One moment please!

The Journal of World Transport Policy & Practice first hit the street with Vol. 1, No. 1 in 1995, with a first collection of articles vigorously contesting mainstream thinking in the sector It included "The well travelled yoghurt pot" by Stefanie Böge, "The end of the urban freeway" by Peter Newman, "Urban transport policy paradoxes in Australia" by Paul Mees, "How Amsterdam plans to reduce car traffic" by Leo Lemmers, "New roads generate new traffic" by Rudolf H.H. Pfleiderer and Martin Dieterich, "Violence and the car" by Helmut Holzapfel, and "Living without a car" by Michael Glotz-Richter. (To see how they stand the test of time, happily all you have to do is click here.)

That first edition, now thirteen long years ago, opened with an editorial by our founding editor John Whitelegg in which he set the stage for the future by reminding us that:

"Many of the issues raised within the transport debate do not fit into the narrow and stultifying disciplinary compartments that characterize science and Society in the developed world. This journal is topic and issue-based and will encourage as many contributions as possible from as many perspectives as possible. Many of the issues raised will be controversial and this journal will publicize material from all sides of the debate. There is a solution to our global environment and local environmental problems, and there is such a thing as a sustainable city sustainable region and a sustainable community. Solutions are more likely to emerge from vigorous debate, dissent and replies than they are from set pieces on transport economics, transport geography, transport engineering or traffic science."

That was true back in 1995 and is still right in the mainstream of Journal policy today. It is indeed what we are all about.

Over these years many of our active worldwide network of friends and colleagues working with these issues, including through various forms of association with the New Mobility Agenda, have found ourselves involved in many ways with the Journal. If you check through the list of editions, articles and authors that you appear just your left you will find many familiar names and important topics.

It has been an exciting and encouraging association. And over this time the Journal and its advocates have gradually moved from being very much a voice in the wilderness and now are stepping right into the critical mainstream of policy, practice and thinking in the sector. Which is exactly where we belong.

This site provides a handy entry into the Journal and its contents, as well as showing how it interacts with the New Mobility programs. And you will also see here how directly to click to the Journal's own site which is now open for business here.

Finally, we invite you to have a look at our latest joint project with the Journal and the New Mobility Agenda which is now under way and which will take shape in print in the autumn of this year under the title: "The New Mobility Fast Track: 2008-2012". One more testimonial to the power of international collaboration and teamwork in a good cause and at the right time.

Eric Britton,
Founding partner and member of the Editorial Advisory Board.

Site optimized for browsing with Explorer 5/6+ and best viewed with resolution of 1024 x 768
The Commons has welcomed international visitors since 3 July 1995.
Europe: 8/10 rue Joseph Bara 75006 Paris, France, Europe. T: +331 4326 1323
USA : 9440 Readcrest Dr., Los Angeles, CA 90210. T: +1 310 601-8468
Last updated on 4 July 2008