VTTI’s Center for Sustainable Mobility (CSM) is saving money through focusing on traffic congestion. Under director Hesham Rakha’s leadership, the center partnered with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to model traffic in the Los Angeles area, the source of the biggest congestion in the country. The results found that of the 10 percent of travelers surveyed, 55 percent would accept recommendations to curb traffic. From this small sample alone VTTI showed that these actions would lead to a 4% reduction in energy consumption and a 20% reduction in delays.
Rakha believes that rideshares and multi-modal transportation research are critical to continuing to make transportation more affordable. As a PhD student, he was able to share one car with his four roommates since the need for a vehicle on a daily basis was low. From his personal experiences combined with his passion for having environmentally friendly transportation, he asserts that the ability to save money is within our grasp, provided that there is a sustained focus on ensuring that the logistical transition will be a smooth process.
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