The Engineering Challenges of Sustainable Transport Wednesday, 14 March 2012

“What would be the ideal transport mix for Tyne and Wear?”

Katja Leyendecker Eur.Ing CEng C.WEM MCIWEMWater engineerNewcastle Cycling Campaign

The Engineering Challenges of Sustainable Transport

Infrastructure…what do engineers do all day?

Utilities (gas, water, electricity) - grids and generation

Communication (broadband, television, radio, mobile phone,, landline)

Water and disposal (sewage, landfill, transfer stations)

Flood and water (rivers, streams, canals, dams, reservoirs)

Transport (roads and streets, bridges, rail, ports, airports, freight distribution

centres, bus / light rail / local transport)

Stress on society

Big national projects

Decentralised community solutions

Economic growth Sustainability = living in a finite habitat

Population

Consumption

“What would be the ideal transport mix for Tyne and Wear?”

Stress on transportBut also carbon reduction, climate change, health, congestion, air quality

National transport (from 25 miles)

modal shift

Local transport (up to 25 miles)

Ultra-local transport(up to 5 miles)

More miles travelled year on year

Reducing the need / desire to travel, and miles travelled

Short journeys by car Short journeys by active, green and healthy means

Transport emissions

Modal shift - proposed

“Sustrans calls on UK governments to invest in doubling the number of journeys under five miles made by foot, bike and public transport to four out of five by 2020.”

Do we ‘need’ the car?

What can other countries tell us?

Safecycleways

Integration

Older folks

Shopping

Friends

Shared space

Transport

Utility

Deliveries

Kids

Modal shift – how?

If we cycled like the Danes… reduction of 5% UK carbon emissions

National leadership and investment

.. to facilitate local solutions and foster technical expertise

Behavioural change

PullBuild it and they will come.

True for motorways, and true for local transport

(investment)

PushWe must make unfettered car use (hypermobility) unacceptable in our society

(moral dimension)

The engineer of the future?

• Moral dimension

• Working at community level

• Leading by example ‘on yer bike or bus’

• Good communicator

Engineering – it’s for girls?

Final thoughts

Loosening the belt to cure obesity Nature doesn’t do bailouts

"We are not going to save the planet by putting our country out

of business“

George Osborne -

"I may not be an engineer, but as a historian I can say with some confidence that our lame excuses will look very weak in their eyes if we do not"

- HRH Prince of Wales

"Anyone who believes in indefinite growth on a physically finite planet is either mad or an economist“

- Sir David Attenborough