VESPA - The Solution To Gas Gouging and Global Warming

 Ride A Vespa…

If gas prices have got you hot under the collar, think about this:  data from a new traffic model released today demonstrates that the nation’s largest city could significantly reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, a key factor in the global warming debate, and reduce fuel consumption while saving a great deal of time lost to congestion by simply incorporating more motor scooters into the commuting vehicle mix.  The results of this study directly respond to growing concerns about traffic congestion in New York City.  In his December 2006 sustainability speech, Mayor Michael Bloomberg discussed the City’s growing congestion challenges and set a goal to reduce New York’s emissions by 30 percent. 

The traffic model, examining a central section of midtown Manhattan in New York City, was developed by transportation engineering and planning firm Sam Schwartz PLLC using Synchro/Sim Traffic 6.0 – an industry-standard tool deployed by transportation engineers.  Through modeling, the simulation incorporated scooters into the traffic mix in 10 percent increments – examining the impact of moving from 100 percent cars (including small SUVs, vans, etc.), to 90 percent cars / 10 percent scooters, to 80 percent cars / 20 percent scooters, and so on. 

The results of the core simulation were extrapolated to encompass the entire Manhattan Central Business District (stretching from 60th Street to the lower tip of Manhattan).  By shifting the daytime vehicle mix to 80 percent cars / 20 percent scooters, the following would result annually: 

• A total decrease in delay of more than 4.6 million hours per year – which translates to time savings of nearly 100 working hours per person
• A reduction in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by over 26,000 tons (52,000,000-pounds) per year
• A decrease in fuel consumption by over 2.5 million gallons per year
• A total savings for New York City of more than $122 million per year in fuel and labor productivity

The team at Sam Schwartz PLLC noted that the simulation was conservative in its estimation of the positive impact of scooters – as it did not factor into the model that two scooters can occupy a single lane side-by-side when riding, as permitted by New York law. 

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