Sustainable Transport and Mobility Management
This section focuses on innovative strategies to decrease traffic and air pollution while increasing mobility and quality of life. Examples include car sharing, bike lanes and parking, and multi-modal hubs. Given the close relationship between air/climate change and smart growth , see also those related pages in this site.
Innovative Programs and Policies
Tools and Guidelines
Databases and Case Studies
Newsletters, Publication, and Reports of Interest
International Organization and Government Web sites
Case Highlight: Curitiba’s Innovative Public Transportation
Curitiba, the capital of the Brazilian state of Parana, is renowned as one of the world’s most sustainable cities. Faced with the dilemma of rapid urban growth, the city designed a Master Plan in the 1960s that has evolved over the years to its present form. Although, Curitiba’s population increased from 430,000 in 1960 to over 1.8 million today, its streets are 25% less congested than cities of similar size. Much of this difference can be attributed to Curitiba’s highly efficient bus system which transports 75% of all weekday commuters. The bus system provided an economically sound alternative to reconstructing Curitiba’s downtown or constructing massive highways. Curitiba’s “surface subway” bus system costs approximately $3 million USD/km as compared to a typical tram system ($8-12 million USD/km) or a subway ($50-100 million USD/km). As a result of Curitiba’s innovative public transport system and other environmental measures, Curitiba’s air quality is far superior to other comparable Brazilian cities.
Five main principles have guided Curitiba’s growth for over 30 years:
- Changing the radial urban growth trend to a linear one by integrated land use, road network and transport strategy.
- Decongesting the city center and preserving its historical buildings and neighborhoods through legislation and economic incentives.
- Adapting to and managing demographic change
- Providing economic support to urban development
- Improving infrastructure
Characteristics of the Bus System
- “Bus Only” Lanes- Curitiba has restricted bus lanes along its main roads which service the areas that were carefully zoned to contain large buildings and high densities of people. This cuts down on travel time immensely.
- “Tube Stations”- Bus passengers pre pay the bus fare to the station attendant and enter the bus from “tube stations” which are at an even level with the buses. This practice drastically reduces boarding times.
- Types of buses- Curitiba uses five different types of buses with different capacities ranging from 80 to 270 passengers. At peak hours Curitiba’s buses can transport up to 20,000 people per hour.
- Magnitude- Curitiba’s buses cover about 900km of routes in virtually every area of the city. On a typical day, 1.9 million passengers use the buses which have received an 89% approval rating.
- Recycling- Many of Curitiba’s retired buses are used to benefit the city’s low income residents. Old, converted buses travel to the city’s neediest areas where they are used as mobile training centers. The retired buses are used to provide job training and education on environmental and health issues.
Additional Resources
Frontline World Report on Curitiba
This interactive web site provides information on the history, solutions, architects and future of Curitiba’s innovative transport system.
Innovative Solutions for Public Transport; Curitiba, Brazil
This concise report authored by Lars Friberg of Sweden’s Uppsala University has been presented to the World Bank. It provides technical data on the actual bus system.
Efficient Transportation for Successful Urban Planning in Curitiba
This article, prepared by Horizon Solutions, focuses on the technical aspects of Curitiba’s transportation system and contains several maps and graphics.
Leadership, Knowledge, and Partnership: Key Ingredients of a More Sustainable City
This PowerPoint presentation was presented by Dr. J. Morgan Williams on how Aukland, New Zealand can learn from Curitiba’s experiences.
In the mid-1980s, Conrad Wagner invented the concept of "car-sharing" in Lucerne, Switzerland. Essentially, cars are rented out to members who pay small annual and hourly fees. The first user of the day may drive the car from home to work and park it at an agreed-upon spot, where a second user picks it up to run day-time errands, returning the vehicle at the end of the day for the commuter. Others may schedule use for more occasional outings, such as a special trip, getting groceries, or picking a friend up from the airport. The program allows city-dwellers who do not frequently need a car, or may not be able to afford a car or parking, to have the conveniences of a car, without the worries of insurance and maintenance. A Swiss study showed that members also drive 50% less than if they owned their own car, as they only drive when necessary, thereby cutting fuel-use, greenhouse gas emissions, and traffic congestion. Today, Wagner's company has a fleet of over 1,600 vehicles. As of 2002, there were over 120,000 participants of car-sharing in Europe, making it a $200 million dollar industry.
