Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
low-emission vehicles now used in all light and heavy goods vehicles. Average distance
travelled per vehicle has reduced, with much less use for local and city-based journeys. The
means of ownership has also changed dramatically, with a much great use of hire schemes and
car clubs. Individuals tend to pay for vehicles at the time of use rather than as an upfront cost.
6. Information and communications technology:
The potential for ICT to transform lifestyles
has become a reality, and this in turn has also made many people reconsider their priorities,
away from the necessity to always travel, and to own a car, towards a much more flexible
use of transport, space and time in cities. New forms of communication have also changed
perceptions of all forms of transport; including mass use of teleconferencing (replacing a
significant level of business travel), working at home (where the employment activity allows),
home retailing and even types of educational access and social interaction. Public transport
has become much easier and attractive to use, as real-time information is available, time spent
on the journey is seen as 'productive' for work, education, socialising and entertainment access.
Public transport has a great advantage over private car usage here, as people can do other
things whilst on the journey, hence the feeling of 'wasted time' in travel has reduced. For
example, using the Internet or mobile phone, tickets can be bought on a door-to-door basis,
even for multi-mode and international journeys (rather than buying individual tickets by each
operator and journey link). This includes the hiring of bikes or shared taxis, etc., at each end
of the public transport journey.
Transport investment is focused on improving the quality of the journey experience, and
of life more generally, as the affective begins to outweigh the instrumental value of travel.
ICT facilitates the 'seamless' public transport journey, a new level of information allowing
journey times, interchanges and delays to be checked; the access of news, reading material
and other forms of entertainment, or booking activities at the destination, often as 'augmented
be 'reduced in time', but it becomes an integral part of the day, allowing productive work
and entertainment on the go. The new technologically based innovation means that greater
flexibility can be introduced; movement is not just provided on the basis of cheapness and
speed, but in terms of a positive experience. For example, route guidance for cyclists and
walkers can take place according to individual priorities; say to avoid traffic, or dangerous
locations, or to follow green space.
The long (and hyper) distance commute would become very difficult as the cost of private
transport is much more expensive. Oil is priced at over $200 a barrel, and it is priced
differentially for essential and luxury uses, with the remaining (cheaper) oil being used for
the most important functions, such as in health provision. The popularity and frequency of
international air travel has also been reduced, as this is seen as a luxury use of oil and as
there has been no real progress in the development of alternative fuels for air travel. People
tend to fly internationally only occasionally, the cost is high, and long-distance trips are used
to combine multiple activities, such as a business trip and a holiday, or the visit of family
and friends. Business meetings and conferences are often carried out by teleconference or
through the smart phone; overseas holidays are usually made by high-speed rail.
Sustainable transport has been attained by many of the leading and progressive cities in
2030, and by 2050 a majority of urban areas have become sustainable in transport terms.
Improvements in networks and facilities have been carried out over a long time period, with
much greater consistency in effort and funding. Though the particular policy measures differ
greatly according to the individual city, there is a common objective of delivering a much
higher mode share of walking, cycling and public transport. All of these suggestions made
