Impacts of ICTs on Transport and Mobility (ICTRANS)

Abstract

The overarching aim of this study is to improve our limited understanding of the impacts of information and communication technology (ICT) on transport and mobility and make the first steps towards the development of elements for adequate policy strategies to contribute to a reduction of overall transport demand. More specifically, ICTRANS aims to address the following objectives: (1) Improve the understanding of impact chains and loops affecting the demand for transport, which in turn are driven by new opportunities of ICT applications in conjunction with emerging trends and trend breaks in the social and organisational practices; (2) Develop and formulate a set of scenarios for to frame the exploration of possible future impacts that ICT applications may have on transport and mobility; (3) Assess the impacts with suitable indicators and investigate possible substitution or rebound effects, modifications of travel behaviour, or the case of stimulation of additional transport demand; (4) Analyze and suggest options for robust and adaptive policies that would allow the influence of future mobility paths to develop in a sustainable direction and prevent major negative side effects; and (5) Identify major areas where additional research work is needed. The project focuses on key application areas where ICTs are expected to have major consequences on mobility and transport. These application areas include (1) retailing and distribution, where ICT applications and e-commerce can help to optimize transport operations at a firm level and may influence the location decisions for distribution centres. Transport intensity and modal split could be affected as a result. (2) tele-shopping in certain market segments of e-commerce such as books, software, music, food and groceries, travel and electronics. This may reduce individual shopping trips, but may lead to a significant increase in trips for delivery of tangible goods, and raise new requirements for freight transport, especially in urban areas. (3) logistics services, which are supposed to undergo a major transformation towards intermodal logistic chains as part of extended production systems. (4) manufacturing systems, where ICT applications may influence the distribution of manufacturing activities at a European level: ICTs may stimulate the development of small and micro production units that serve local demand or, on the other extreme, facilitate the development of large clusters of competence. (5) customised services, that can favour the matching of dispersed demand with dispersed offers. (6) distance-working, which is expected to be adopted more widely in the future, leading to changes in mobility patterns, choices of residence and possibly the generation of additional leisure traffic. (7) self-employment, which is facilitated by e-society concepts and triggers similar changes in mobility patterns as telecommuting. In order to structure the work on these frequently overlapping key application areas the work was organised into three socio-economic spheres: Producing, Living and Working.

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