Climate change and air pollution: the connection between traffic intervention policies and public acceptance in a local context

Abstract

Urban mobility is the main source of air pollution in Europe and accounts for 25% of greenhouse gas emissions. In order to address this, a range of interventions and policies are being implemented across major European cities and studies in sustainable urban transport have proliferated. One such mitigation strategy involves redesigning urban form through 'hard' traffic policies, with a view of decreasing emission levels and therefore mitigating the effects of air pollution and climate change. However, efforts to assess public response to such interventions and the effectiveness of policy instruments in promoting sustainable travel in cities remain sparse. The city of Potsdam, Germany implemented a trial traffic measure aimed at reducing motorized traffic and promoting the use of bicycles and public transport systems. This study analysed data from 3553 survey participants who responded to a survey conducted prior to the implementation of the traffic measure. We aimed to identify mobility behaviours and underlying attitudes within the context of a 'hard' policy instrument, in order to obtain insight into the opportunities to more effectively define policy priorities that improve air quality and upscale climate mitigation. An exploratory cluster analysis identified four groups, characterised by mobility habits, their attitudes towards the measure, and general level of environmental concern. By identifying and understanding the differing attitudes and perceptions across population groups we are able to highlight group-specific barriers and opportunities, as well as potential transition pathways to encourage more sustainable transportation use. This study exemplifies how context can help to further shape mobility group typologies, identify policy-related priorities useful for decision-makers and assess the feasibility of policy instruments to facilitate a transformation towards more sustainable cities.

Impact of Climate Change on Transportation Infrastructure: Comparing Perception Differences between the US Public and the Department of Transportation (DOT) Professionals

“…For example, policies on company car benefits may be modified to consider the advantage of reducing carbon emissions from passenger travel [112] Additionally, the cost of fuel-efficient cars may be reduced [117] and a reduction in fossil-fuel usage and car-travel demand may be achieved by means of carbon and fuel tax increases [111]. Moreover, cities may be redeveloped with urban design features and made more compact, such that more efficient road spaces are developed to encourage the adoption of sustainable transport modes [118][119][120].…”

“…The degree to which transportation systems may be affected by intense weather events also necessitates the need for organized research synergies among atmospheric scientists, transportation stakeholders, nongovernmental organizations and environmental advocacy groups. Examples of current transport-relevant research include an evaluation of the performance of metropolitan planning organizations toward implementing strategies to reduce transportation-producing greenhouse gas emissions [117]; life-cycle approach to quantifying the energy and carbon footprints of urban transportation infrastructure [119]; developing a framework to integrate the risk of infrastructure failure into transportation asset-management practices [125]; constructing climate models to evaluate the risk of future global warming and the need to achieve net-zero emissions [126]; developing a metric framework to measure resilience of the U.S. passenger rail service to climate risk and track changes over time [127]; and investigating transportation infrastructure resilience to recovery from natural disasters, as well as the impact of protection strategies against sea-level rise on various modes of transportation [128].…”

Determinants of Public Acceptance for Traffic-Reducing Policies to Improve Urban Air Quality

“…51% had some kind of university degree (Bachelor or higher), 29% had vocational training. For further socio-demographic information, see Weiand et al [55] or [56].…”

Success factors in the case of transport interventions: A mixed-method systematic review protocol (1990 – 2022)

“…In 2020, the total carbon dioxide emission of Germany's transport sector was 162.5 million tonnes which is by far the biggest share among the 27 countries' transport sector within the European Union (Commission 2022). The far-reaching consequences, whether global or local, range from toxic and harmful emissions that contribute to global warming, to irreversible damage to the natural and human ecosystem or habitat, to serious health problems such as respiratory diseases caused by air pollu?on especially in Germany's densely populated areas and urban metropolises (Weiand 2019, Hunecke 2021, Steg 2007, Lorenzoni 2007. There have been significant observa?ons made by the World Meteorological Organiza?on (WMO) which have shown the irreversible damage to the natural system, for instance the rise of the average global surface temperature up to 1.1 Celsius above pre-industrial levels in 2017 (World Meteorological Organiza?on (WMO) 2018), the increase of the rise in annual global mean temperatures from 1,15 Celsius to 1,28 Celsius in 2020 and the fact that for Europe 2020 was the warmest year on record since record keeping of the second half of the 19 th century (World Meteorological Organiza?on (WMO) 2020).…”