Michael Replogle

Sustainable Transportation Strategies for Third World Development

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Defining Sustainable Development

"Sustainable development" is a concept drawing much attention currently in the international development community. A few years ago the concept of a "basic needs approach" to development was much discussed by the same community. While both concepts are being applied to the design of many development projects and programs, neither has had much impact in the transportation sector. This presentation is aimed at discussing how ideas of sustainability and the meeting of basic human needs can be injected into transportation development, planning, and policy in developing countries.

The concept of "sustainable transportation", like the concept of transportation system management (TSM), does not call for new technologies or massive new projects. Rather, it calls for a more holistic approach to transportation policy and investment planning, with emphasis on achieving a diverse and balanced mix of non-motorized and motorized transport modes, more attention to the currently unmet local mobility needs of low-income people and more awareness of the impacts of transportation systems on long-term environmental quality and resource utilization. Sustainable transportation and TSM are overlapping and complementary concepts.

For short distance person and goods movements, low cost non-motorized transport modes powered by renewable energy sources serve as the natural complement to motorized public transport modes, which best provide for movement in corridors with moderate to high volume flows and with moderate to long trip lengths. By facilitating the use of different modes to meet diverse travel demands, relying on each where it is most appropriate, the transport system can be optimized to yield broadly distributed benefits at a minimal societal cost.