The Future of Sustainable Transportation in Hanover

Town “Ready for 100” goals include 100% renewable energy for transportation by 2050. We can see students walking and bicycling to school, Advance Transit rider numbers going up, Dartmouth administrators walking to lunch, student athletes scooting rather than driving to practice, and well-utilized bike racks around town and campus. But how can we know if we are moving closer to our goal?

One big indicator, vehicle miles travelled, or “VMT” tells a positive story of progress. Each year New Hampshire Department of Transportation provides counts of how many vehicles drive in Hanover. Using sensors on roads across town, they catch all of the cars and trucks coming in and out of town and traveling over key road segments to get a sense of which routes people drive. And based on these counts and mobility patterns Hanover has decreased VMT by close to 13% in the past decade, and by more than 14% from historical highs in the mid 2000s.

This bucks a national trend, where since the pandemic, VMT has continued its upwards trend. The increase in miles driven nationally is so great that it drowns out green house gas reductions from fuel efficiencies and electric vehicles, and transportation stands out as the largest contributor of GHG in the United States. In New Hampshire transportation accounts for an astonishing 48% of state GHG.  And passenger cars and light-duty trucks— that is, vehicles used for commuting, errands, and personal travel, are the largest contributor to New Hampshire’s transportation emissions.

Hanover’s decline of VMT in the past decade has had a big impact – reducing GHG by more than 12,000 metric tons of CO₂, more than the CO₂ offset by our 4,560-panel, 1.72 MW municipal solar farm generating energy for eight years. Add this to efficiency gains and Hanover has saved more than 17,000 metric tons CO₂ more than it would have produced if it had continued at 2015 baseline VMT and carbon emissions per mile.

Driving less also decreases microplastic pollution that arises from tire wear. By driving less Hanover has saved more than 314 pounds of microplastic pollution that otherwise would have been washed into our soil and waterways. In addition, this multi-decade trend of driving less reduces wear and tear on critical infrastructure, saving us repair and repaving costs.

We are a long way from zero, and while every trip counts we need a comprehensive approach to reach our goal. With continued improvements in fuel efficiencies, technological innovations that help transition to low- or zero-carbon fuels, and people driving less, either because destinations are within closer reach or people have safe and convenient alternatives to driving, we can stay on track to meet our goals and celebrate Hanover’s progress!