This study analyzes retrospective data on telecommuting engagement and residential and job location changes over a ten-year period, from 218 employees (62 current telecommuters, 35 former telecommuters, and 121 people who had never telecommuted) of six California state government agencies that had actively participated in the well-known pilot program of 1988-90. We compare estimates of the total commute person-miles traveled of telecommuters and nontelecommuters, on a quarterly basis.Key findings include: (a) One-way commute distances are higher for telecommuters than for non-telecommuters, consistent with prior empirical evidence and with expectation. (b) Average telecommuting frequency declines over time. Several explanations are proposed, but cannot be properly tested with these data. (c) The first two findings notwithstanding, the average quarterly per-capita total commute distances are generally lower for telecommuters than for nontelecommuters, indicating that they telecommute often enough to more than compensate for their longer one-way commutes.We cannot say from these results whether the ability to telecommute is itself prompting individuals to move farther away, or whether telecommuting is simply more attractive to people who already live farther from work for other reasons. Even if the first case is true, however, and telecommuting is the "problem", it also appears to be the solution, i.e. enabling people to achieve a desired but more distant residential location without negative environmental impacts.1

Growing road network needs, rapidly increasing truck traffic, and the shortfall of traditional funding sources have contributed to two important trends in Europe: increased reliance on user fees and involvement of private capital in transport infrastructure through public–private partnerships. Since 1995 more than 20 European countries have instituted tolls on heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) using national roadways. The motivations are several: expanding sources of revenue beyond the gas tax, managing demand for road space, encouraging efficient operations, leveling the tax burden on haulers registered in different countries, and reducing CO2 emissions. This paper first provides a brief overview of various toll systems in use, then focuses on the German experience as a potential model for the United States. The innovative German system combines a Global Positioning System onboard unit with mobile communications technology. In its launch year, 2005, Germany collected €2.87 billion for 23.9 billion vehicle kilometers (35% by foreign trucks) tolled an average of €.12/km for autobahn use. Support of the German trucking industry was achieved through measures to increase competitiveness with foreign shippers. The toll system's first 2 years of operation indicate that avoidance traffic is a minor issue, that potential for modal shift to rail has yet to be realized, and that subsidies for clean vehicle purchase have helped reduce the pollution of the German HGV fleet.

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Normally, discussion about more sustainable mobility concentrates on the travel behaviour of individuals, but the transportation system is also very much influenced by the behaviour of institutions. This paper looks into changes in transportation planning and financing mechanisms initiated by the US Intermodal Transportation Efficiency Act, introduced in 1991, and the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century, introduced in 1997. In spite of their limitations, these legislative provisions, driven by strong advocacy coalitions, have had a significant impact on US transport policy. They indicate lessons for other countries both in terms of the political process and in terms of interactions between levels of policy making. A top‐down approach at the Federal level can be useful to enhance a nationwide bottom‐up planning process at the local and regional level. The ability to induce reform even in an unbalanced and unsustainable transport system with high car ownership, extreme development of car‐oriented infrastructure, and high car use is an indication of more general potential for change.