Decalogue for sustainable urban transport strategy

Abstract

Sustainable urban planning is a chance for improvement, or at least not worsening, living standards in a metropolis, where streets over packed by cars make cities less attractive not only for inhabitants, but also for visitors and investors. Time is money, and traffic jams cause the big time losses as well as environmental problems with higher emission and noise. Achievement of sustainable city growth needs the full coordination of transport and spatial planning policies. The main groups of activities for sustainable urban development stimulation are: city development along main transport corridors with high quality public transport (PT) modes, making land use more intensive and multifunctional and restrictions for car use in downtown areas. Policy packages in the city scale should be supported by the national policy for sustainable development. 10 measures or commandments, let's call it the Decalogue for Sustainable Urban Transport Strategy, could be very helpful here. The 10 commandments are: promotion of public transport modes, car restrictions in the cities, fuel prices can never go down, ecological transport tax, promotion of more environmental friendly vehicles, equal access to PT modes, co-financing of transport investments, sustainable spatial planning policy, better telecommunication services and better goods transport management. © 2012 WIT Press.