Deloitte research releases smart mobility report.

• Position: News & Numbers - Report

The expansion of alternative modes of transportation could lead to reduced congestion and other benefits, according to Smart mobility: Reducing congestion and fostering faster; greener, and cheaper transportation options, a new report from Deloitte's Public Sector Research organization. The report also identifies the types of transportation suited to a city or suburb.

Using geospatial analytics, such as coupling location data with existing government data, the report examines the potential congestion-reduction benefits in major metropolitan areas across the United States. Congestion reduction could result from the expansion of alternative modes of commuting including: ridesharing services (carpooling), biking, car sharing, and on-demand ride services.

To understand which major metropolitan areas stand to gain the most congestion relief from these alternative mobility strategies, Deloitte analyzed commuter-behavior data at the census-tract level and formulated estimates on the potential savings that could be realized if commuters who could reasonably use alternative commuting modes did so. It found that:

* Ridesharing has the potential to offer $30.3 billion in annual savings to individuals and cities from reduced congestion, deferred road construction, safety improvements, and lower carbon emissions. Ridesharing could also reduce annual traffic accidents by 22,915 and lower carbon emissions by 9.1 million metric tons annually.

* Bike commuting has nearly the same potential benefits as ridesharing, with $27.6 billion in annual savings between commuters and cities, and reduced annual carbon emissions of 5 million metric tons.

* Car sharing could provide up to $3 billion in annual savings to individuals and cities from reduced congestion, deferred road construction and lower carbon emissions. Car sharing could lower annual accidents by 1,391 and carbon emissions by...