Future Sustainable Transport Research Articles

Positive self-representations, sustainability and socially organised denial in UK tourists: discursive barriers to a sustainable transport future

ABSTRACT This paper provides an empirical application of some recent developments in the social science of sustainability to understanding sustainable transport behaviour. We analyse talk about holidaymaking taken from interviews with self-defined “eco” or “sustainable” tourists. The focus of this paper explores the ways in which participants understand and reconcile the potential conflict of air transport and the notion of sustainable holidays. We identify a number of discursive strategies participants used to project and maintain positive self-representations in the context of complex, often incompatible constructions of sustainability derived from this particular dilemma. Such strategies are considered as concrete examples of the psychosocial organisation of denial and thus offer discursive barriers to sustainable transport futures. However, the analysis also demonstrates the ways in which some individuals were able to resist or challenge such forms of socially organised denial. The potential implications of these discursive barriers and strategies for sustainable transport futures and the tourism sector are discussed.

ICT and transport behavior: A conceptual review

ABSTRACTInformation and communication technologies (ICTs) have considerable importance for transport systems, as they provide access to travel information, planning tools, opportunities to share transport modes, to work at-a-distance, compare transport mode cost, make payment, improve safety and health, and to communicate travel patterns. Over the past decade, there has been massive growth in the availability of transportation ICT, in particular, smartphone applications. There is considerable evidence that ICTs have profoundly changed the ways in which transport systems are perceived and used, and mobilities performed, with far-reaching implications for transport mode choices and transport demand. Against this background, the paper seeks to conceptualize ICT with relevance for transport systems, and to discuss the implications for the environmental sustainability of the transport sector. Findings suggest that while some ICT innovations foster and support sustainable transport choices, others raise new and significant barriers to more sustainable transport futures.

A tale of two millennials

In recent years, the millennial generation (those born roughly between 1980 and 2000) has gained significant attention in transport research. Initial research characterized this generation as multimodal, urban and tech-savvy; they have at times been painted as our great hope for a sustainable transport future. Yet more recently a parallel narrative has emerged. According to this view, millennials are simply reacting to difficult economic circumstances that have restricted their ability to pay for a car. This paper explores the evidence for these two conflicting narratives of the millennial generation and possible reasons why the two narratives have come about. It discusses the implications of the two millennial narratives on both social and technological equity and sets out initial thoughts on how these issues may be addressed in future research and policy.

Building sustainable transport futures for the Mexico City Metropolitan Area

The Mexico City Metropolitan Area (MCMA) urgently needs a more sustainable, low-carbon transport system. The objective of this paper is to elicit ways of building sustainable, low-carbon transport futures for such a system. Using stakeholder narratives as basis, this paper identifies the main driving forces shaping sustainable transport futures, develops four plausible transport scenarios for the MCMA; and assesses whether stakeholders frame driving forces in a certain way.Driving forces stakeholders identified focused especially on cooperation among political entities and negotiation levels with internal transport stakeholders. Further driving forces included regulatory framework of vehicle use, recognition of sustainable transport as political priority, and urban growth and planning. Four scenarios based on political cooperation and internal negotiation were generated using stakeholder narratives. Three stand out: Scenario 1, where both political cooperation and internal negotiation develop positively, leading to low-emission, sustainable transport futures in the city; Scenario 3, the ‘worst’ scenario, where neither political cooperation nor internal negotiation function, is frequently identified by stakeholders as the way it is now; and Scenario 4 with functioning political cooperation and a lack of internal negotiation is the most unstable scenario and would quickly collapse were it to develop.Overall, stakeholders framed driving forces as more political than technological (e.g. political cooperation was seen as more relevant than upgrading vehicle technologies). Consensus regarding this reached across institutional stakeholder categories. We found that stakeholders’ views gave unique insights regarding how to build sustainable, low-carbon MCMA transport futures, including policy measures and interventions needed. MCMA scenarios developed reveal the need for common political ground as a priority to guide decision making towards sustainable, low-carbon transport futures for the MCMA.

