TCI Regional Policy Design Stakeholder Submissions

I am concerned we have a viable world for our children, their children and all that follow us. We need to take steps to reduce the amount of chemicals we create, put in the air, dump in the waters and bury in landfills or we won't have a viable world.

Climate change and global warming are existential threats to future generations. My stake in this initiative is as a private citizen concerned about our planet and its species. Not taking mitigating actions in the near future will have dire consequences. The rail corridor will remove thousands of polluting automobile trips on this intensely traveled route. I heartily endorse your efforts.

For the sake of our planet's sustainability and particularly the low-income communities most affected by climate concerns, I absolutely support a cap on emissions. Please participate!

I support the climate initiative. I STRONGLY support re-creating the electric trolley system that Massachusetts had until 1920 or so. Around then Mass had 3,200 miles of privately owned trolley tracks. Folks could travel throughout the state often faster than we can today before COVID, anyway. :-) Now that we are in Covid, hasn't everyone noticed how much cleaner the air is? What about looking at the stars at night? Since I live near Boston, light and air pollution have affected what I can see. Now that the air is cleaner, I can see more.
PLUS ... google for pictures on how several large cities around the world have much cleaner air because fewer people can drive.

This is a much needed step in our ongoing response to climate change. We need to be developing low/no carbon transportation systems now to insure the viability of our planet

It was brought to my attention that TCI has marginalized the importance of creating more bike/ped infrastructure. I received this excerpt from your report: "Due to the physical exertion and relatively slow pace, bicycle and pedestrian trips tend to be short in length (on average, not more than five miles for the former, and two miles for the latter) (EPA, 2011), meaning that these modes are unlikely to be viable substitutes for trips between more distant locales, no matter what measures are put in place to encourage their use. It has also been found that walking, in particular, is more likely to be used for recreation, rather than as a commuting option for workers (EPA 2011)." This does not take into consideration what has been proven in places that have good bicycle infrastructure. People will choose to bicycle even long distances if they feel safe and comfortable on the roads. Copenhagen is one example where the bike ways they made have increased the distance people will commute. This is an environmental as well as a public health issue. Obesity in the U.S. is a problem, and highlighted at this time when obesity is making Americans more susceptible to Covid-19. Please change your position and reasoning on bike/ped infrastructure so that more people and groups will support TCI. The more travel by human power the better for the health of the environment and people. And while electric cars may eventually help, currently only 18% of U.S. electricity is from renewable sources, the rest is from fossil fuels and nuclear energy.

Thank you Virginia for joining and working on this. The convergence of three revolutions will be important to encourage in the right direction- ride sharing/bike/car sharing; AVs and EVs. Shuttles/multi-occupancy vehicles that are electric (with an electric grid that is low-carbon) but don't forget autonomous vehicles. Our transit company, Hampton Roads Transit, has trouble finding and keeping drivers, so is keeping an eye on AV technology, as are a lot of other heavy hitters, and the state of Michigan. Michigan is providing grant $ to address mobility and fund solutions (PlanetM.com). This plan will help small businesses with economic recovery post-covid and address the challenges of mobility in a more sustainable way. Grand Rapids has an autonomous vehicle initiative, with a shuttle fleet of AVs from a public-private partnership. Even the little city of Crozet VA I heard has an AV shuttle, made right here in this state.

This is an amazing thing. Some things that will make it more amazing:
-Expansion to other states. There is only one passenger rail line in Oklahoma, and it only connects OKC to Texas.
-An expansion of the cap-and-trade, and perhaps the implementation of a carbon tax instead of cap-and-trade.