This report deals with the relation between "sustainable development", mobility distinguished into passenger and freight transport, and traffic and transport infrastructure. "Sustainable development" can be described as making certain that economic and technological developments will have favourable and no harmful effects on the environment. In achieving a "sustainable development", society must also be concerned for the utilization of scarce resources. The main objective of this study is to investigate the state-of-the-art in the Netherlands, and to formulate a number of research topics in this area. The most important conclusions are as follows: (1) The term "sustainable development", in relation to mobility, is not yet well established and a more precise definition of this concept is necessary; and (2) although "sustainability" is a long term concept, its most important impact will lie on the short and medium term. More research should be conducted into, among other things,: (a) opportunities for reducing the demand for both car use and freight transport, without repercussions for economic and social targets; (b) the organization and exploitation of public transport systems in order to increase public transport use; (c) creating tools for increasing the efficiency of freight transport operations; (d) the development of "sustainable" packing materials; (e) new engines for producing more economical vehicles; and (f) developing alternative fuels. In addition, some comparisons are made between the state-of-the-art concerning "sustainable development" related to mobility and infrastructure in the Netherlands and that of California, Great Britain and Switzerland.
Abstract