A Comparison of Alternative Ordered Response Models for Analysing User Satisfaction with Transport Services in Turkey

Abstract The main objective of this paper is to analyse user satisfaction with road, maritime, air, and rail transport services in Turkey using four distinctive ordered response models. The estimation results reveal that partial constrained generalized ordered logit model has the best model fit for road and maritime transport services. In addition, ordered logit and generalized ordered logit are the convenient models for air and rail transport services, respectively. Results also indicate that current residence (urban), gender (male), occupational sector (private), and education level (low educated) were the statistically significant variables that are more likely to increase user satisfaction. This paper is probably the first attempt to analyse user satisfaction with all transport services using comparative ordered response models. As a social indicator, the results of this study may provide a valuable evidence for future sustainable transport policies in Turkey.

Implementing Climate Change Adaptation for European Road Administrations

International cooperation between national road owners can aid structuring and implementing climate change adaptation strategies throughout the European network. Climate change adaptation on roads can be defined as the concrete measures implemented to reduce vulnerability to more extreme weather phenomena in the future in order to increase resilience and robustness for continuous road safety and mobility. As evident in multiple scientific papers and authorities, such as the IPCC, climate change adaptation is gaining more general interest and political focus since actions of mitigation to climate change no longer seem to singlehandedly provide sufficient effect to future sustainable transportation on roads.As with actions related to mitigating climate change, allocating resources to climate change adaptation and successfully anchoring this subject in an organization, e.g. a national road authority (NRA), can be a highly demanding task which oftentimes can be overwhelming in its nature. Implementation of climate change R&D projects, alone, is a topic where interdisciplinary approaches are of high request, regularly resulting in time-consuming processes with many potential pitfalls, politically and technically.Therefore, the CEDR I4 group on mitigation and adapting to climate change has decided to have the following three topics as a combined objective to generate an outcome which will act as a template for organizations, e.g. NRAs, to initiate, develop, and/or complete climate change adaptation measures:•Strategy and action plan•Awareness•Risk methodology approachThe strategy template will focus on managing, improving, preventing and cooperation, and will provide specific examples on areas to study. These include examples of information to road users, incident management, implementation through planning phases, tools for risk analyses, legislative work, research and information sharing and many others. Likewise, a template for an action plan is provided, giving examples on how to ensure responsibility and anchor climate change adaptation in the organization in order to actually direct the organization towards a more climate-resilient profile. The organizational awareness of climate change adaptation in an interdisciplinary context is considered undeniably crucial in this regard, since this will form the basis on how to act and prioritize resources. Examples of known methodologies of climate change adaptation will be highlighted to act as inspirational examples. As an example, such methodologies include risk mapping, e.g. the Blue Spot model or the Quick Scan approach.

Ethnically Diverse Transport Behaviours: An Australian Perspective

AbstractRates of car ownership in Australia are among the highest in the world. Private cars have shaped the urban form of Australian cities and the daily routines of their residents, making it possible to fulfil geographically stretched responsibilities for work, family, and social lives. But the dominance of the private car in Australian lives and landscapes should not be confused with universality. Aggregate, population‐wide statistics of car ownership and use mask the fact that not all Australians are equally car dependent. In this paper, we report on the results of a household sustainability survey conducted in metropolitan Sydney and Wollongong. Overseas‐born persons, migrants, and (some) ethnic minority groups were found to own fewer cars – and to use them less – than their Anglo‐Australian and Australian‐born counterparts. These differences were not attributable to socio‐economic or demographic factors. Our findings, which point towards the existence of diverse cultures of transport within the Australian population, are significant for transport planning and policymaking. Given profound concerns about the environmental implications of car use, the environmentally (more) sustainable transport behaviours of ethnic minorities and migrants should be supported. A shift in research focus away from the most car‐dependent groups in Australian society may also be more widely instructive. The transport practices, experiences, and strategies of those who own and drive cars at below‐average rates may indeed contribute practical lessons to inform planning for more environmentally sustainable transport futures.

