The MSRC has played a key role in helping to deliver thousands of clean vehicles to the streets of communities throughout the region, and helping commuters reduce the number of miles they must drive. Since its creation, the MSRC’s Clean Transportation Funding program has removed as much as 8,000 tons of air pollution from the skies of Southern California. Through the co-funding of alternative fuel vehicles, the program has helped the region move closer to achieving smog standards and reduced the residents’ exposure to airborne toxics and other pollutants founds in diesel emissions. The MSRC has received national recognition for its innovative, precedent-setting programs; agencies from Texas to Maine are now replicating its successful programs. Major accomplishments include:
Co-funded the deployment of:
- 2005 clean alternative fuel & gasoline-electric hybrid transit buses
- 474 alternative fuel school buses
- 800 other alternative fuel heavy duty vehicles such as trash trucks, street sweepers, grocery trucks, cargo-handling equipment and construction equipment
Implemented:
- A cutting-edge program to showcase cleaner construction equipment, in partnership with the California Air Resources Board and the SCAQMD
- Incentive programs to buy down the price of clean fuel passenger cars and trucks
- A variety of programs to expand the use of bicycles that replace vehicles on the road, including purchase incentives for electric-assist bicycles, bike racks on buses, and bicycles for law enforcement patrols
- A major event center transportation program designed to address extreme traffic congestion and associated pollution impacts at large venues not sufficiently served by regularly scheduled transit or shuttle service
Co-funded the installation of:
- 117 fueling stations to support alternative fueled passenger cars and heavy-duty vehicles (and supported the upgrade/expansion of an additional 57 existing stations)
- CARB-certified engines and diesel emission control technologies through re-powers and retrofits of heavy-duty vehicles, including construction equipment
Other funded projects:
- Innovative commuter assistance programs including ridesharing, telephone and web-based campaigns to provide travel information, telework, and Freeway Service Patrols
- Funded studies of the issues associated with the goods movement industry and its impact on local air quality
Awards:
- A 1999 Clean Air Award from the South Coast Air Quality Management District recognizing MSRC-funded projects including: Palm Springs Bike project; Honda’s introduction of a CNG sedan; the Long Beach Bike Station; and Los Angeles Department of Water and Power installation of Electric Vehicle Charging Stations
- The MSRC’s “Quick Charge” Electric Vehicle Outreach Program was awarded the Leadership Education Project Award from the Los Angeles Section of the American Planning Association in 1997. The outreach effort was conducted by an MSRC consultant, The Planning Center, and included a wide variety of channels to assist in the installation of Electric Vehicle Charging Stations in the South Coast Air Basin by public and private jurisdictions.