University of California Transportation Center

This paper examines sustainable transportation issues, drawing upon the literature as well as on evidence from a study tour of Sweden, Germany, the Netherlands, and Scotland. Greenhouse gases have been the initial motivation for most sustainable transportation initiatives, but broader social, economic, and environmental concerns now figure into the idea of sustainability. In the US, barriers to sustainability include uncertainty about the problem and the best ways to address it, as well as uncertainties about public support. Nevertheless, many efforts are underway locally in the US to promote sustainable development and sustainable transportation. The European organizations visited are using many of the same strategies as are US planners, but can rely on strong policy commitments, government incentives, and new planning processes putting an emphasis on collaboration and performance measurement to support their efforts.