How Does Transport Policy Cope with Climate Challenges? Experiences from the UK and Other European Countries
Publication: Journal of Transportation Engineering
Volume 137, Issue 6
Abstract
Transport is one of the fastest growing sources of emissions of greenhouse gases. Some European countries have adopted comprehensive “sustainable transport” policies, in which climate change is addressed. This paper looks into how sustainable transport policy frameworks deal with climate change challenges in three countries: the Netherlands, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. In particular, the focus is on the role of follow-up and monitoring systems to keep the policies on track. For the United Kingdom, a critical analysis is made of strengths and weaknesses of the policy monitoring regime. The analysis shows that the monitoring approach, while ambitious, has suffered some deficits that may have weakened the role of the high-level strategies. Current efforts to strengthen the system are discussed.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
Acknowledgments
The authors wish to thank the MISTRA Foundation, Sweden, for supporting the research on which this paper is based. We are also grateful to the anonymous reviewers for helpful comments.
References
Bouckaert, G., and Halligan, J. (2008a). “Managing performance.” International comparisons, Routledge, London.
Bouckaert, G., and Halligan, J. (2008b). “Comparing performance across sectors.” Performance information in the public sector—How it is used, W. Van Dooren and S. Van de Walle, eds., Palgrave Macmillan, Houndsmills, 72–93.
Bristow, A. L., Tight, M., Pridmore, A., and May, A. D. (2008). “Developing pathways to low carbon land-based passenger transport in Great Britain by 2050.” Energy Pol., 36(9), 3427–3435.
Chapman, Lee (2007). “Transport and climate change: A review.” J. Transp. Geogr., 15, 354–367.
Commission for Integrated Transport (CfIT). (2007). “Transport and climate change: Advice to government from the Commission for Integrated Transport 2007.” London.
Dept. of Energy and Climate Change (DECC). (2009). “The UK Low Carbon Transition Plan.” Her Majesty’s Stationery Office (HMSO), London.
Dept. of Environment Transport and the Regions (DETR). (1998). “A new deal for transport: Better for everyone.” Cm. 3950, HMSO, London.
Dept. of Environment Transport and the Regions (DETR). (2000). “Transport ten year plan 2000.” HMSO, London.
Department for Transport (DfT). (2007). “Towards a sustainable transport system: Supporting economic growth in a low carbon world.” HMSO, London.
Department for Transport (DfT). (2008). “Delivering a sustainable transport system.” HMSO, London.
Department for Transport (DfT). (2009a). “Low carbon transport: A greener future.” HMSO, London.
Department for Transport (DfT). (2009b). Annual Rep. 2009, HMSO, London.
Eddington, R. (2006). “The Eddington transport study: Transport’s role in sustaining the UK’s productivity and competitiveness.” Dept. for Transport, London.
European Commission (EC). (2009). “Directive 2009/28/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council, on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources and amending and subsequently repealing Directives 2001/77/EC and 2003/30/EC of 23 April 2009.” Official Journal of the European Union.
European Conference of Ministers of Transport (ECMT). (2004). “Assessment and decision making for sustainable transport.” Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Paris.
European Conference of Ministers of Transport (ECMT). (2007). “Cutting transport emissions—What progress?” Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Paris.
European Environment Agency (EEA). (2008). “Greenhouse gas emission trends and projections in Europe 2008. Tracking progress towards Kyoto targets.” EEA Rep. No. 5/2008, Copenhagen
Government Bill (GB). (2002) . Infrastruktur för ett hållbart transport system (Infrastructure for a long-term sustainable transport system). 2001/02/20 Stockholm, Sweden (in Swedish).
Government Bill (GB). (2009a). En sammanhållen klimat-och energipolitik—Klimat (A comprehensive climate and energy policy). Prop. 2008/09/162 (in Swedish).
Government Bill (GB). (2009b). “Framtidens resor och transporter—Infrastruktur för hållbar tillväxt” (Future travels and transport—Infrastructure for sustainable growth). Prop. 2008/09:35 (in Swedish).
Government Bill (GB). (2009c). “Mål för framtidens resor och transporter. Regeringens” (Objectives for future travels and transport). Prop. 2008/09:93 (in Swedish).
Hoen, A., Gerus, K., de Wilde, H., Hanscheke, C., and Uyterlinde, M. (2009). “ emission reduction in transport. Confronting medium-term and long term options for achieving climate targets in the Netherlands.” Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency (PBL) No. 500076009, The Hague, Netherlands.
Innes, J. E. (1990). Knowledge and public policy. The search for meaningful indicators, 2nd Expanded Ed., Transaction Publishers, New Brunswick.
International Energy Agency (IEA). (2008). “Energy technology perspectives. Scenarios and strategies to 2050.” Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Paris.
James, O. (2004). “The UK core executive’s use of public service agreements as a tool of governance.” Publ. Admin., 82(2), 397–419.
