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Coordinating public-transit strategies with travel activity, land use development and operational efficiencies could reduce greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions by 24 percent, according to the study recently released by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA).

The “Moving Cooler” study also estimates that consumers’ annual vehicle cost savings exceed the cost of enacting the strategies by as much as $112 billion. Conducted by Cambridge Systematics, the study is sponsored by APTA, Shell Oil, the Federal Highway Administration, Urban Land Institute, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), National Resource Defense Council and many other organizations. The study analyzed public-transit strategies and their potential impact through 2050.

"This study confirms that to be effective in reducing greenhouse-gas emissions from the transportation sector, we must move beyond thinking about individual modes," said APTA President William Millar in a prepared statement. "With comprehensive and systematic changes in how we approach transportation and land use, public transit and other strategies can play a significant role in addressing climate change.”

The EPA estimates that 28 percent of the Unites States' total GHG emissions come from transportation modes. The study shows that from 1996 to 2006, growth in U.S. transportation GHG emissions represented almost one-half of the increase in the nation’s total GHG emissions.

To reduce the emissions, public transit agencies could expand services, and motorists could drive at lower speeds and improve driving techniques, according to the study. Long-term strategies would include changes in development patterns and land use, which aim to increase density and reduce vehicle travel.