We are the UK Government’s independent adviser on sustainable development. Through advocacy, advice and
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Smarter Moves: How Information Communications Technology can promote Sustainable Mobility
| Date: | 25/01/2010 |
|---|---|
| Classification: | Transport |
| Document type: | SDC Reports & Papers |
| Download: |  SDC_Smarter_Moves_w.pdf - 2123 KB |
| Summary: |  Transport currently accounts for 29% of the UK’s total carbon dioxide emissions, and unlike other major sectors, its emissions continue to rise. But by making more effective use of Information Communications Technology we can reverse that trend, and at the same time make travel in the UK easier, safer and more environmentally friendly in the future.Recommendations in this report are aimed at the Department for Transport, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Highways Agency, though some of our recommendations have potential implications for all Government departments. The report will also be of interest to any public or private sector organisation looking to reduce the impact of its travel, as well as local authority transport professionals, public transport operators, the ICT industry and road safety organisations. The scope of this project was to explore how ICT could help to: • Reduce the need for travel • Influence travel mode choice • Change driver behaviour • Change vehicle behaviour • Increase vehicle loading factor • Improve the efficiency of transport networks. Summary of our findings ICT has particular potential for: • Enabling home working and travel avoidance (for example video conferencing and internet shopping) • Reducing barriers to the use of public transport and improving people’s experience of the journey (for example smart ticketing and free wi-fi) • Facilitating car sharing and eco driving (helping us all to make the most efficient use of our cars) • Speed limit enforcement (for example average speed cameras and intelligent speed adaptation which both help drivers to avoid penalty fines and stay legal and safe) • Delivering congestion charging and road pricing. Recommendations The Government can harness the potential of ICT by adopting the following practical recommendations: • Formation of a cross-departmental team to work with business in developing opportunities for ICT-enabled mobility, including the creation of a UK network of high quality video conference facilities • Department for Transport to work with UK businesses and the National Business Travel Network towards an increase in the number of organisations which allow and promote home working • Further investment in public transport to ensure that improvements in vehicle sustainability keep pace with or exceed those of private vehicles • Public transport providers to allow third parties to access service information for the creation of travel tools to make joined-up door-to-door journeys easier • Revision of transport funding arrangements to allow local authorities increased flexibility between revenue and capital funding to cover ongoing ICT support and maintenance costs • Eco-driver training to be given to all public sector employees who drive a vehicle as part of their job to encourage safer and more fuel-efficient driving. » Welsh Version |
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