Abstracts

Dutch Transport Policy: From Rhetoric to Reality

by Gary Haq and Machiel Bolhuis

The Dutch have gained an international reputation for developing coherent policy plans for transport, environment and physical planning. This paper examines the rhetoric of Dutch transport policy and assesses what is actually being achieved in practice. Progress made in achieving the main targets on mobility, accessibility and environmental protection are discussed. The growth in vehicle kilometres of the freight sector is identified as an important problem that the Dutch will need to deal with in order to achieve all the targets adopted in transport and environmental policy.

Urban Transport and Equity: the case of São Paulo

by Eduardo Vasconcellos

Urban transport provision, accident rates and accessibility in São Paulo varies tremendously with income, gender and age. Sustainable transport modes are marginalised and high externalities are borne by society. A complete overhaul and reassessment of priorities is required to achieve equity in transport.

Sustainable Transport: - Some Challenges for Israel and Palestine

by Yaakov Garb

With the establishment of Palestine and the continuing peace, there is a need to appraise the transport infrastructure and policies of both countries. In particular, will Palestine follow Israel along the road to mass motorisation or will it choose the path to sustainability? Will Israel realise the folly of providing for private transport and seize this unique opportunity?

Can Demand Management Tame the Automobile in a Metropolitan Region?

by Spenser Havlick and Peter Newman

Demand management strategies can be an effective tool in taming the automobile. The approaches to demand management in four European cities; Zurich, Freiburg, Stockholm and Copenhagen; and Boulder, Colorado is investigated.

The Impact of Transportation on Household Energy Consumption

by Rick Browning, Michele Helou and Paul Larocque

This paper examines transportation energy costs as an integral part of total household energy consumption. A typical suburban household is found to expend more than half its total annual energy budget on operation of household motor vehicles. In contrast, households located in traditional, pedestrian-oriented neighbourhoods are found to use far less energy on transportation. For an instructive contrast, two household budgets were generated using a standard computer program and then compared. With transportation energies included, a household living in an 88 year old 'energy hog' house located in a traditional pedestrian friendly neighbourhood is shown to expend less total annual energy than a suburban household living in a highly energy efficient modern house. Studies and statistics developed in the Pacific Northwest are used as documentation for travel-related behaviour.

From Curitiba to Quito: reserved traffic lanes for public transport as an ecological, an economic and a social policy for cities

by Benoît Lambert

Quito's new trolleybus is a great success. It is being expanded already. Consisting of a know-how transfer from a Latin American city, Curitiba (Brazil), to another Latin American city, Quito (Ecuador), these two experiences display a new and original development model. By occupying urban space, and therefore limiting the presence of the car, too often promoted without considering environmental and ecological consequences, the 'reserved structuring axes' for public transport allow high mobility at low cost. The advantages of this model are numerous and could profit many other cities. Today, more and more questions of technological choices are part of the political and ecological debate. Transport is no longer a secondary issue.

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