California Air Resources Board

Principal Investigator/Author: Marta Gonzalez

Contractor: University of California, Berkeley

Contract number: 20RD005

Project Status: Active

Relevant CARB programs: Sustainable Communities & Climate Protection Program, Research Planning

Topic areas: Sustainable Communities, Research & Sustainable Communities, Sustainable Community Strategies (SCS), Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) Reduction & Climate Goals, Land Use & Transportation Research

Research Summary:

In this project, the contractor will develop techniques to integrate and analyze various geo-located data sets to put in place a system to collect data on travel behavior and VMT over time. Existing data (including big data) will be analyzed to better elucidate Californians’ travel trends at smaller scales and with better statewide coverage than can be achieved with surveys alone. This analysis of VMT and trip purpose will be performed statewide in a six-month period prior to the COVID-19 pandemic (pre-COVID), as well as at small geographic scales before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic (post-COVID). Results will inform State actions to support the post-COVID reopening while also capitalizing on travel/VMT-related changes that help the State meet longer term VMT, GHG, and air quality goals.

The pre-COVID, statewide VMT analysis will be assessed to determine barriers that may be thwarting policies to reduce VMT, such as political and/or policy barriers to infill development, lack of access to transit or active travel modes, and lack of accessibility to key services and destinations. The post-COVID, neighborhood level VMT analysis will be assessed to increase our understanding of travel behavior changes at small geographic scales, which in turn will help identify where essential workers live and work, where transit is critically needed to connect essential workers from their homes to their workplaces, where people capable of teleworking live and work.

Keywords: Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT); transportation trend; sustainable community strategies (SCS); greenhouse gas reduction strategies; big data

Research Seminar

Final Report: Please email research@arb.ca.gov to request the Final Report generated by this research contract.