Editorial: Identifying Building Blocks of Sustainable Transport – Lessons on External Effects from Both Sides of the Atlantic

Adriaan Perrels; Veli Himanen; Martin Lee-Gosselin

doi:10.18757/ejtir.2002.2.4.3720

Editorial

Identifying Building Blocks of Sustainable Transport – Lessons on External Effects from Both Sides of the Atlantic

Authors

Adriaan Perrels Government Institute of Economic Research VATT
Veli Himanen Government Institute of Economic Research VATT
Martin Lee-Gosselin Stella Focus Group 4, Univesité Laval

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18757/ejtir.2002.2.4.3720

Abstract

Environmental and social impact assessment are default elements of transport policy
preparation and transport project appraisal in many OECD countries. In the recent past
however, it has been realised that such an approach does not suffice. Instead of representing
possible limiting factors, the aims and principles of sustainable development are to be
regarded as the very point of departure for formulating transport policies, as is for example
formulated in the European Commission White Paper on Transport (COM, 2001). This has
consequences not only for policy formulation, but also for theresearch that is used to build
the evidence about the actual and potential impacts of transport systems.