In 1999, Neil Peterson, then working for a public transportation agency, toured Europe and witnessed car-sharing first-hand. Once back in the U.S., he decided to found Flexcar in Seattle, a public-private partnership in car-sharing. The oldest and now largest of the American companies, Flexcar can be found in sixteen cities, including San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, Portland, Seattle, Denver, Chicago and Washington, DC. In May 2004, it was honored with the 2004 Sustainable Community Outstanding Leadership Award from Sustainable Seattle.
On the East Coast, Antje Danielson, who had studied abroad in Europe, and Robin Chase started their own company, Zipcar , now operating in Boston, New York/New Jersey, UNC-Chapel Hill, and Washington, DC. Members pay an application and annual fee, and a set rate per hour for insurance, gas, and the designated parking spot.
And in Philadelphia, budget cuts became an opportunity for innovation when Mayor Street decided to remove 400 municipal vehicles by 2005. Government employees will instead have 24-hour access to PhillyCarShare , part of City CarShare , the largest nonprofit car-sharing program in the United States.
For more information on car-sharing, see: " Cars You Drive for a While, Then Someone Else Does " ( New York Times , May, 2000)
Innovative Programs and Policies
European Commission's Land Use and Transportation Research (LUTR)
This European Commission sponsored research initiative links several different projects in the area of sustainable urban mobility, including land use, transportation, and the environment. The common objective is to develop strategic approaches and methodologies in urban planning that all contribute to the promotion of sustainable urban development. The site offers resources such as a list of national seminars, a newsletter, and a helpful glossary of technical terms used on the site.
European Local Transport Information Service (EU)
European Local Transport Information Service (ELTIS) is an initiative of the European Commission's Directorate General for Energy and Transport, Clean Transport Unit that aims to support a practical transfer of knowledge and exchange of experience in the field of urban and regional transport in Europe. ELTIS's Web site provides information on EU transportation-related projects and policies, case studies and events, and resources for policy makers.
Intelligent Transport Systems for Canada
In 1999, Transport Canada released the federal government's plan to stimulate the development and deployment of intelligent transportation systems in Canada. Its vision of the 21 st century encourages the best use of all modes of transportation and partnerships with all jurisdictions and with all players in the transportation sector.
Portland, Oregon's Blue Bike Lanes (PDF, 22pp., 1.29 MB)
In an effort to increase bike safety, Portland, Oregon found research demonstrating that blue pavement at intersections in Denmark decreased bike accidents by 38% and total fatalities/injuries by 71%. A similar study in Montreal, Canada, found that colored bike lanes significantly reduced the number of conflicts, and a Swedish report noted they increased biker safety by 20% per person. Accordingly, Portland piloted blue lanes and colorful signs for five years at entrance/exit ramps and turning lanes. They found that motorists yielding to cyclists increased by 27%, and slowing or stopping increased by 23%. More cyclists stayed on the path and 76% felt safer on the road.
Tools and Guidelines
Car Free Cities network of Europe
A network of about 60 European cities committed to improving traffic conditions and the efficient use of energy through a car sharing system in each city. This site provides information on alternatives to automobile use, resources for international cooperation, as well as other tools and literature on sustainable transport and the urban environment.
Car Sharing Network of North America
CarSharing.net is an educational site that provides an A-Z explanation of car-sharing programs across North America. Includes news, locations of car sharing cities, and car-sharing technologies.
International Union of Public Transportation (UITP)
Founded in 1885, UITP is the worldwide association of urban and regional passenger transport operators, their authorities and suppliers. Located in Brussels and with over 2,000 members from nearly 80 countries, UITP seeks to promote a better understanding of the potential of public transport. Each year, it organizes tens of congresses, conferences, workshops, meetings and exhibitions that highlight problems and solutions in public transport and may prove useful to innovators seeking guidance on transport.
The World Car Share Consortium
The Consortium is an independently operated open Internet forum, which contains information on innovative programs, technologies, and areas participating in car-sharing programs. You can find new car-share related research, listings of car-share organizations and policymakers, and other information on an international level. Their "New Mobility Agenda" is a platform for international exchange, cooperation, and support of car-sharing programs.
TOOLBOX for Mobility Management in Companies (Belgium)
The toolbox is a search facility to help companies develop their own mobility plan, and to help them effectively promote the use of public transport, collective company transport, car-pooling, walking and cycling for home-work journeys. This Quick Solutions Catalogue provides simple solutions for common mobility problems. The Measures List gives ten general recommendations on how to make mobility management a success.
Victoria Transport Policy Institute's Transportation Cost and Benefit Analysis Guidebook (Canada)
This online guidebook by the Victoria Transport Policy Institute is a comprehensive study of transportation benefit and costing research, and guidebook for applying this information in planning and policy analysis.
