scholarly journals Exploring the Energy Saving Potential in Private, Public and Non-Motorized Transport for Ten Swedish Cities

2022 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 954
Author(s):  
Jeffrey R. Kenworthy ◽  
Helena Svensson
Keyword(s):  
Public Transport ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Energy Savings ◽  
Middle Eastern ◽  
Urban Transport ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Transport Systems ◽  
Passenger Transport ◽  
Case Scenario ◽  
Transport Energy Use

Transport energy conservation research in urban transport systems dates back principally to the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries’ (OPEC) “Arab Oil Embargo” (1973–1974) and the Iranian revolution (1979), when global oil supplies became threatened and costs rose steeply. Two subsequent Gulf Wars (1991 and 2003) highlighted the dangerous geo-political dimensions of Middle-Eastern oil. In latter times, the urgency to reduce global CO2 output to avoid catastrophic climate change has achieved great prominence. How to reduce passenger transport energy use therefore remains an important goal, which this paper pursues in ten Swedish cities, based on five scenarios: (1) increasing the relatively low public transport (PT) seat occupancy in each Swedish city to average European levels (buses 35%, light rail 48%, metro 60% and suburban rail 35%); (2) doubling existing PT seat occupancy in each Swedish city; (3) increasing existing car occupancy in each Swedish city by 10%; (4) decreasing existing energy use per car vehicle kilometer by 15%; (5) increasing existing modal split for daily trips by non-motorized modes to 50% in each city. A sixth “best-case scenario” is also explored by simultaneously combining scenarios 2 to 5. The data used in the paper come from systematic empirical research on each of the ten Swedish cities. When applied individually, scenario 2 is the most successful for reducing passenger transport energy use, scenarios 1 and 4 are next in magnitude and produce approximately equal energy savings, followed by scenario 5, with scenario 3 being the least successful. The best-case, combined scenario could save 1183 million liters of gasoline equivalent in the ten cities, representing almost a 60% saving over their existing 2015 total private passenger transport energy use and equivalent to the combined 2015 total annual private transport energy use of Stockholm, Malmö and Jönköping. Such findings also have important positive implications for the de-carbonization of cities. The policy implications of these findings and the strategies for increasing public transport, walking and cycling, boosting car occupancy and decreasing vehicular fuel consumption in Swedish cities are discussed.

scholarly journals Urban Transport and Eco-Urbanism: A Global Comparative Study of Cities with a Special Focus on Five Larger Swedish Urban Regions

Urban Science ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 25 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey Kenworthy
Keyword(s):  
Public Transport ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Urban Transport ◽  
Transport Systems ◽  
Special Focus ◽  
Mobility Patterns ◽  
Urban Regions ◽  
Form And Function ◽  
European Cities ◽  
The Usa

Urban transport is critical in shaping the form and function of cities, particularly the level of automobile dependence and sustainability. This paper presents a detailed study of the urban transport eco-urbanism characteristics of the Stockholm, Malmö, Göteborg, Linköping, and Helsingborg urban regions in southern Sweden. It compares these cities to those in the USA, Australia, Canada, and two large wealthy Asian cities (Singapore and Hong Kong). It finds that while density is critical in determining many features of eco-urbanism, especially mobility patterns and particularly how much public transport, walking, and cycling are used, Swedish cities maintain healthy levels of all these more sustainable modes and only moderate levels of car use, while having less than half the density of other European cities. Swedish settlement patterns and urban transport policies mean they also enjoy, globally, the lowest level of transport emissions and transport deaths per capita and similar levels of energy use in private passenger transport as other European cities, and a fraction of that used in lower density North American and Australian cities. Swedish urban public transport systems are generally well provided for and form an integral part of the way their cities function, considering their lower densities. Their use of walking and cycling is high, though not as high as in other European cities and together with public transport cater for nearly 50% of the total daily trip making, compared to auto-dependent regions with between about 75% and 85% car trips. The paper explores these and other patterns in some detail. It provides a clear depiction of the strengths and weaknesses of Swedish cities in urban transport, some key policy directions to improve them and posits possible explanations for some of the atypical patterns observed.

scholarly journals Passenger Transport Energy Use in Ten Swedish Cities: Understanding the Differences through a Comparative Review

Energies ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (14) ◽  
pp. 3719
Author(s):  
Jeffrey R. Kenworthy
Keyword(s):  
Energy Conservation ◽  
Public Transport ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Transport Infrastructure ◽  
Transport Sector ◽  
Passenger Transport ◽  
Car Use ◽  
Private And Public ◽  
Per Capita ◽  
Transport Energy Use