Kahn Ribeiro, S., et al. (2007). “Transport and its infrastructure.” Climate change 2007: Mitigation contribution of Working Group III to the 4th Assessment Rep. of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, B. Metz, O. R. Davidson, P. R. Bosch, R. Dave, and L. A. Meyer, eds., Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
Marsden, G., Kelly, C., Snell, C., and Forrester, J. (2005). “Sustainable transport indicators: Selection and use. DISTILLATE. Improved indicators for sustainable transport and planning. Deliverable C1 Version 9—Public.” 〈http://www.distillate.ac.uk/outputs/reports.php〉 (July 24, 2008).
Marsden, G. R., and May, A. D. (2006). “Do institutional arrangements make a difference to transport policy and implementation? Lessons for Britain.” Environ. Plann. C: Govern. Pol., 24(5), 771–789.
Mickwitz, P., et al. (2009). “Climate policy integration, coherence and governance.” PEER Rep. No. 2, Helsinki, 〈http://peer-initiative.org/media/m235_PEER_Report2.pdf〉 (Jul. 15, 2009).
Ministerie van Volkshuisvesting, Ruimtelijke Ordening en Milieubeheer (VROM) (Ministry of Spatial Planning and the Environment). (2007). New energy for climate policy. The ‘clean and efficient’ programme. The Hague, Netherlands.
Ministry of Transport Public Works and Water Management (MVW). (1990). “The second transport structure plan (Part D—Government decision).” The Hague, Netherlands.
Ministry of Transport Public Works and Water Management (MVW). (2005a). “Mobility policy document towards reliable and predictable accessibility. (Part III—Government position).” The Hague, Netherlands.
Ministry of Transport Public Works and Water Management (MVW). (2005b). “Implementation memorandum from policy document to mobility.” The Hague, Netherlands
Ministry of Transport Public Works and Water Management (MVW). (2006). “Innovation, mobility and water for an accessible clean and safe Netherlands. Innovation paper.” The Hague, Netherlands.
Nilsson, A, and Neergaard, K. (2009). “Åtgärdsanalys av EU:s transportpolitik” (Analysis of European Union transport policy measures). RAPPORT 2008:93, Trivector Traffic AB, Lund, Sweden (in Swedish).
Office of Public Sector Information (OPSI). (2008). Climate Change Act 2008 〈http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts2008/ukpga_20080027_en_1〉 (Jul. 30, 2009).
Pollitt, C. (2006). “Performance management in practice: A comparative study of executive agencies.” J-PART, 16(1), 25–44.
Pope, J., Annandale, D., and Morrison-Saunders, A. (2004). “Conceptualising sustainability assessment.” Environ. Impact Assess. Rev., 24(6), 595–616.
Rorarius, J. (2007). “Existing assessment tools and indicators: Building up sustainability assessment (some perspectives and future applications for Finland).” Finland’s Ministry of the Environment, 〈http://www.ymparisto.fi/download.asp?contentid=73204〉 (Aug. 24, 2007).
Scheers, B., Sterck, M., and Bouckaert, G. (2005). “Lessons from Australian and British reforms in results-oriented financial management.” OECD J. Budget., 5(2), 133–162.
Swedish Environmental Objectives (SEO). (2008). “No time to lose: An evaluation by the Swedish Environmental Objective Council.”
Swedish Institute for Transport and Communication Analysis (SIKA). (2007). “Uppföljning av det transportpolitiska maalet och dess delmaal” (Follow-up of the Swedish transport policy objectives). SIKA Rep. 2007:3, Stockholm, Sweden (in Swedish).
Swedish Institute for Transport and Communication Analysis (SIKA). (2008a). “Uppföljning av det transportpolitiska maalet och dess delmaal” (Follow-up of the Swedish transport policy objectives). SIKA Rep. 2008:1, Stockholm, Sweden (in Swedish).
Swedish Institute for Transport and Communication Analysis (SIKA). (2008b). “Förslag till ny transportpolitisk målstruktur. Del 1 Analys av förutsättningar” (Suggestion concerning new transport policy target structure). SIKA Rapport 2008:2 (in Swedish).
Sørensen, C. H., and Gudmundsson, H. (2010). “Målstyret Transportpolitk—Hvad kan Danmark lære af Sverige og Norge? ” Økonomi og Politik, 83(2), 3–19 (in Danish).
Statskontoret. (1999). “Förslag till uppföljning av de transportpolitiska målen” (Proposition regarding follow-up to transport policy objectives). Rapport 1999:33, Statskontoret, Stockholm (in Swedish).
Stern, N., et al. (2006). “Stern review: The economics of climate change, Her Majesty’s Treasury, London.
Tengström, E. (1999). “Towards environmental sustainability? A comparative study of Danish, Dutch and Swedish transport policies in European context.” Ashgate, Aldershot.
U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT). (2006). “United States Department of Transportation’s strategic plan for fiscal years 2006–2011.” New ideas for a nation on the move, Washington, DC.
Zografos, K. G., and Tsanos, C. S. (2007). “Methodological framework for analyzing institutional settings in transport policy making.” Transportation Research Record 2036, Transportation Research Board, Washington, DC, 15–23.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Copyright
© 2011 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Sep 16, 2009
Accepted: Nov 6, 2010
Published online: Dec 6, 2010
Published in print: Jun 1, 2011
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.