The National Academies Press

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Pages 39-58

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From page 41... ... Second, the major purpose of this conference is to try to get sustainability types of notions into the transport planning process, and this suggests that at least up to now it has not been addressed. Therefore, before we examine the second question we will at least suggest some of the components of a sustainable transport system on the basis of the definitions and other literature. Read the entire page →
From page 42... ... limits emissions and waste within the planet's ability to absorb them, minimizes consumption of nonrenewable resources, reuses and recycles its components, and minimizes the use of land and the production of noise. Europeans tend to refer to this notion of sustainable transport as sustainable mobility. Read the entire page →
From page 43... ... Diminishing Petroleum Reserves It is generally recognized that in the 100 or so years of motor vehicles using gasoline as a fuel, the world has consumed approximately 1 trillion barrels of petroleum for this and other purposes -- all of this at a time when only a small proportion of the population of that world had access to such vehicles or other uses for petroleum energy. The major question at this point is, what is the future demand for this fuel and will the Earth be able to supply it? Read the entire page →
From page 44... ... Global Atmospheric Impacts Some researchers believe that humans are placing emissions into the atmosphere that will eventually have impacts on the global climate. Others believe these impacts have already begun with increasing global temperatures and a rise in sea level. Read the entire page →
From page 45... ... Noise One major difference between sustainable transport in the United States and sustainable mobility in Europe is the latter's concern with noise. There is a wealth of literature suggesting that loud noise and continuous noise can be harmful to human health. Read the entire page →
From page 46... ... Diminishing Petroleum Reserves Diminishing petroleum reserves are being addressed in several ways. These are not necessarily planning based, and I will return to that later. Read the entire page →
From page 47... ... Biological Impacts Transport facilities and operations can affect animal and plant life. In some cases the impacts involve destruc4 1SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORT: DEFINITIONS AND RESPONSES Read the entire page →
From page 48... ... Guilford Press, New York. Centre for Sustainable Transportation. Read the entire page →
From page 49... ... n.d. Sustainable Transportation Indicators. Read the entire page →
From page 50... ... Martin Wachs, University of California at Berkeley "Sustainability" has become one of the watchwordsgoverning policy deliberations and debates abouttransportation. The intensity with which sustainable transportation will be debated is likely to increase for decades to come. Read the entire page →
From page 51... ... For example, in the late 1960s in the United States we were at the height of the national freeway building period that has now ended, and we were just starting to formulate a national program of capital investment in public transit. We tried at that time to find the right balance between mobility and environmental concerns, and the process was not at all easy. Read the entire page →
From page 52... ... • Local governments that adopted a formal approach, with goals, deadlines, inventories, and forecasts, tended to be more effective than those that were well meaning but less focused. • Planning was more often undertaken where GHG reduction was seen by state leaders to contribute to other ongoing state plans and programs, such as economic development and smart growth. Read the entire page →
From page 54... ... Fleet fuel economy has improved as well, though perhaps less dramatically, and improvement has been slowing in recent years. These technological changes, of course, are not independent of political decision making. Read the entire page →
From page 55... ... Key questions concern whether market forces will be sufficient or whether they need to be coupled with federal and state regulations. In the past, the corporate average fuel economy regulations that were part of the Energy Policy and Conservation Act and the tailpipe emissions standards and National Ambient Air Quality Standards required by the Clean Air Act Amendments have been controversial because they have attempted to force technological change. Read the entire page →
From page 56... ... Regional Planning In the United States regional transportation planning has long emphasized the construction of transportation capacity. As environmental, especially air quality, and social and economic impacts have become increasingly important concerns in regional planning, our long-range transportation plans become more sophisticated, but they continue to emphasize capital investments in facilities. Read the entire page →
From page 57... ... Is basic planning reform feasible to the extent that regional planning can contribute to sustainable mobility? • Can American society, through education and marketing, achieve a sufficient shift to more sustainable modes of transportation, including walking, cycling, and public transit use, to warrant an increasing focus on such strategies in our approach to sustainability? Read the entire page →
From page 58... ... 2003. Can Sustainable Transport Be Made Acceptable? Read the entire page →

From page 41...

... Second, the major purpose of this conference is to try to get sustainability types of notions into the transport planning process, and this suggests that at least up to now it has not been addressed. Therefore, before we examine the second question we will at least suggest some of the components of a sustainable transport system on the basis of the definitions and other literature.