Databases and Case Studies
European "Best Practices for Sustainable Urban Infrastructures"
Founded in 1971, COST is an intergovernmental framework for European Co-operation in the field of Scientific and Technical Research, allowing the co-ordination of nationally funded research on a European level. COST8, an activity in identifying best practices for sustainable urban infrastructures, has assembled a series of European case studies on topics such as transportation and energy.
European Good Practice Information Service
This page provides 135 cases studies of sustainable local development in European cities, with many cases on innovative transport solutions.
European Commission's LIFE-Environment Database
Launched in 1992, LIFE co-finances environmental initiatives and demonstration projects in the European Union and bordering countries. This Web site contains 24 mobility management and transportation initiatives funded through LIFE and their case study reports.
European Platform for Mobility Management (EPOMM) Case Studies
EPOMM is an international partnership aiming to promote and develop Mobility Management in Europe and fine-tune the implementation process. This site provides 96 successful cases in mobility management. The examples are collected from all over Europe and beyond, and include demonstrator projects, case studies or other applications of Mobility Management, e.g. in cities, companies or educational institutions.
International Association of Public Transportation (UITP) Founded in 1885, UITP is the worldwide association of urban and regional passenger transport operators, their authorities and suppliers. Located in Brussels and with over 2,000 members from nearly 80 countries, UITP seeks to promote a better understanding of the potential of public transport. This section is a collection of its ongoing projects and studies; it also has a section on completed project studies .
SMILE - Gateway to Sustainable Mobility (EU)
SMILE supports local authorities by presenting 170 successful and replicable practices for sustainable urban mobility in its local experiences database. This database of European experiences is searchable by country, field, and target group.
TOOLBOX for Mobility Management in Companies (Belgium)
The toolbox is a search facility to help companies develop their own mobility plan, and to help them effectively promote the use of public transport, collective company transport, car-pooling, walking and cycling for home-work journeys. This site provides a list of eleven companies in Europe that improved transportation access for their employees.
Transport Canada Showcase Demonstration Projects
The government Web site contains the proposals of the fifteen finalists as well as those of seven other cities. Proposals plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and streamline mobility through such methods as improved busing and commuter systems, bikeways and walkways, branding, and education.
Transport Canada's Urban Transportation Showcase Program
This Canadian government library offers profiles of how Canadian communities are implementing sustainable urban transportation initiatives. The case studies include information ranging from technological information to general policy-level descriptions and ideas for both urban planners and transportation professionals.
Newsletters, Publication, and Reports of Interest
Newsletters
European Commission's Land Use and Transportation Research (LUTR) Newsletter
This European Commission sponsored research initiative links several different projects in the area of sustainable urban mobility, including land use, transportation, and the environment. The common objective is to develop strategic approaches and methodologies in urban planning that all contribute to the promotion of sustainable urban development. The site offers a recently begun newsletter, and a helpful glossary of technical terms used on the site.
Euractiv Email Updates
The EU's policy news website is one of the broadest ranging news updates, but offers specific email updates in many different categories, including sustainable transportation. Emails address EU policy and are sent more frequently than most sites.
Publication Collections
European Conference of Ministers of Transport (ECMT)
The ECMT is an intergovernmental organization in which transport ministers openly discuss transport problems and agree upon joint approaches aimed at improving the utilization and rational development of European transport systems. This Web site offers document, publications, and newsletters on a number of transportation management issues, such as intermodal transport, urban sustainable transport, road safety, and railways.
OECD Environmentally Sustainable Transport
The EST project under the OECD calls for the development of methods and guidelines towards the realization of sustainable transport. The core of the approach was to develop long-term scenarios and identify instruments and strategies capable of achieving it by using a back-casting methodology. This link provides publications and reports on best practices, case studies, guidelines, newsletters/brochures, country surveys, statistics and conferences.
SMILE - Gateway to Sustainable Mobility (EU)
The EU SMILE programme supports local authorities by presenting 170 successful and replicable practices for sustainable urban mobility in its local experiences database. This page is a collection of publications and recommendations concerning noise and congestion reduction, integrated public transport, group-targeted policies, and best practices.
Urban Travel and Sustainable Development Workshops Papers (ECMT/ OECD)
Many interesting papers have been prepared for the joint European Conference of Ministers of Transport (ECMT)/ Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) workshops on urban travel and sustainable development. This Web site provides descriptions of the workshops that have taken place as well as links to the papers presented at these workshops.
