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Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) has established a statewide goal to triple the share of travel by transit, bicycling and walking as part of an effort to reduce the state's greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, MassDOT Secretary and Chief Executive Officer Richard Davey announced yesterday.

The initiative will help improve the environment and preserve the highway system by reducing traffic and traffic congestion, Davey and state officials said in a prepared statement.

"This initiative will reduce the number of cars on the road and help us make further progress towards our nation-leading GHG emission reduction target of 25 percent by the year 2020," said Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Rick Sullivan.

Transportation is second to buildings as a source of GHG emission, with the vast majority of transportation emissions coming from cars and trucks.

In collaboration with various partners, MassDOT will "reconsider what is possible for our transportation system and imagine healthier, greener and cleaner mobility," MassDOT officials said.