(Invited) Re-Energizing Waste CO2 to Fuels with the Sun: Efficiency, Scale, Resource Utilization, and Economics

The interconnected challenges posed by the strategic and economic importance of petroleum and the increasing concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide are now widely recognized. A transition away from the fossil fuel dominated global economy toward a system with ever-lower carbon intensity but commensurate with energy demand is necessary. Addressing these challenges requires thinking differently, beginning with recognizing that from a technological point of view, liquid hydrocarbon fuels remain an ideal transportable energy storage medium, and that CO2 and H2O are simply the energy depleted, oxidized form of hydrocarbons. Further, it is instructive to acknowledge that conventional fossil fuels are in fact ‘‘stored sunlight’’. This perspective suggests searching for large-scale options that convert and store modern sunlight via reactions of carbon dioxide and water to more usable and transportable forms as nature did, but do so as efficiently, effectively, affordably, and sustainably as possible – including being able to produce at the same rate as the product is being consumed. Conversion of solar energy to chemically or biologically reduce waste CO2 into hydrocarbon fuels is an attractive option, but it is not without significant resource, economic, and technical challenges. Herein we present a general examination of resource and economic considerations and conclude that solar-to-fuel efficiency is a key metric that drives not only the potential impact (scalability) of a technology for storing (contemporary) sunlight and sequestering carbon above ground as energy dense fuels, but also the economics. In this presentation, we will talk about a number of comparative metrics of significance and concern to accelerating a transition to a low carbon sustainable transportation future.

Comparative analysis of hydrogen, biofuels and electricity transitional pathways to sustainable transport in a renewable-based energy system

This paper presents a comparative analysis of electric, hydrogen and biofuel transitional pathways to a future sustainable road transport in Iceland, a country with a renewable-based energy system. The analysis is based on a system-dynamics model of Icelandic energy and transport systems (UniSyD_IS). The model is divided into four main modules: fuel supply, fuel prices, refueling stations, and fuel demand. It simulates the long-term evolutions of light and heavy-duty vehicles, taking into account the supply and utilization stages of alternative fuels. Three scenarios are defined to promote the fuel supply infrastructure for three cases of hydrogen, biofuel and electric vehicles. The simulation results for these scenarios are compared in terms of different energy, economic, and environmental indicators. The findings indicate that the electricity pathway has advantages over others in reduction of total fuel demand, mitigation cost, and profitability of fuel supply. The biofuel pathway would be the most attractive alternative in terms of emissions reduction, share of alternative fuels, and consumer economic benefits. The analysis shows that the hydrogen scenario could be advantageous in reducing fuel import and consumer fuel costs, although it has the highest cost of vehicle ownership and infrastructure development.

Understanding Sustainable Transport Acceptance Behavior: A Case Study of Klang Valley, Malaysia

The objective of this study is to investigate the factors that influence public acceptance of sustainable transport in developing countries, specifically in the Klang Valley region, Malaysia. Based on the theory of planned behavior, a sustainable transport system acceptance model is developed using the structural equation modeling approach. The model reveals that the contributing factors towards public acceptance of sustainable transport include awareness, government actions, service availability, and willingness to pay. The influences of these factors vary significantly across different genders and educational groups. The findings presented in this paper provide useful insights for future sustainable transport policies in Malaysia.

Connectivity and Convergence: Transportation for the 21st Century

Drivers across the nation are powering up at electric charging stations, and gas-fueled cars are getting an average of 16% more miles to the gallon than they did just five years ago. However, as the world?s population continues to grow, transportation demands and petroleum consumption steadily increase. A 21st-century transportation system not only needs vehicle technology capable of meeting fuel economy goals of 54.5 mi/gal, a truly sustainable transportation future will rely on the widespread adoption of multiple solutions, including alternative fuels, electric-drive vehicles, a grid powered by renewable energy sources, new approaches to fueling and charging, and innovative ?systems of vehicle connectivity?as well as more fuel-efficient gasoline-powered vehicles.

