Attempts to integrate sustainability in the decision-making process for transport infrastructure projects continue to gain momentum. A number of tools and methodological frameworks are available -such as rating systems, traditional decision-making techniques, checklists, and different evaluation frameworks and models. While these tools are highly valuable, some practical issues remain unsolved. There is also a need for more standardized tools to appraise the sustainability of transport projects. This paper is a presentation of a review on the current assessment tools of sustainability applied to transport infrastructure projects. The preliminary part of the paper is an explanatory and comparative analysis of the tools and methods in terms of their effectiveness to appraise sustainability. The analysis is a critical evaluation of the current state of the art to identify the limitations of existing approaches, point out new areas of research, and propose a sustainability appraisal agenda for the future.

Implementing effective travel demand management measures provides an opportunity to reduce transport dependence on the private car. There is growing acknowledgement that the strategy of implementing transit benefits may boost transit ridership and reduce personal vehicle use. This research contributes to the understanding of this issue by examining the relationship between commuter benefits and mode choice for commuting trips in the states of New York and New Jersey (US). Based on individual data from the Regional Household Travel Survey conducted by the New York Metropolitan Transportation Council and North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority, we adopted a multinomial logit model to identify the extent to which transport benefits to employees-including public transport-related, private transport-related and benefits for walking and cyclingpromote changes in commuters' modal split. The analysis shows that commuter benefits play a significant role in explaining observed travel patterns. Benefit programs that pay for auto expenses (e.g. toll payments, mileage reimbursement, free parking) are negatively correlated with transit, biking, and walking, while employer-funded benefit programs for transit passes and bike reimbursements increase their respective mode shares. This result confirms that promoting these types of measures is an effective policy to encourage the use of public transport modes, thus increasing efficiency and sustainability in daily mobility patterns.

User acceptability has become a critical issue for the successful implementation of transport pricing measures and policies. Although several studies have addressed the public acceptability of road pricing, little evidence can be found of the effects of pricing strategies. The acceptability of alternative schemes for a toll network already in operation is an issue to be tackled. This paper contributes to the limited literature in this field by exploring perceptions toward road-pricing schemes among toll road users. On the basis of a nationwide survey of toll road users in Spain, the study developed several binomial logit models to analyze user acceptability of three approaches: express toll lanes, a time-based pricing approach, and a flat fee (vignette) system. The results show notable differences in user acceptability by the type of charging scheme proposed. Express toll lanes were more acceptable by travelers who perceived greater benefits from saving travel time. The acceptability of time-based approaches (peak versus off-peak) decreased for users who felt forced to use the toll road, whereas this was not an aspect that significantly influenced users’ support for flat fee schemes. In addition, a flat fee strategy was more acceptable for long-distance trips and truck drivers who regularly used the toll facilities. The results from this analysis can inform policy makers and planners for the promotion of more efficient, socially inclusive, and publicly acceptable road-pricing schemes.

No abstract

No abstract