Transportation: 59% of Community Emissions.png "Transportation Emissions 2019")
Residents and visitors in Knoxville drove an estimated 4.52 billion miles in 2019. These vehicle miles - primarily fueled by fossil fuels like gasoline and diesel - accounted for about 59% of the community’s greenhouse gas emissions in 2019.
Like most communities across the nation, Knoxville has experienced increased vehicle traffic over the last decade due to population growth and a strong economy. Unfortunately, average vehicle fuel economy has not significantly increased since 2012. As a result, transportation has grown into a larger share of community-wide emissions since 2005.
City Focus Areas
The City is working to further diversify our vehicle fleet and ensure that we’re using lower-carbon fuels as much as possible. We’re also exploring ways to modernize transportation infrastructure in order to accommodate new technologies and improve local transportation systems.
City successes include:
Community Priorities
The Mayor’s Climate Council ranked transportation strategies for their potential to directly reduce greenhouse gas emissions and their community benefits. For example, vehicle electrification also benefits community health by reducing airborne particulate matter and other pollutants, and improvements to public transit and bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure improve connectivity.
Mayor's Climate Council - Priority Transportation Strategies
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Rankings* |
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Expand and improve bicycle and pedestrian facilities, connectivity, convenience, and/or safety in a manner that significantly increases the number of trips taken by walking or biking
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Make public transit investments that significantly enhance coverage, service quality, frequency, and/or speed
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Significantly accelerate community adoption of electric vehicles
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Partner with major local commercial fleet operators to transition to electric vehicles
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Resources