Reports of Interest
International Transit Studies Program (ITSP) Mission ReportsPublished in the Research Results Digest of the Transit Cooperative Research Program, the ITSP has a series of issues dedicated to learning from examples of innovative transportation solutions from abroad. The program sends study missions around the world; each mission spends six months analyzing foreign transportation models, and then reports back to the U.S. For the relevant issues, see below:
- Emerging Trends in European Public Transport (Nov., 2002; PDF, 35pp., 486KB)
- Learning from Transit Operations in Small and Medium European Cities (May, 2002; PDF, 29pp., 2.72MB)
- Germany's Track-Sharing Experiences: Mixed Use of Rail Corridors (Mar., 2002; PDF, 40pp., 3.95MB)
- Revitalizing Urban Public Transport in Australia and New Zealand (Dec., 2002; PDF, 22pp., 120 KB)
- Private Urban Transit Systems and Low-Cost Mobility Solutions in Major Latin American Cities (Apr., 1999; PDF, 40pp., 3.78MB)
- Public-Private Partnerships and Innovative Transit Technologies in Scandinavia (May, 1998; PDF, 31pp., 2.96MB)
Special Report 257, Transportation Research Board of the National Research Council. This report was prepared for policy makers searching for ways to boost public transit use in U.S. urban areas and wishing to learn from the experiences of Canada and Western Europe, where public transit has had a more prominent role than in the United States.
Executive Summary (PDF, 12pp., 122 KB)
Entire Report (PDF, 186pp., 2.96 MB)
MOST (EU) Final Report - Mobility Management Strategies for the Next Decades (PDF, 210 pp., 2.65MB)
MOST piloted Mobility Management strategies both in "traditional" (companies, schools) and new thematic sectors (tourism, events and new sites in their planning stage) in 32 European locations. This led to improved accessibility and a change in attitudes towards sustainable mobility. The Final Report compiles a general description as well as all findings of MOST, and gives an outline on new insights and the applicability of findings to accession countries.
UNEP - Reports on Aviation from the Division of Technology, Industry and Economics
This body within the United Nations Environmental Programme conducts studies and conferences related to transportation. The site on the Conference on Aviation provides the Meeting Report (PDF, 3pp., 61.7KB) as well as the presentations. The site also links to reports on automobiles, aviation and railways delivered at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in 2002.
International Organizations and Government Web sites
European Conference of Ministers of Transport (ECMT)
The ECMT is an intergovernmental organization in which transport ministers openly discuss transport problems and agree upon joint approaches aimed at improving the utilization and rational development of European transport systems. This Web site provides information on news and events, documents and publications, and statistics on a number of transportation management issues.
European Directorate-General for Energy and Transport
This European Directorate-General for Energy and Transport is responsible for ensuring that European energy and transport policies are designed for the benefit of all sectors of the society, businesses, cities, rural areas and above all of citizens. This Web site provides information on energy and transport policies and legislation in the EU as well as reports and publications.
T&E is an umbrella organization for 40 nongovernmental groups in 20 countries, all of which work to promote more environmentally sound transport systems. It is Europe's principal campaign organization specifically devoted to transport issues. This site provides publications and bulletins, links to other official and unofficial sites, and the latest updates in the field.
European Platform for Mobility Management (EPOMM)
EPOMM is an international partnership aiming to promote and develop Mobility Management in Europe and fine-tune the implementation process. At its core are "soft" measures (e.g. information or coordination of existing user services), which enhance the effectiveness of "hard" measures of traffic planning (e.g. new tram lines, new roads and new bike tracks). The site includes case studies, and information on services, instruments and clients that further Mobility Management.
Mobility Management Strategies for the Next Decades (MOST, EU)
MOST piloted Mobility Management strategies both in "traditional" (companies, schools) and new thematic sectors (tourism, events and new sites in their planning stage) in 32 European locations. This site provides reports; monitoring, implementation and evaluation toolkits; and information on the pilot sites.
OECD Environmentally Sustainable Transport
The EST project under the OECD calls for the development of methods and guidelines towards the realization of sustainable transport. The core of the approach was to develop long-term scenarios and identify instruments and strategies capable of achieving it by using a back-casting methodology. This Web site provides information on publications and reports, statistics, and information on transport by country.
SMILE - Gateway to Sustainable Mobility (EU)
SMILE supports local authorities by presenting 170 successful and replicable practices for sustainable urban mobility in its local experiences database. This Web site page provides a searchable database, 170 case studies from European cities, and a collection of publications and recommendations concerning noise and congestion reduction, integrated public transport, group-targeted policies, and best practices.