Jaap M. Vleugel

Options for sustainable passenger transport: an assessment of policy choices

If the current trends in transport are not changed, a sustainable transport system is not feasible. In order to achieve such a state, new technologies may be an interesting option. In this paper, several success and failure factors for the introduction of new technologies are analyzed. These possibilities are identified in different areas, notably economic, spatial, institutional, social/psychological and technological fields. Within this context the following new options are discussed: the electric car, people movers, subterranean infrastructure, telematics, the high speed train, the high speed maglev train, shuttles in vacuum tunnels and alternative fuels. Finally, some policy choices, which may stimulate future technical developments, are discussed. It is concluded that an active government policy may stimulate the introduction of new technologies, which may make a substantial contribution to achieving a sustainable transport system.

Assessment of capacity in infrastructure networks: a multidimensional view

SUMMARY In various recent studies on infrastructure policy the idea of the so‐called pentagon model has been used. This model is a strategic tool for evaluating networks on the basis of five critical success factors: •hardware (e.g., efficient technological standardisation)•software (e.g., use of compatible information systems)•orgware (e.g., existence of effective management structures)•finware (e.g., presence of private or public financial institutions)•ecoware (e.g., environment‐friendly or regulated systems). The previous notions may also be helpful in investigating policy alternatives regarding infrastructure capacity. Capacity is not only a technologically determined given stock (measured in terms of hardware), but may also be determined by route guidance systems (software) or smart traffic regulations (orgware), especially from the viewpoint of a network systems operation. In the light of all these remarks, however, this paper pays more thorough attention to the notion of capacity of infrastructur...

Socio-economic Dynamics and Spatial Mobility: A Scenario Application to Environmental Strategies in Transport

The 21st century will see a variety of new social and technological trends which will influence the way in which transport is supplied and utilized. At present a wide range of social phenomena, including rising incomes, increased leisure time, new communication technologies, an ageing population and a declining role of the traditional family are changing the nature of the demands we place on transport. In response to new techniques of production, shipping and the growth of markets economic activities are also changing. Institutional reforms such as privatisation and deregulation have changed transport in ways that are not yet well understood. At the same time the increasing use of petroleum resources for travel and transport has raised concerns about the eventual depletion of fossil fuels as well as the contribution to global warming and decreases in urban air quality. Europe and the United States are the world’s major energy consumers and transport users. However, the long-term sustainability of current transport systems is increasingly being questioned as levels of motor vehicle fatalities and injuries as well as congestion continue to rise. These trends raise questions on whether our current transport systems will be sustainable beyond the next half century (see also Black and Nijkamp, 2001).