Green Urban TransportThe contribution of the

World Conference on Transport Research Society

Professor Anthony D MayPresident, WCTRS

Emeritus Professor of Transport EngineeringThe University of Leeds, England

Green transport and sustainability

Environmental Sustainability

EconomicSustainability

SocialSustainability

Comprehensive

Sustainability

•Three attributes•Environmental

•Climate change, noise, pollution, biodiversity

•Economic• Efficiency, economic growth, congestion

•Social•Access, safety, equity now and in the future

The challenge of urbanisation• World urban population

– 2010: 3.5bn (50%)– 2050: 6.9bn (70%)

• Asian cities– 2010: 1.8bn (42%)– 2050: 3.5bn (66%)

• Traffic levels 2025– World: 1.5 x 2000 levels– Asia: 5.7 x 2000 levels

The challenge of climate change

•To avoid dangerous levels of climate change

–2o maximum surface temperature increase

–50% emissions reduction needed by 2050

–80% in developed countries

•Reflecting much more intensive emission levels

Could we achieve an 80% cut by 2050 in Europe?

• Business as usual• High technology

take-up • Plus substantial

behavioural change• So both are

essential• But is a 50% cut

feasible elsewhere?

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The World Conference on Transport Research Society

• The Society’s objective– To stimulate the interchange of research in all aspects

of transport and from all parts of the world• Membership

– Currently around 1600 members– From 67 countries– Researchers, policy makers, consultants

• Principal activities– An international conference (WCTR) every three years– Special Interest Groups– Contributions to policy

Conferences and SIGs

• The World Conferences on Transport Research– Lisbon July 2010 (1400 delegates, 1300 papers)– Rio de Janeiro 2013– Bids for 2016 due in 2011

• The Special Interest Groups– Currently 13 active SIGs– Offer continuing activity between conferences

• 14 conferences/workshops since 2007• 15 journal special issues

Contributions to policy• Transport and Climate Change

– ITF, Leipzig; SIG-11: Nagoya, Copenhagen• Transport and Globalisation

– ITF, Leipzig; SIG-2: Antwerp; SIG-8: ATRS• Transport and Innovation

– ITF, Leipzig; SIG-10: Gothenburg• Urban Transport in China

– SIGs 1, 7, 9, 10, 11: Shanghai: September 2010• Transport and Society

– ITF, Leipzig, May 2011

Transport and climate change• SIG-11 workshop in

Nagoya Nov 2009• Recommendations

presented to COP-15, Copenhagen

• Book being published• Further guidance being

drafted for COP-16, Cancun

The Shanghai workshop

• Objectives– To contribute to the development of policy on

urban transport in China through:• SIG-11 on transport and climate change• SIG-7 and CODATU on policy change• SIG-1 (land use); SIG-9 (urban freight); SIG-10

(urban transport) on specific policy options– To increase awareness of WCTRS– To encourage participation in our activities

The Shanghai workshop• Plenary session 1: papers on climate change, low carbon

cities, adaptation strategies• Workshop session 1 (Saturday, 1430- 1730)

– Barriers to policy change– The role of land use policy

• Workshop session 2 (Sunday, 0900 – 1230)– The role of urban transport policy

• Workshop session 3 (Sunday, 1415 – 1545)– The role of urban freight policy

• Plenary session 2: conclusions from the three workshops• Planners’ Round Table (Monday, 0900 – 1200)

– Policy challenges and barriers– Promising policy interventions