Industrial Robustness: Understanding the Mechanism of Tolerance for the Populus Hydrolysate-Tolerant Mutant Strain of Clostridium thermocellum

BackgroundAn industrially robust microorganism that can efficiently degrade and convert lignocellulosic biomass into ethanol and next-generation fuels is required to economically produce future sustainable liquid transportation fuels. The anaerobic, thermophilic, cellulolytic bacterium Clostridium thermocellum is a candidate microorganism for such conversions but it, like many bacteria, is sensitive to potential toxic inhibitors developed in the liquid hydrolysate produced during biomass processing. Microbial processes leading to tolerance of these inhibitory compounds found in the pretreated biomass hydrolysate are likely complex and involve multiple genes.Methodology/Principal FindingsIn this study, we developed a 17.5% v/v Populus hydrolysate tolerant mutant strain of C. thermocellum by directed evolution. The genome of the wild type strain, six intermediate population samples and seven single colony isolates were sequenced to elucidate the mechanism of tolerance. Analysis of the 224 putative mutations revealed 73 high confidence mutations. A longitudinal analysis of the intermediate population samples, a pan-genomic analysis of the isolates, and a hotspot analysis revealed 24 core genes common to all seven isolates and 8 hotspots. Genetic mutations were matched with the observed phenotype through comparison of RNA expression levels during fermentation by the wild type strain and mutant isolate 6 in various concentrations of Populus hydrolysate (0%, 10%, and 17.5% v/v).Conclusion/SignificanceThe findings suggest that there are multiple mutations responsible for the Populus hydrolysate tolerant phenotype resulting in several simultaneous mechanisms of action, including increases in cellular repair, and altered energy metabolism. To date, this study provides the most comprehensive elucidation of the mechanism of tolerance to a pretreated biomass hydrolysate by C. thermocellum. These findings make important contributions to the development of industrially robust strains of consolidated bioprocessing microorganisms.

Toward integrated land use and transport planning in fast-growing cities: The case of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Integrated land use and transportation planning is vital in rapidly growing cities, such as Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The current land use and transport planning policies and practice in Jeddah focus on different visions, such that neither land use nor transport issues are managed effectively or efficiently. To prevent managing these issues in isolation, Jeddah's urban planners require methods of integrated land use and transport planning that can contend with the dynamics of Jeddah's urban growth. Dynamic land use and transport interaction models are a valuable method to address this growth. This study uses a cellular automata-based Land-Use Transport Interaction (LUTI) model to assess and simulate different (proposed) land use and transport policy interventions in Jeddah over a 20 year period (2011–2031). The impact of both isolated and integrated policy interventions on land use and transportation were explicitly simulated in the model. Local planners and experts assessed the results of the model. The results show that the dynamic model provides a useful tool for simulating the various planning visions in the city. As such, the model provides a new, valid, proactive land use and transport planning approach to address land use and transportation challenges in the early planning stages and facilitates shared visions of planners. Policies and integrated strategies that stem from this model may provide a sustainable land use and transportation future for Jeddah.

Planning more for sustainable mobility

This paper considers the role of urban planning, when well integrated with transport investment, in assisting in the transition to sustainable mobility. This is viewed largely in terms of reduced carbon dioxide (CO2) usage in transport. Sustainable transport futures are possible, but very difficult to achieve in terms of implementation. Urban planning is a critical element, as it allows a greater level of public transport usage, walking and cycling, and more localised trip patterns. Two case studies are examined, in London and Oxfordshire, and future strategies for urban form and transport investment strategies are developed showing the possibilities at various scales.

Special Section on Sustainable Transportation Systems

The 11 papers in this special section focus on state-of-the-art research and development, as well as future trends in the modeling, design, control, and optimization of advanced power electronics, energy storage, motor drives, and power train systems for future sustainable transportation systems.

A Bidirectional High-Power-Quality Grid Interface With a Novel Bidirectional Noninverted Buck–Boost Converter for PHEVs

Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) will play a vital role in future sustainable transportation systems due to their potential in terms of energy security, decreased environmental impact, improved fuel economy, and better performance. Moreover, new regulations have been established to improve the collective gas mileage, cut greenhouse gas emissions, and reduce dependence on foreign oil. This paper primarily focuses on two major thrust areas of PHEVs. First, it introduces a grid-friendly bidirectional alternating current/direct current ac/dc-dc/ac rectifier/inverter for facilitating vehicle-to-grid (V2G) integration of PHEVs. Second, it presents an integrated bidirectional noninverted buck-boost converter that interfaces the energy storage device of the PHEV to the dc link in both grid-connected and driving modes. The proposed bidirectional converter has minimal grid-level disruptions in terms of power factor and total harmonic distortion, with less switching noise. The integrated bidirectional dc/dc converter assists the grid interface converter to track the charge/discharge power of the PHEV battery. In addition, while driving, the dc/dc converter provides a regulated dc link voltage to the motor drive and captures the braking energy during regenerative braking.

