Sustainable personal transport

Abstract

Transport by conventional means involves energy use, resource use and emission output which cannot be regarded as sustainable. Current transport is dominated by the car. This provides the flexible personal transport required by modern forms of cities, but is widely recognised as unsustainable. Current public transport is poorly accepted. Unfortunately, analysis also shows that current forms of public transport offer little, or even negative, benefit in sustainability over the car. A new transport system has been devised to meet the need for transport which is both effective and sustainable. ULTra (Urban Light Transport) is an innovative form of Personal Rapid Transit (PRT). In contrast to previous forms of public transport, there is no waiting, no stopping and no transfers within the system. In many circumstances, it can offer better transport than available by other means. ULTra has been designed to demanding sustainability requirements. Typically, ULTra provides a reduction by a factor of 3 in energy use and emissions output over existing forms of transport. ULTra is also complementary to existing forms of transport. By providing a network link to major rail or bus stations, it can improve the attraction of current transport services. Evaluations undertaken for the Department of Transport and supported by recent questionnaire studies, suggest that a comprehensive ULTra system could attract 25–30% of present car drivers. ULTra is now undergoing engineering development funded by the Department of Transport, Local Government and the Regions. Cardiff County Council has received funding commitments from the National Assembly of Wales which will lead to initial implementation of a system by 2005. It is believed that the system offers a new approach to public transport with a real prospect of significant gains in effectiveness and sustainability.