Mobility: sustainable transport and reflexive mobility

There is a widespread consensus within the transport sector that its current performance is not sustainable. We all more or less agree that the way our society has organised the transport of people and goods is partially socially unjust, economically unfair and environmentally unsound. Moreover, there is agreement on some of the basic principles with which to achieve sustainable transport, such as “internalising external costs”, “the user pays principle” or “fair competition between different modes”. But this is it. This is probably as far as the consensus goes.

Although nearly all social actors are able to subscribe to the common vision of “sustainable transport”, the most influential of them are usually not wiling to move towards its implementation. As if this lack of political will did not suffice, governments and industries often speak with one voice, when they reject implementation strategies with comments such as “not acceptable” or “not feasible”.

Despite industries and governments embracing the common vision of sustainable transport, legal and regulatory measures aiming to improve both transport and the environment are turned down because it is said that such measures are neither socially accepted nor economically feasible. “Zero acceptability” or “beyond feasibility” are the general accusations which “green” transport activists and planners have heard over and over again. It is now time to deconstruct these empty phrases and show that sustainable transport is always socially acceptable and definitely economically feasible.