“Cities often underestimate the potential of walking and cycling in achieving sustainable urban transport" 15-02-2007 An effective sustainable urban transport system both improves access to
essential resources (jobs, services, social contacts) and curtails the negative
impacts of mobility (noise, air pollution, obesity). Developing such a system,
however, remains the key challenge for cities, according to Mr Luca Bertolini,
associate professor of transport and urban planning at the University of
Amsterdam. Spatial policies designed to support densification and
diversification of uses should be part of the solution package. “This is
essential for improving the accessibility of environmentally-friendly transport
modes, such as walking and cycling”, Mr Bertolini explains. “We should not
forget that in relatively dense cities, walking and especially cycling have a
great, though often underestimated potential.”
In your view, what are the main challenges for cities with regard to
transport and mobility?
Cities are facing a difficult dilemma with respect to mobility. On the one
hand, mobility has become an essential condition for social emancipation and
economic development. Without mobility, access to essential resources such as
jobs, services, social contacts, workers, clients, or business relations would
fall below an acceptable level. There are as yet no signs that advance in
telecommunication technologies will significantly reduce this need for physical
mobility.
On the other hand, mobility has serious negative impacts on the global and
local environment (think of emissions, noise or space consumption), and on the
safety and health of citizens (think of accidents, air pollution or obesity).
The main challenge is thus that of devising and developing an urban transport
system that both improves access to essential resources and curtails the
negative impacts of mobility.
How can cities meet this challenge?
There is no single solution to this challenge. Rather, internally consistent
packages of different solutions are needed. These would have to include
technological measures such as improving the environmental performance of
conventionally-fuelled vehicles and the flexibility and comfort of public
transport.
The package of measures would also have to include spatial policies, such as
supporting densification and diversification of uses. This is essential for
improving the accessibility performance of already environmentally friendly
transport modes as walking and biking. Furthermore, the range of solutions would
have to be extended to softer but no less important fields as the coordination
of services, the scheduling of activities and the provision of information.
What is your vision on the future of urban transport?
My vision is one where improving and maintaining the quality of life in the
city is central, and transport is seen as one of the means to achieving it. The
main role for transport in this is that of facilitating, and not hampering, the
cultural, social and economic interaction of a diversity of people and
activities. This is a key feature of urban life.
Many European cities are in the process of making long-term
‘sustainable urban transport plans’. Is it realistic to focus these plans
on reducing car use when the capacity of public transport in cities is often
lacking?
We should work on both fronts: minimising the disruption caused by car use
when there are no viable transport alternatives, improving public transport
where there are opportunities to attract passengers. There are enough examples
of European cities, for example Karlsruhe in Germany, that have succeeded in
developing public transport that can compete with the car. Also, we should not
forget that in relatively dense and diverse European cities walking and
especially the bicycle have a great and often dramatically underestimated
potential. The use of the bicycle in Dutch cities is an impressive, but by no
means unique example.
Would the promotion of clean, zero emission vehicles be a more
sustainable solution?
It would be a more sustainable solution, but it is not a sufficient one. The
use of zero emission vehicles would not solve problems as congestion, accidents,
noise or space consumption. We are thus back to the need of combining different
solutions.
back |
| ||
 | ||
| ||
| | |