Examining transport futures with scenario analysis and MCA

Climate change is a global problem and across the world the transport sector is finding it difficult to break projected increases in carbon dioxide (CO 2) emissions; there are very few contexts where deep reductions in transport CO 2 emissions are being made. A number of research studies are now examining the potential for future lower CO 2 emissions in the transport sector. This paper develops this work to consider some of the wider sustainability impacts (economic, social and local environmental) as well as the lower CO 2 transport impacts of different policy trajectories. Hence the central argument made is for an integrated approach to transport policy making over the longer term – incorporating scenario analysis and multi-criteria assessment (MCA) – to help assess likely progress against a range of objectives. The analysis is based on work carried out in Oxfordshire, UK. Different packages of measures are selected and two scenarios developed which satisfy lower CO 2 aspirations, one of which also provides wider positive sustainability impacts. A simulation model has been produced to help explore the strategic policy choices and tensions evident for decision-makers involved in local transport planning. The paper argues for a ‘strategic conversation’ ( Van der Heijden, 1996) at the sub-regional and city level, based upon future scenario analysis and MCA, discussing the priorities for intervention. Such an approach will help us examine the scale of change and trade-offs required in moving towards sustainable transport futures.

Techno-economic and behavioural analysis of battery electric, hydrogen fuel cell and hybrid vehicles in a future sustainable road transport system in the UK

This paper conducts a techno-economic study on hydrogen Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles (FCV), Battery Electric Vehicles (BEV) and hydrogen Fuel Cell plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (FCHEV) in the UK using cost predictions for 2030. The study includes an analysis of data on distance currently travelled by private car users daily in the UK. Results show that there may be diminishing economic returns for Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEV) with battery sizes above 20 kWh, and the optimum size for a PHEV battery is between 5 and 15 kWh. Differences in behaviour as a function of vehicle size are demonstrated, which decreases the percentage of miles that can be economically driven using electricity for a larger vehicle. Decreasing carbon dioxide emissions from electricity generation by 80% favours larger optimum battery sizes as long as carbon is priced, and will reduce emissions considerably. However, the model does not take into account reductions in carbon dioxide emissions from hydrogen generation, assuming hydrogen will still be produced from steam reforming methane in 2030.

Solar Energy to Biofuels

In a solar economy, sustainably available biomass holds the potential to be an excellent nonfossil source of high energy density transportation fuel. However, if sustainably available biomass cannot supply the liquid fuel need for the entire transport sector, alternatives must be sought. This article reviews biomass to liquid fuel conversion processes that treat biomass primarily as a carbon source and boost liquid fuel production substantially by using supplementary energy that is recovered from solar energy at much higher efficiencies than the biomass itself. The need to develop technologies for an energy-efficient future sustainable transport sector infrastructure that will use different forms of energy, such as electricity, H(2), and heat, in a synergistic interaction with each other is emphasized. An enabling template for such a future transport infrastructure is presented. An advantage of the use of such a template is that it reduces the land area needed to propel an entire transport sector. Also, some solutions for the transition period that synergistically combine biomass with fossil fuels are briefly discussed.

Environmental Comparison of the Use of Biodiesel and Gasoline for Transportation — A Case Study for Athens

Energy usage, in the Greek transport sector, takes the form of gasoline consumption by automobiles, diesel oil for taxis, trucks, maritime transport, and railroads as well as jet fuel for aircraft. The control of CO2 emissions constitutes a major environmental issue in most countries and many authorities seek to stabilize or decrease these emissions. During the past decade, biofuels in the form of blended gasoline and biodiesel have begun to find places in the energy economy since a sustainable transport future requires the reduction of CO2 emissions. The Greek car market shows a remarkably low rate in the penetration of biodiesel compared to the average European Union market. In this study we try to find out the combined effects of probable changes in biodiesel and gasoline future fuel consumption in the city of Athens.