The well-travelled yogurt pot: Lessons for new freight transport policies and regional production

by Stefanie Böge

Freight transport on roads has increased greatly, especially in the food sector. The growing distances in goods transportation are decisive determinants of environmental and social impacts. There are capacity limits which become evident in the environmental field and in the social field in decreasing quality of life. The concept of a product-related transportation analysis which analyses the product related transportation procedures has been accomplished for a strawberry yogurt. If on 150g strawberry yogurt is purchased in a supermarket in southern Germany, it will have been responsible for moving one lorry over 9.2 metres. So-called "environmental" products are not environmental if the distances are included. A regional product label can identify the origin of ingredients and the total distance travelled. Suggests product-related transportation analysis can give the basis for such a scheme.

The end of the urban freeway

by Peter Newman

Examines the future of the urban freeway in the light of recent spectacular collapses of these giant structures in Los Angeles and San Francisco. Outlines how they no longer represent good urban policy from an economic perspective as well as social and environmental. Initiatives are reviewed in the USA, UK and Australia to develop alternatives through public transport, demand management and land use that is not car dependent. Popular support for freeways is now at a low ebb, as the anti-freeway movement has become a truly populist social phenomenon, leaving politicians little choice but to pursue these alternatives.

Urban transport policy paradoxes in Australia

by Paul Mees

Melbourne's extensive heavy- and light-rail networks are suffering declining usage as the city becomes increasingly car-dominated. Discusses reasons for this trend and contrasts Melbourne with Canadian cities and Perth, Western Australia. The popular explanation for Melbourne's problems -the low-density nature of post-war suburban development - is held to be a rationalisation, rather than an explanation. The real cause is Government transport policies that reduce the attractiveness of public transport while expanding road capacity.

How Amsterdam plans to reduce car traffic

by Leo Lemmers

In 1993, the city of Amsterdam published a scheme to reduce car traffic in the historical city centre. Describes the backgrounds and origins of the scheme, its relation with a local referendum, held in 1992 on the subject of traffic reduction; the objectives: a sustainable form of transport for a thriving economic city centre; the main elements of the scheme itself; its impact on the city's economy and on environmental qualities' the way public support has been created; and finally the results of the decision-making process.

New roads generate new traffic

by Rudolf H.H. Pfleiderer & Martin Dieterich

Road traffic accounts for about one-fifth of fossil energy consumption worldwide. It is one of the major causes of global environmental pollution and contributes significantly to the greenhouse effect. There is widespread ignorance concerning the mechanisms which underlie the generation of additional traffic. In particular the construction or improvements of roads is neglected by conservative traffic experts. Travelling time, saved as a result of faster vehicles, is not shifted from transportation to other activities. Rather, average travel time budgets remain constant thus allowing for longer distances to be covered. This results in traffic induced by improved infrastructure. Induced traffic is considered to be one of the main causes of traffic increase in general.

Can trams carry cargo? new logistics for urban areas

by Werner Rien and Michael Roggenkamp

Goods traffic is increasing more than any other type of traffic in Europe. At present, city residents living on roads with high traffic density are not happy about it. On the other hand there is more traffic planned because of the building of goods centres (GVZ) in Germany. Discusses the potential of using tram lines for goods transport because there is spare capacity available immediately. The basis for transport on the planned two-direction, low floor vehicles is the "Logistik box", a small container-form which was introduced by Deutsche Bahn AG in 1991. This Logistik box is compatible with normal containers and fits on train wagons and trucks. The CargoTram is part of a regional logistic service management and goods traffic system.

A new approach to reducing road freight transport

by Peter Strutynski

Deals with the effects of "lean production" for interfirm supply traffic. Argues that the generally predicted large increase of freight transport - especially of road freight traffic - is not the result of new production methods, but is caused by other factors, i.e. through the Single European Market, transport sector liberalisation or extremely low transport costs. Lean production in the sense of a total rationalisation of the entire value chain could actually lead to a decrease of interfirm freight transport, because there is a general tendency to reduce the number of the direct suppliers. But there must also be a clear diminishing of average transport distances through regional concentration of production and supply relations. However an essential precondition for this would be the drastic increase of transport costs.

Violence and the car

by Helmut Holzapfel

Considers the fact that the horsepower and speed of cars has increased considerably since 1981 and suggests that, 20 years ago, only motor races saw such dangerously close distances between cars. Discusses the negative influences of the car-centred society - for example more than a half million people have been killed by cars on German streets alone (not considering those seriously injured). Highlights the fact that the psychological effects suffered by victims have rarely been analysed. Assesses statistics associated with dangerous driving; characteristics of aggressive drivers; and reactions of slow drivers when irritated by aggressive faster drivers. Concludes that cars have brought an increase in violence and the only way of stopping this violence is to face the problems that cars create.

Living without a car

by Michael Glotz-Richter

A housing estate reserved for people living without a car is planned in Bremen, Germany. Herewith a modern urban lifestyle of different mobility patterns should be supported by advantages in the direct environment. Less noise, less pollution, more space, better urban design and less costs are main points to a higher urban life quality. To support projects like "housing without cars" means to save energy and find new qualities of urban life. Mobility is guaranteed by walking, cycling and public transport and also by organised car sharing (StadtAuto member of ECS European Car Sharing). For 210 housing units in the Bremen-Hollerland estate only 30 parking lots (for car sharing, visitors and handicapped people) are necessary instead of 180 otherwise required in a housing project of this size. Construction is expected to start in 1995. The project offers the opportunity to redevelop an urban lifestyles as a part of a sustainable development. Around 27% of all households in West Germany are car free.

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