Keys to effective transit strategies for commuting

Commuting poses relevant challenges to cities\u2019 transport systems. Various studies have identified transit as a tool to enhance sustainability, efficiency and quality of the commute. The scope of this paper is to present strategies that increase public transport attractiveness and positively impact its modal share, looking at some case studies and underlining key success factors and possible elements of replica to be ultimately planned in some of the contexts of the Interreg project SMART-COMMUTING. The strategies analyzed in this paper concern prices and fares, service expansion, service improvements, usage of vehicle locators and other technology, changes to the built environment. Relevant gains in transit modal share are more easily achievable when considering integrations between various strategies, thus adapting and tailoring the planning process to the specific context

the future of freight transport

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Environmental and energy performance of integrated passenger–freight transport

The first-last mile (FLM) transport of passengers and freight accounts for a significant share of total transport costs, pollution, and energy consumption. According to recent scientific literature and institutional inputs at the European level, operational innovations such as the combination of passenger and freight flows may be an effective approach for promoting sustainable and energy-efficient FLM transport. In this study, the energy and environmental performances of an integrated passenger and freight transport system based on the bus network of Zrenjanin (Serbia) were investigated with different future energy mix and transport policy scenarios. The operational aspects of the integrated system were designed through collaboration with territorial stakeholders and an analysis of local planning documents. The performance was evaluated and compared with current public transport and freight schemes considering vehicle fuel and technology, total mileage, and other relevant endogenous and exogenous factors. The results of our analysis indicate operational benefits and energy savings, mainly due to reduced total mileage and the predisposition to shift to the active modes for the last mile. However, most expected long-term energy savings are the result of technological development of vehicles and modal shifts induced by policy strategies

The Potential of Road Pricing Schemes for Reducing Carbon Emissions

[EN] Road pricing is a transport measure mainly conceived to fund road management, to regulate the demand for traffic and to reduce the number of private vehicles circulating in urban areas. It can also grant benefits in terms of environmental externalities including the reduction of CO2 emissions, which has recently become one of the most important elements defining the sustainability of a transport system. However, the carbon potential granted by road charging is rarely assessed, thus confirming a sort of secondary role attributed to CO2 in urban premises. This paper provides an accurate analysis of the relationship between the different forms of road pricing (including distance-based, congestion-based and pay-as-you-drive) and their effective role in terms of carbon reduction, which in some contexts is higher than 10%. Furthermore, practical suggestions to policy makers in terms of implementation of the measure are discussed, highlighting the precautions necessary to include a fair carbon evaluation into an overall effective analysis.Nocera, S.; Giaretta, F.; Cavallaro, F. (2016). The Potential of Road Pricing Schemes for Reducing Carbon Emissions. En XII Congreso de ingeniería del transporte. 7, 8 y 9 de Junio, Valencia (España). Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 1925-1928. https://doi.org/10.4995/CIT2016.2015.3215OCS1925192

The definition of equity in transport

Equity is a concept related to the objective of narrowing inequalities and to other notions such as justice, convergence, and fairness. The study of equity has been widely addressed within the transport sector and has been often interpreted as the study of accessibility and cohesion. However, these concepts are not totally coincident, and their definition is fraught with confusion and pluralism, with implications on the ability of transport decision making to include equity goals in the planning process. In this paper, we shed some lights on the state-of-the-art of transport-related equity studies, discussing how the concept can be framed and tied to related terms, like justice, fairness, and accessibility. Then, we explore different approaches to the conceptualization of equity in transport, from the understanding of what equity is and which impacts it generates on the transport sector and on the society, to the inclusion of equity in transport planning and project appraisal. This contribution shows the centrality of equity in contemporary transport planning. Moreover, it suggests that the plural acceptation of transport equity calls for the definition of a more comprehensive tool for the evaluation of projects. This should be able to integrate the traditional cost-benefit analysis with other equity aspects that are often left aside from the project and policy appraisals

micro and macro modelling approaches for the evaluation of the carbon impacts of transportation

