The New York City Department of Transportation today bestowed sustainability awards to companies that participated in a research project led by Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Professor Jose Holguin-Veras. The three-year project was the first of its kind in the world, and tested a system of incentives aimed at inducing a shift of delivery truck traffic in Manhattan to the off-hours. Such a shift in truck traffic is expected to alleviate daytime traffic congestion and boost economic growth in New York City. Holguin-Veras is a professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Rensselaer, and director of the university’s Center for Infrastructure, Transportation, and the Environment.

The following statement should be attributed to David Rosowsky, dean of engineering at Rensselaer:

“Everyone can relate to the monotony of being stuck in traffic, and all of us who have driven in Manhattan know the frustration of time lost to gridlock. This congestion is not only a nuisance to drivers — it has negative economic implications in terms of preventing a steadier throughput of tourists and shoppers to Manhattan. This congestion also impacts air quality and is a huge waste of energy. Rensselaer Professor Jose Holguin-Veras has innovated — and now tested — an intriguing solution to combat this congestion: offering financial incentives to downtown businesses for accepting deliveries at night. By all accounts, the test was an incredible success and has paved the way for an entirely new paradigm in freight management. We congratulate Dr. Holguin-Veras on his success, and we applaud the New York City Department of Transportation for recognizing the savvy and forward-thinking businesses who participated in this important research study.”

See the New York City Department of Transportation (NYCDOT) news release at: http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot///html/pr2010/pr10_028.shtml

For more information on Holguin-Veras’ freight management incentive research, visit:

• http://news.rpi.edu/update.do?artcenterkey=2323
• http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/html/motorist/offhoursdelivery.shtml
• http://blogger.rpi.edu/approach/2009/09/28/unjamming-traffic/
• http://green.rpi.edu/archives/green_transportation/index.html