Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Recommendations for More Sustainable
Transport Policy in Madrid
The results of this study have two main findings. The methodology developed to
assess social and environmental costs of transport modes has proved to be useful.
Firstly, it enables us to compare mobility impacts on different type of city develop-
ments: low and high density Areas, good and poor Public Transport supply, etc
[8]
.
Secondly, its application to Madrid Metropolitan Area point out a number of policy
guidelines to achieve more sustainable mobility patterns in each part of the city.
The urban development of Madrid City has a clear benefit both from the
economic and environmental point of views. Denser developments are more PT
oriented than those in the Metropolitan sprawl. Costs for the user, for society, and
for the environment clearly fosters a higher concentration of activities in the city.
The length of trips in dense city centers is about 2.5 times than those in the
Metropolitan Ring. City centre trips could be made on foot, cycling or by PT, while
trips in the Metropolitan Ring are more convenient for car.
Therefore we can conclude two urban policy guidelines. The revitalization of
city centers brings economic and environmental benefits. They improve the life of
the citizens, because they are less dependent on car trips. On the contrary low
density developments bring more costs in the long term, resulting in less sustainable
forms of city development
[16]
.
Finally, big cities profit from the good supply of rail modes: metro in the central
part and suburban rail in the suburbs. Although they require big investments, there
are clear benefits in the long run. They produce much less operating and environ-
mental costs because their capacity is higher and their technology is less harmful.
In summary, decision-makers in cities can use social and environmental trans-
port cost accounts to help them with decisions in providing urban transportation.
The socio-economic and environmental points of view provide complementary
views on their duties. Technicians who help them also benefit from transport accounts.
They provide a clear valuation of all transport costs in a comparative way
[5, 13]
.
References
1. Åkerman J, Höjer M (2006) How much transport can the climate stand? Sweden on a sustain-
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2. May AD (2003) Developing Sustainable Urban Land Use and Transport Strategies: a Decision
Makers′ guidebook, PROSPECTS. Deliverable n°5. European Commission, 5th Framework
3. Black JA, Paez A, Suthanaya PA (2002) Sustainable urban transportation: performance indica-
tors and some analytical approaches. Journal of Urban Planning and Development, 128:184-209
4. Monzón A (2006) Externalidades del transporte y ferrocarriles urbanos. Ingeniería y territo-
rio, 76:32-39
5. Banister D (2008) The sustainable mobility paradigm. Transport Policy, 15:73-80
6. Gudmundsson H, Höjer M (1996) Sustainable development principles and their implications
for transport. Ecological Economics, 19:269-282
