to taking transit, they can reduce their household's annual carbon footprint by 10 percent. Another study recently released by the Urban Land Institute claims that "compact development" can lead to a 30 percent cut in VMT.

New Jersey is ahead of the game when it comes to transit. The state boasts one of the nation's most extensive public transportation networks, and is second only to New York in the percentage of residents who commute

to work. New Jersey is also at the forefront

of a national movement to promote more transit-centered development. In 1999, the state established a Transit Village Initiative, spearheaded by the Department of Transportation, and has accepted 19 communities into the program. An official Transit Village designation results in priority funding from some state agencies, grant eligibility, less administrative red tape, and increased interest from developers following acceptance into the program.

The problem? Too many of the state's designated Transit Villages are not located in areas where jobs are projected to grow. In addition, many of the state's largest employers are not located near transit. In Northern New Jersey, targeted state funding for redevelopment has little strategic connection with where the transit is.

N.J. needs to get its act together, and soon. The environmental impacts of N.J.'s sprawling auto-dependent communities are clear: we have the second most polluted air in the nation and, with 127 miles of coastline, we stand to lose $30 billion in tourism revenues from our shore communities if ocean levels rise, as predicted, from global warming. And then there are N.J.'s three nuclear reactors, which are all located near the Atlantic as well.

But fear of rising sea levels isn't the only reason to promote Transit Villages. Such development would also provide a muchneeded boost to our economy. With more and more New Jerseyans fleeing the state because of congestion and a lack of affordable housing, Transit Villages offer N.J. a unique opportunity to create communities with homes that workers can afford in locations that are transit friendly and close to the where the state's employment centers are. Another fringe benefit? According to a Rutgers study, Transit Village residents report being decidedly happier with their communities than other New Jerseyans.

In the end, wouldn't we all be better off if New Jersey invested in more Transit Villages and the expansion of a multi-modal transportation system that encouraged transit use from the major arteries in rail-driven north, all the way down to the smallest capillaries in the rapidly growing southern part of the state? This innovative goal is N.J.'s best bet for reducing harmful greenhouse gases and ensuring a better life for everyone- in the Garden State and beyond.

Dianne Brake

President

PlanSmart NJ,

formerly The Regional

Planning Partnership

Trenton