Introduction: Road transport affects society at different levels (economic, social and environmental), all of which have to be taken into account when promoting a mobility and a society more compatible with the principles of sustainability. This paper attempts to illustrate that a more encompassing approach permits to overcome the difficulties inherent to the road transport challenge. A more holistic approach of the way to optimise conflicting issues such as the need for mobility, the environmental problems, road traffic security etc. is indeed necessary in order to develop a more competitive, sustainable, safer and efficient road transport system. Moreover it is essential to determine the real issues in the mobility debate and to give a plausible answer and efficient solution to the issues at stake through the development of comparative tools such as models and indicators. Methodology: The vision proposed in this paper is a macroscopic overview of the research on the matter. This implies a critical analysis of actions and proposals in the field of road transport in view of improving political decision making. The analysis consists of identifying, in terms of mobility policy and sustainable transport, those policy elements (as diverse as car sharing, hydrogen cars, soot particle filters, car pooling, price differentiation in favour of public transport, enhancing urban cycling, fuel price policies, subsidizing clean vehicles, bio-combustibles etc.), that are likely to bring efficient solutions to the problems involved, at a regional as well as at a more global scale. Sometimes the objectives are at conflict with each other; policy measures, even aiming at the same objective, may compete for the allocation of the same resources for their implementation. In order to help decision makers make the right choices, every one of these policy measures shall be compared on a scientific basis, through a series of indicators, such as their conformity with the Kyoto Protocol, social acceptance, ... This implies that the effect of the selected measures on sustainable mobility shall be quantified, at least in terms of order of magnitude. Outline: The paper opens with a brief definition of sustainable mobility. Subsequently, several driving forces for sustainable mobility are selected, aiming at a variety of objectives, such as the reduction and better management of mobility needs, modal shifts, optimising transport modes, improving security in the transport of people and of goods, compliance with the international commitments of Belgium in the context of the Kyoto Protocol and the welfare and health of populations (negatively affected by worsened mobility issues), the development of adequate infrastructure, the observation of phenomena linked to the issue of mobility and the way they evolve. furthermore, a series of pertinent indicators in order to gauge the impact of the different actions undertaken shall be developed: compliance with the international commitments of Belgium in the context of the Kyoto Protocol which aim at a reduction of green house gas emissions by 7.5 per cent in 2010 compared to the level of 1990, the impact on the environment and on health, the social acceptance, the accessibility, the security, the impact on economic competitiveness, the cost of refraining from action or the cost of feedbacks, the investments involved, the cost for transport users and shippers, the consequences for the labour market etc. Finally, the results of the actions undertaken shall be assessed and the policy measures compared. The most efficient ones from the point of view of sustainable mobility can then be put to the forefront and favoured over other, less efficient or inefficient actions. Conclusion: The results of certain policy measures are negligible compared to the impact of others. Therefore, the effort should be concentrated on the most efficient ones, with the understanding that we should keep in mind that the objective of sustainable mobility can only be achieved through a multitude of actions, each one being necessary on behalf of specific needs and contributing to the broader solution (A). Only abstract (as above) is available from the conference proceedings. For the covering abstract of the conference see ITRD E212343.
Abstract