The role of logistics infrastructure in development of sustainable road transport in Poland

Abstract

Despite road transport is recognized as a threat to natural environment, it is a predominant mode of transport in the European countries, what is primarily determined by the availability of road transport infrastructure and the relatively low costs. Therefore, this study examines the relationship between road transport infrastructure development, petroleum consumption, economic growth and air pollutants emissions from road vehicles in Poland using the Granger causality test and generalized impulse response function. Vector autoregression (VAR) model is estimated on the basis of annual data from the period 1994–2017, within the five systems describing the dynamic interdependencies between general expenditure on the modernization and expansion of road network infrastructure, length of roads, number of motor vehicles and air pollutants emissions in Poland. Conducted analysis reveals the existence of a common causality pattern, namely changes in expenditures on development of road transport infrastructure indirectly influences on the changes in emissions of carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxides (NOx), non-methane volatile organic compounds (NMVOC), suspended dust emissions (PM10 and PM2.5) from road transport, thanks to the changes in consumption of fuels. Based on the obtained results, it can be confirmed, that the development of logistics infrastructure in Poland leads to a limited negative impact of road transport on the natural environment.