Energy conservation in the passenger transport sector of cities is an important policy matter. There is a long history of transport energy conservation, dating back to the first global oil crisis in 1973–1974, the importance and significance of which is explained briefly in this paper. Detailed empirical data on private and public passenger transport energy use are provided for Sweden’s ten largest cities in 2015 (Stockholm, Göteborg, Malmö, Linköping, Helsingborg, Uppsala, Jönköping, Örebro, Västerås and Umeå), as well as Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany, which is a benchmark small city, well-known globally for its sustainability credentials, including mobility. These data on per capita energy use in private and public transport, as well as consumption rates per vehicle kilometer and passenger kilometer for every mode in each Swedish city and Freiburg, are compared with each other and with comprehensive earlier data on a large sample of US, Australian, Canadian, European and Asian cities. Swedish cities are found to have similar levels of per capita car use and energy use in private transport as those found in other European cities, but in the context of significantly lower densities. Possible reasons for the observed Swedish patterns are explored through detailed data on their land use, public and private transport infrastructure, and service and mobility characteristics. Relative to their comparatively low densities, Swedish cities are found to have healthy levels of public transport provision, relatively good public transport usage and very healthy levels of walking and cycling, all of which help to contribute to their moderate car use and energy use.

New Approach to Effective and Sustainable Urban Transport

2003 ◽  
Vol 1838 (1) ◽  
pp. 42-49 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Lowson
Keyword(s):  
Public Transport ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Urban Transport ◽  
Light Transport ◽  
Transport Systems ◽  
New Paradigm ◽  
New Approach ◽  
Personal Rapid Transit ◽  
Transport Services ◽  
New System

An effective and sustainable transport system has been devised to meet public transport demand. Urban light transport (ULTra) is an innovative form of personal rapid transit. In contrast to other forms of public transport, there is no waiting, stopping, or transferring. In many situations, the new system can offer better transport than available by other means. ULTra has been designed to demanding sustainability requirements. Typically, ULTra reduces energy use and emissions by a factor of three compared with existing transport systems and also complements those systems. By providing a network link to major rail and bus stations, ULTra can make current transport services more attractive to passengers. The new system is also well suited for other major activity centers such as airports. In essence, ULTra replaces the old mass transit paradigm for transport with a new paradigm based on just-in-time transit. ULTra is now undergoing engineering development funded by the U.K. Department for Transport on a 1-km test track in Cardiff, Wales. The Cardiff County Council has received funding commitments by the National Assembly of Wales that could lead to system implementation by 2005. The system offers a new approach to public transport, with a real prospect of significant gains in effectiveness and sustainability.

scholarly journals A Novel Model for Determining Public Service Compensation in Integrated Public Transport Systems

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 2969 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gordan Stojić ◽  
Dušan Mladenović ◽  
Olegas Prentkovskis ◽  
Slavko Vesković
Keyword(s):  
Public Service ◽  
Public Transport ◽  
Free Market ◽  
Transport Systems ◽  
Passenger Transport ◽  
Market Conditions ◽  
The Public ◽  
Transport Services ◽  
Optimal Approach ◽  
Novel Model

In free market conditions, if public passenger transport services are commercially unprofitable, there will be no interest for transport companies to perform them. However, directly because of the citizens’ interests, on the one hand, and indirectly because of the economy, passenger public transport services have become of a general public interest. The authorities must prepare appropriate legal fair market conditions, based on which public transport will be subsidized and conducted. In order to achieve that, for the mutual benefit of the public, users and transport companies, it is necessary that the right Public Service Obligation Model (PSO model or in some literature PCS—Public Service Compensation) be defined. Within this study, the optimal approach to assigning a PSC contract to transport companies for performing the PSO in integrated and regular public passenger transport systems is determined. A novel model, presented in this paper, can help national, regional and local authorities to choose and determine the way and level of PSCs for conducting the public transport of passengers and establishing a sustainable public passenger transport system.

Cascading failure with preferential redistribution on bus–subway coupled network

2021 ◽  
pp. 2150103
Author(s):  
Sonnam Jo ◽  
Liang Gao ◽  
Feng Liu ◽  
Menghui Li ◽  
Zhesi Shen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Transport ◽  
Failure Process ◽  
Vital Role ◽  
Urban Transport ◽  
Traffic Load ◽  
Transport Systems ◽  
Cascading Failure ◽  
Passenger Flow ◽  
Urban Public Transport ◽  
Overall Performance

