Sustainable transportation

Also commonly referred to Sustainable Transport or Sustainable Mobility, there is no widely accepted definition of sustainable transportation by any of these names. Since it is a sector-specific sub-set to the post-1988 sustainable development movement, it is often defined in words such as this: “Sustainable transportation is about meeting or helping meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” But this is only a starting point.

The concept of sustainable transportation is a reaction to some of the things that have gone radically and visibly wrong with transportation policy, practice and performance over the last half of the twentieth century in particular (unsustainable resource take, energy profligacy, pollution, declining service levels despite increasing investments, poor service for specific social and economic groups). Over most of the century, it was assumed that adequate transportation structures needed to be built since they provide an essential underpinning to growth and economic health. Accordingly the main concern of transport planners and policy makers was in the "supply" of transportation, and specifically in ensuring that the supporting infrastructure was going to be adequate to support all projected requirements. The dominant approach was, therefore, to forecast and then build to meet. In public transport planning likewise it was the supply and efficient operation of vehicles that got the build of attention. As a result, it is claimed by many analysts and observers that most places have as a results heavily overbuilt their physical transportation infrastructures, which in fact has led to unsustainable levels of traffic and resource use.

The sustainable transportation movement, which has gradually gained in force over the last decade and a half, has in the process started to shift the emphasis in public spending and actions away from building and supply, to management and demand. In all cases the values of heightened respect of the environment and prudent use of natural resources are central, with varying degrees of urgency expressed by different actors and interests. That said, it is still very much a minority movement and most actual expenditures in the sector are determined by criteria other than sustainability.

Evolution: 1988-present

Understanding of what sustainable transportation is all about has steadily advanced of the last fifteen years. One early and often cited definition offered back in 1994 by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) may be noted: "Transportation that does not endanger public health or ecosystems and meets mobility needs consistent with (a) use of renewable resources at below their rates of regeneration and (b) use of non-renewable resources at below the rates of development of renewable substitutes". This provided a conservative benchmark view of what sustainable transportation is all about which is still often put forward in the public debate.

The New Zealand Ministry for the Environment offers this more widely shared and complete definition, which extends the reach in terms which are today generally accepted in the field:

“Sustainable transport is about finding ways to move people, goods and information in ways that reduce its impact on the environment, the economy, and society. Some options include:

Using transport modes that use energy more efficiently, such as walking or cycling and public transport improving transport choice by increasing the quality of public transport, cycling and walking facilities, services and environments
Improving the efficiency of our car use, such as using more fuel efficient vehicles, driving more efficiently, avoiding cold starts, and car pooling
Using cleaner fuels and technologies
Using telecommunications to reduce or replace physical travel, such as tele-working or tele-shopping
Planning the layout of our cities to bring people and their needs closer together, and to make cities more vibrant and walkable
Developing policies that allow and promote these options, such as the New Zealand Transport Strategy.” ^*

A shorter definition by the Sustran network does a good job in one paragraph of summarizing the consensus view from the vantage of transport activists and many NGOs:

Sustainable transportation concerns systems, policies, and technologies. It aims for the efficient transit of goods and services, and sustainable freight and delivery systems. The design of vehicle-free city planning, along with pedestrian and bicycle friendly design of neighborhoods is a critical aspect for grassroots activities, as are telework and teleconferencing. It is more about accessibility and mobility, than about 'transportation'. (See the [http://www.vtpi.org/tdm/tdm67.htm TDM Encyclopedia of the Victoria Transport Policy Institute for more definitions.)

In general the phrase is used to encourage more attention to “softer transport options” such as improved provision for cycling, walking, public spaces, rail and other forms of public transport, together with more aggressive control of car use in central areas. It is not usually used to qualify high technology projects such as monorails, Personal Rapid Transit and the like, not least since one of the earmarks of sustainable transport projects is that they are in general careful users of money and space.

Sustainable transportation programs are increasingly giving attention to the importance of cutting the number of vehicles in circulation (VMT) though a wide range of Transportation Demand Management measures. They also look to “movement substitutes” such as telework, telecommuting and better clustering of activities so as to reduce the need for motorized transport.

Whereas it started as a movement driven by environmental concerns, over these last years there has been increased emphasis on social equity and fairness issues, and in particular the need to ensure proper access and services for lower income groups and people with mobility limitations, including the fast growing population of older citizens. Many of those who have not traditionally been well served have been those who either cannot or should not drive their own cars, and those for whom the cost of ownership causes a severe financial burden.

The automotive and energy industries increasingly use the term Mobility to describe and promote their technology developments, primarily in the areas of new motive and engine technologies and advances. The impact of these advances, however, requires at least one or two decades to make a perceptible difference in terms of sustainability.

Short history

The terms ‘sustainable transportation’ is an almost accidental follow-on to the earlier term the Sustainable Development whose origins in turn were the 1987 Our Common Future (1987, World Commission on Environment and Development of the United Nations. In the years following publication of the Bruntland Report, there was considerable discussion of a variety of issues that are part of the sustainable development nexus, but transportation considerations were not in the front line in those early years.

One of the first international organizations to have a closer look at the concept of sustainable transport from the vantage of government policy was a small international working group led by Peter Wiederkehr at the OECD in 1994, that agreed that a new policy approach is needed which places environmental criteria up front along with other policy goals. Recognizing this need, the OECD initiated in 1994 an international project to define and chart a path towards Environmentally Sustainable Transport (EST). The overall objectives of the EST project were to provide an understanding of EST its implications and requirements, and to develop methods and guidelines towards its realization. The core of the EST approach was to develop long-term scenarios and identify instruments and strategies capable of achieving it. To this end the OECD organize with the Government of Canada the 1996 International Conference: Towards Sustainable Transportation in Vancouver, Canada. One result of this were the 1996 Vancouver Principles towards Sustainable Transportation and the strategic directions. (The OECD project shut down its operation in July 2004, though the members of the original working group continue to communicate and collaborate at the specific project and policy level under the leadership of the Austrian Federal Ministry of the Environment.)

The Canadian Centre for Sustainable Transportation defines it as follows:

A sustainable transportation system is one that:

Allows the basic access needs of individuals and societies to be met safely and in a manner consistent with human and ecosystem health, and with equity within and between generations.

Is affordable, operates efficiently, offers choice of transport mode, and supports a vibrant economy.

Limits emissions and waste within the planet’s ability to absorb them, minimizes consumption of non-renewable resources, limits consumption of renewable resources to the sustainable yield level, reuses and recycles its components, and minimizes the use of land and the production of noise.

Internal references

Context

Demand management

Supply management

External links

Print sources

Online TDM Encyclopedia of Victoria Transport Policy Institute
Toward Sustainable Transportation - Report on the Vancouver Conference, 24 mar -27 March 1996
Journal of World Transport Policy and Practice
City of Melbourne draft transport strategy

2006 progress evaluation

The term sustainable transportation and its variants has informed a certain number of university programs, activists and NGOs, and while it is richly debated in specific circles until now it has by and large failed to enter into the mainstream of transport policy and practice in most places — if by that is meant money invested and actual bottom line environmental impacts. But one can say that first steps have been taken and that the movement is gradually developing force. But it has a long way to go if it is ever to become mainstream.

Development | Sustainability | Transportation

Gourt Home::Gourt :: Sustainable transportation