272 • Transport, energy and environment

(D and E) have lower densities and rely on the automobile for most urban movements.
A shortcoming of the above classi¿cation is that it considers only one dimension of
urban transportation: the mobility of passengers. Cities are also subject to intense Àows
of goods since they are locations of production, consumption and distribution. Freight
distribution should be considered an important component of urban sustainability.

Sustainable transportation
Transportation, as a core component supporting the interactions and the development of
socioeconomic systems, has also been the object of much consideration of to what
extent it is sustainable (Figure 8.5):

Sustainable transportation. The capacity to support the mobility needs of people,

freight and information in a manner that is the least damaging to the environment.

The concept of sustainable transportation is intricately linked with the development of

sustainable transport modes, infrastructures and logistics. Three major dimensions are
considered for such a purpose:

Environment. A reduction of the environmental impacts of transportation is a

likely strategy for sustainability. Transportation signi¿cantly contributes to harmful

Sustainable development

Sustainable transportation

Modes Infrastructures Logistics

Environment Economy Society

Climate change Growth Safety

Air quality Jobs and Health

prosperity
Noise Disturbance
Fair pricing
Land use Access
Competitiveness
Waste Equity
Choice

Figure 8.5 Sustainable transportation

Source: Adapted from UK Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1999) Indicators of
Sustainable Development.
 Transport, energy and environment • 273

emissions, noise and climate changes. Vehicles are becoming more environmentally
ef¿cient but there are more of them around. An improvement of the land use
impacts of transportation, especially the impacts of infrastructure construction and
maintenance, is also a strategic goal to achieve. The transportation system is also a
generator of wastes (vehicles, parts, packaging, etc.) that must be reduced.
Economy. Transportation is a factor of economic growth and development. A
sustainable strategy would aim to ef¿ciently use transportation for the purpose
of growth and for the creation of jobs. Transportation should also have a fair
pricing strategy, meaning that users are bearing the full costs (direct and indirect)
of their usage of the transport system. A transport system where competition is
fair and open is likely to promote modal choice and ef¿ciency. In a system where
transport is a public or private monopoly, price distortions and misallocations
of capital are created which in the long run are likely to render the system
unsustainable.
Society. Sustainable transportation should bene¿t society. It should be safe, should
not impair human health and should minimize disturbance on communities. Access
and equity are also two important principles as transportation should promote the
access to goods and services for as many people as possible.

Sustainable development applied to transport systems requires the promotion of link-

ages between environmental protection, economic ef¿ciency and social progress. Under
the environmental dimension, the objective consists in understanding the reciprocal
inÀuences of the physical environment and the practices of the industry and that
environmental issues are addressed by all aspects of the transport industry. Under
the economic dimension, the objective consists of orienting progress in the sense
of economic ef¿ciency. Transport must be cost-effective and capable of adapting to
changing demands. Under the social dimension, the objective consists in upgrading
standards of living and quality of life.
Most agree that automobile dependence is related to an unsustainable urban environ-
ment. However, such an observation is at odds with the mobility choice and preferences
of the global population where the automobile is rapidly adopted when income levels
reach a certain threshold. Other transport alternatives commonly do not measure up to
the convenience of the automobile. Private and Àexible forms of transportation, such as
the automobile, are thus fundamental to urban mobility and should not be discarded as
options for the sake of sustainability. A bias is observed in the transport community
towards an emphasis for public transit and non-motorized transportation as the
dominant, if not sole, strategy towards sustainable transportation. Yet, almost all
public transit systems are ¿nancially unsustainable, imposing burdens on the society.
Freight transportation must also been considered in this process owing to the substantial
growth of raw materials and goods being traded in a global economy. Freight trans-
portation relies on much more environmentally sound modes such as rail and maritime
transport.
Despite the apparent and projected success of measures to promote transport sustain-
ability, they have their limits. Indeed, the built environment and transport infrastructure
cannot change quickly enough to solve the bulk of problems related to unsustainable
transport. Most of the investment that is already in place will remain in place for
50 years or more and new investment (in additional or improved infrastructure) will
not represent much more than a few percentage points change in terms of reducing
traf¿c congestion and its negative externalities. While policies, rules and regulations