Transportation Sustainability and Relevant Ranking of European Countries

Abstract

The role of transportation in the economic process is central. Transportation’s benefits, however, can be dampened because of its environmental and social cost. A central question then arises as to the degre of sustainability of a national transportation system. In the present paper we develop a mathematical model to define and assess national transportation sustainability. The model relies on a number of indicators encompassing environmental impact, efficiency, safety, and economic contributions. Statistical data manipulations and fuzzy multistage reasoning result in an overall sustainability index over [0, 1]. A sensitivity analysis uncovers those indicators with the highest potential for improving transportation sustainability. Thirty European countries are ranked and the most important indicators for each country are pinpointed. It is demonstrated that greatest improvement will be achieved with the reduction of passenger car use, road freight transportation, and fatal accidents. Counterintuitively, Norway, Austria, Denmark, and Luxembourg rank at the bottom of the list together with Bulgaria, Greece, and Malta. This is due to their poor environmental performance and their small sustainability progress over 2010–2020.