Robustness studies on integrated urban public transport networks have attracted growing attention in recent years due to the significant influence on the overall performance of urban transport system. In this paper, topological properties and robustness of a bus–subway coupled network in Beijing, composed of both bus and subway networks as well as their interactions, are analyzed. Three new models depicting cascading failure processes on the coupled network are proposed based on an existing binary influence modeling approach. Simulation results show that the proposed models are more accurate than the existing method in reflecting actual passenger flow redistribution in the cascading failure process. Moreover, the traffic load influence between nodes also plays a vital role in the robustness of the network. The proposed models and derived results can be utilized to improve the robustness of integrated urban public transport systems in traffic planning.

scholarly journals Behavioural changes in urban mobility in Barcelona due to the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Corinna Peters
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Public Transport ◽  
Road Traffic ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Urban Transport ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Transport Sector ◽  
Urban Mobility ◽  
The City

This study assesses changes in mobility behaviour in the City of Barcelona due the COVID‐19pandemic and its impact on air pollution and GHG emissions. Urban transport is an important sourceof global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Improving urban mobility patterns is therefore crucial formitigating climate change. This study combines quantitative survey data and official governmentdata with in‐depth interviews with public administration officials of the City. Data illustrates thatBarcelona has experienced an unprecedented reduction in mobility during the lockdown (a 90%drop) and mobility remained at comparatively low levels throughout the year 2020. Most remarkableis the decrease in the use of public transport in 2020 compared to pre‐pandemic levels, whereas roadtraffic has decreased to a lesser extent and cycling surged at times to levels up to 60% higher thanpre‐pandemic levels. These changes in mobility have led to a radical and historic reduction in airpollution, with NO2 and PM10 concentration complying with WHO guidelines in 2020. Reductions inGHG emissions for Barcelona’s transport sector are estimated at almost 250.000 t CO2eq in 2020 (7%of the City’s overall annual emissions). The study derives policy implications aimed at achieving along‐term shift towards climate‐friendlier, low‐emission transport in Barcelona, namely how torecover lost demand in public transport and seize the opportunity that the crisis brings for reform byfurther reducing road traffic and establishing a 'cycling culture' in Barcelona, as already achieved inother European cities.

scholarly journals The Effects of the Selective Enlargement of Fare-Free Public Transport

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (16) ◽  
pp. 6390 ◽  
Author(s):  
Krzysztof Grzelec ◽  
Aleksander Jagiełło
Keyword(s):  
Public Transport ◽  
Market Research ◽  
Urban Transport ◽  
Transport Systems ◽  
Local Authorities ◽  
The Public ◽  
Transport Services ◽  
Mode Of Transportation ◽  
Free Transport ◽  
Using Data

In recent years fare-free public transport (FFPT) found itself at the centre of attention of various groups, such as economists, transport engineers and local authorities, as well as those responsible for the organisation of urban transport. The FFPT is hoped to be the answer to contemporary transport-related problems within cities, problems which largely result from insensible proportions between trips carried out via personal mode of transportation and those completed by the means of public transport. This article reviews the motives and effects connected with the introduction to date of fare-free transport zones across the globe. It also presents, using data obtained in market research, the actual impact of a selective extension of the entitlement to free fares on the demand for urban transport services. The effects observed in other urban transport systems were then compared against those observed in relation to one, examined system. Analyses of observed FFPT implementation effects were then used to establish good and bad practices in the introduction of FFPT. The article also contains forecasts on the effect of the extension of entitlement to free fares and an increase in the public transport offer may have on the volume of demand for such services. The analyses have shown that an increase in the public transport offer (understood as an increase in the volume of vehicle-kilometres) would increase the demand for urban transport services more than the selective implementation of FFPT (assuming that the costs incurred by the local authorities remain unchanged).

scholarly journals Sustainability Analysis of Competition in Public Transport Systems: A Comparative Case Study in Hungary and Finland

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
András Lakatos ◽  
Péter Mándoki
Keyword(s):  
Public Transport ◽  
Current Problem ◽  
Transport Systems ◽  
Comparative Case Study ◽  
Passenger Transport ◽  
Railway Systems ◽  
Time Of Travel ◽  
A Current

Ongoing competition between bus and railway systems in European (especially in the middle, south and east part) regional passenger transport is a current problem. Long term sustainability and efficiency in passenger transport requires a balanced transport policy. These subsectors need to be complement each other, not compete. The parallel bus and railway links can result in a competition. This research explores solutions to this issue for long term environmental and economic sustainability optimization. Some of the important factors include the number of inhabitants to be served, public transport availability, and efficiency in time of travel for vehicles and passengers. To ensure long term sustainability of the presented methodology, the effect of interventions was analyzed. The study compares Finland and Hungary in terms of the competition regional railway and bus links.

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