Executive Summary
A well-functioning transport sector is an essential requirement for the economic and social development of all countries as well as for supporting regional and global cooperation and integration. Historically, development of the transport sector has been an indicator of a country’s economic welfare and success. Well-developed, efficient, safe and secure inland transport systems offer important access to markets, employment, education and basic services critical to poverty alleviation; at the same time, transportation is a major driving force behind a growing world demand for energy and it has a significant environmental footprint. Transport sustainability is shaped by socio-economic, demographic and environmental megatrends, i.e. major shifts in economic, social and environmental conditions that can impact people and transform societies. Present economic growth, which has been associated with a ‘reversed’ geographical fragmentation of production, has created particular transport patterns such as increasing transport volumes mostly in the non-OECD regions. At the same time, the significant changes in global population size, age structure, household size and urbanization expected in the twenty-first century may have substantial implications for inland transport, in terms of transport patterns, energy use and GreenHouse Gas (GHG) emissions. These will be further complicated by the mounting effects of climate change and inconsistency on the transport infrastructure and services. As a cross-cutting sector, transport will play an important role in efforts towards achieving post-2015 sustainable development goals. As such, in addition to their value and job creation, inland transport systems need to be considered partly as enablers of sustainable development. Therefore, integrated approaches to policy making should be fostered, including planning for land use, infrastructure development, public transport systems and goods delivery networks, with a view to providing affordable, efficient, safe and secure transport, improving energy efficiency, and at the same time reducing pollution and congestion. In this study, the relationship between transport and social, economic and environmental sustainability worldwide is assessed by providing deeper insight into the current state of the five dimensions of sustainable transport – access (mobility of individuals and for societies), affordability (of transport for individuals and society), safety, security and environmental impact (of transport and on transport). Accessibility - In transport, accessibility refers to the peoples’ ability to reach goods, services, activities and destinations from a given location, using the available transportation system. Many factors affect accessibility, including the transport needs and abilities of individuals, quality of transport options, connectivity of the various links and modes, landuse patterns, and the quality/costs of alternative solutions. Transport accessibility has large impacts in both economic and human development, as improved accessibility to transport can facilitate the achievement of many economic, social and environmental objectives. Rural accessibility is a challenge in all regions; nearly one billion people worldwide still lack adequate access to road networks and continue to live more than two kilometres from an all-weather road. Fast urbanization, increasing congestion and insufficient access to public transportation in many areas call for a redesigning of urban mobility conditions, with an emphasis on facilitating infrastructure for more environmentally friendly modes like walking and cycling, as well as vulnerable groups such as children, persons with reduced mobility and the growing global elderly population.
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