Societal trends, mobility behaviour and sustainable transport in Europe and North America

It is increasingly evident that modern lifestyles in affluent societies, and the mobility behaviour associated with such lifestyles, are not consistent with the protection of environmental quality, the efficient use of resources, and the promotion of social cohesion and just distributions of opportunities and costs of using transport systems. This paper examines social and behavioural aspects of sustainable transport from a transatlantic perspective. Significant societal trends are surveyed and their implications for mobility behaviour are drawn. The sustainability of this behaviour is considered along with constraints and drivers of this behaviour in Europe and North America. The paper takes up relevant policy issues and concludes with a discussion of a transatlantic research agenda on social and behavioural aspects of sustainable transport.