Curbing emissions from transportation means minimizing the use of private vehicles and increasing walking, biking, transit, and carpooling. Electrifying vehicles can help, but they are not the ultimate answer—we need to reduce the number of vehicle miles driven, period.

There are several strategies to reduce the use of private vehicles and increase walking, biking, and transit:

• Increase transit funding, reliability, and access.
• Make transit free, especially for people with limited income.
• Charge congestion fees. Be careful to structure the program in a way that is equitable.
• Lower speed limits and build bike infrastructure to make biking safe and convenient.
• Support equitable bikeshare programs to make biking available to those who don’t own their own bikes, and to provide spontaneous last-mile travel options.
• Repeal helmet laws, which not only deter riding but are often enforced inequitably.
• Maintain and improve pedestrian infrastructure. Pedestrian safety means full accessibility for people with disabilities, whether they have limited vision, use wheelchairs or walkers, have limited hearing, or have cognitive or other invisible disabilities.
• Repeal jaywalking laws, which are often enforced inequitably, and which prioritize vehicles over people.
• Charge for parking. Everywhere.
• Require employers to meet commute trip reduction goals; provide tax incentives for employers who exceed those goals.
• Require major institutions, such as hospitals and universities, to have robust transportation plans and to meet commute trip reduction goals.
• Make sure public buildings are conveniently accessible from transit, by bike, and by walking or rolling.
• Resist efforts to build or expand highways. Decades of experience have proven that expanding highways creates induced demand, leading to more people driving and not reducing congestion.
• For government or organizational fleets, use electric vehicles, and use them only when necessary. Expect government staff to use transit, bike, walk, roll, or use videoconferencing to attend meetings and events when possible. If you need to travel to other areas of the state or country, carpool or take a train or bus.
• Invest in and maintain an efficient fleet of emergency and maintenance vehicles.