Abstract To quantify CO2 emissions from road transport, literature suggests the adoption of several alternative methods, based on transport modelling and carbon modules. Some of these methods are labelled as a micro approach and others as a macro approach. Their distinction is made according to the temporal and spatial horizons, the aim of the study and the degree of accuracy required. This paper presents these methods and discusses their appropriateness, whereby special focus is laid on the potential of the micro approach on ICT, based on a literature review of several European projects. We conclude that the adoption of the micro approach, is quite promising – mostly at the urban level, despite the computational efforts required and the technical difficulties to model driver behaviors. Thus, further research is required to overcome the numerous sources of scientific uncertainties

Options for reducing external costs from freight transport along the Brenner corridor

Abstract The Brenner is the most heavily travelled transalpine corridor in terms of freight transport. The current modal split tends heavily towards road (71% road – 29% rail), with significant repercussions in terms of environmental and social impacts. Indeed, Alpine areas generate external costs that are up to four times higher than flat areas. The promotion of railway, which is the least impacting transport mode, has thus a strategic value. For this reason, the European Union, the Alpine macro-region and the Tyrol-South Tyrol-Trentino Euroregion are promoting multi-level strategies to reduce the impact generated by freight transport along the Brenner corridor. This paper analyses each level, focussing then on the Euroregion. Its ambitious objective is to achieve a balance between transport modes in the Alpine corridor by 2027, and then to invert them (29% road – 71% rail) by 2035. This paper aims to calculate the savings of external costs deriving from the achievement of this objective. If the aggregated data from 2015 to 2035 are considered and the Euroregion scenario is compared with a prosecution of the current trend, the saving in external costs would amount to €262 M (− 26% than the current trend). This value is not negligible; being equal to 4.7% of the annual public expenditure incurred by the Autonomous Province of Bolzano, it suggests to policy makers the importance of taking up measures to encourage the modal shift

policy strategies for the mitigation of ghg emissions caused by the mass tourism mobility in coastal areas

Abstract Several studies on the relationship between tourism transport and CO2 emissions have shown that the transport sector generates the largest proportion of emissions, accounting for 75% of overall emissions. These studies have also shown how the measures to reduce these emissions vary according to the different tourist destinations. Accordingly, this paper focuses on the impacts of mass-tourism mobility on the transport system of a prototypal Mediterranean coastal city. Conscious of the fact that not all Mediterranean maritime cities are the same, this work identifies the three major characteristics (urban structure, environmental fragility and cultural heritage) that influence – negatively or positively – tourism and the transport sector. The aim of this paper is to develop an original taxonomy of the best transport practices for reducing the congestion effect and GHG emissions, which is adapted to the prototypal coastal city and in line with its historical and environmental value

La complessità della valutazione della CO2 nella pianificazione dei trasporti

La riduzione delle emissioni di CO2 è fondamentale per valutare la sostenibilità nella pianificazione dei trasporti. Tuttavia, la maggior parte dei piani di mobilità non è ancora riuscita a trovare una metodologia condivisa per internalizzare tali emissioni e renderle uno dei parametri in grado di influenzare attivamente le scelte finali sulle politiche e sulle misure da adottare. In particolare, risulta estremamente complesso dapprima quantificare, quindi attribuire un prezzo economico unitario alle emissioni di CO2. Il presente contributo indaga le problematiche relative alla loro monetizzazione, mostrando le metodologie attualmente in uso e il vasto grado di incertezza scientifica ed economica che le caratterizzano. Attraverso una meta-analisi compiuta su una raccolta di circa settecento casi, si è arrivati a limitare l’enorme intervallo attualmente esistente (fino a sei ordini di grandezza) e predire un modello in grado di definire un valore economico basato sugli obiettivi stabiliti preliminarmente dai decisori politici. In tale modo, la CO2 può essere inclusa attivamente nelle decisioni relative alle misure da intraprendere per una corretta allocazione delle risorse pubbliche, garantendo ai decisori una maggiore trasparenza nelle scelte

The future of freight transport

Document type: Articl