Skip to main content

New report shows benefits of improved urban transport efficiency

Policies that improve the energy efficiency of urban transport systems could help save as much as US$ 70 trillion in spending on vehicles, fuel and transportation infrastructure between now and 2050, according to a new report from the International Energy Agency. The report, A Tale of Renewed Cities, draws on examples from more than thirty cities across the globe to show how to improve transport efficiency through better urban planning and travel demand management. Extra benefits include lower greenhouse-ga
July 12, 2013 Read time: 2 mins
Policies that improve the energy efficiency of urban transport systems could help save as much as US$ 70 trillion in spending on vehicles, fuel and transportation infrastructure between now and 2050, according to a new report from the 4724 International Energy Agency.

The report, A Tale of Renewed Cities, draws on examples from more than thirty cities across the globe to show how to improve transport efficiency through better urban planning and travel demand management. Extra benefits include lower greenhouse-gas emissions and higher quality of life.

This report was supported by the 2001 European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) Shareholder Special Fund and includes input from EBRD experts and case studies based on the Bank’s work in the urban transport sector.

Among the three broad categories of policies recommended in the report are those that allow travel to be avoided, those that shift travel to more efficient modes, and those that improve the efficiency of vehicle and fuel technologies.

The report offers three case studies, Belgrade, Seoul and New York City, to show how those cities have already improved their transport systems.

A Tale of Renewed Cities sets out a path outlining the essential steps and milestones for policy development and implementation to transform cities by improving urban transport systems, with the necessary planning and actions for supporting development, financing, implementation and evaluation of policies to improve the energy efficiency of urban transport systems.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • NYC aims to improve transport accessibility
    October 26, 2021
    Proposal includes easement certification and a transit improvement bonus
  • Do satellites provide a heavenly view of tolling’s future?
    December 16, 2014
    Satellite-based tolling opens up new options for authorities and can be integrated with DSRC systems as David Crawford discovers. As the proud custodian of the European Union (EU)’s longest road network covered by a single (truck) charging scheme – and the only one to include all major roads - Slovakia has become the continent’s poster-nation for the virtues of GNSS/CN (Global Navigation Satellite System/Cellular Network)-based tolling. It is also proved to be a very fast implementer. Speaking at the 2014 I
  • Website tracks health effects of walking and cycling
    August 8, 2017
    Andrew Bardin Williams looks at a new online biking and walking benchmark report that allows transportation practitioners to compare communities and track progress. Transportation and public health are inextricably linked. The more people are encouraged to opt out of single occupancy vehicles, the healthier the overall community becomes. Sure, fewer pollutants are released into the air and commuters spend less time in traffic, but it’s the push to get people to ditch fully motorised transportation options a
  • Barcelona finds speed cameras save money and lives
    March 15, 2012
    Deploying speed cameras in urban areas saves vast amounts of money as well as lives, according to a two-year cost benefit analysis carried out in Barcelona, Spain. Barcelona, with an extensive urban area, is typical of many cities in the developed world. There are over 10,000 motor vehicle accidents annually with more than 12,000 people injured every year and less than 50 deaths. Economically, the cost of traffic accidents in Barcelona is over €300M a year.