Transport and sustainability: The issue(s) of the decade

When we set out on the 10-year iMOVE journey we understood there was a reasonable chance that that the landscape could shift during the life of the CRC. And it has.

The new area that is now demanding attention is sustainability. This pressure is coming not only from the need to reduce emissions, but also from the growing realisation of the importance of accessibility to transport for all people for the effective functioning of society.

Net zero emissions

The issue of environmental sustainability was boosted by the announcement that Australia would commit to net zero emissions by 2050. For transport, this means we have 30 years to wean ourselves off petrol and diesel fuel, and move to alternative fuels. Thirty years sounds like a long time, but when you consider that means scrapping and replacing 20 million cars, 400,000 trucks, and 100,000 buses, the scale of the challenge becomes clearer. This problem is exacerbated currently by the high cost and limited availability of zero emission vehicles.

iMOVE is currently undertaking a project to identify options for emissions reduction in the transport sector, with our Developing a low/zero emission transport strategy for Australia project. It is also supporting PhD studies looking at Implementation of sustainable transport policies and Experiments on consumer preferences for sustainable airlines.

Accessibility

The interest in transport accessibility is driven by a growing recognition that for society to flourish, everyone must have access to reasonable transport options. iMOVE is particularly interested in the contribution that technology can make to increasing the travel options for all parts of the community. To this end we have already initiated projects to:

• Human size variation in design of Australian transport systems
• Government initiatives to support women in the transport sector
• Australia’s Public Transport Disability Standards and CAVs

If you are interested in the developments occurring in community transport, I recommend you listen to the recording of our recent Innovative community transport webinar.

Connect with iMOVE

In the face of numerous crises, sustainability is rapidly becoming the issue of the decade. We invite you to get on board the iMOVE transport sustainability bus! As ever, I invite you to get in touch with me for a chat.