Controlling the environmental impact of transport: Traffic management schemes and their influence on consumer behaviour

Europe today is a highly urbanized continent with more than 70% of Europeans living in urban areas. Concerns for the sustainability of these areas have increased rapidly, as it has become evident that the environmental challenges of the future will be confronted in an increasingly urbanized world. In particular the concern of air pollution, caused by urban activities such as the congestion resulting from increased traffic movements, has been identified as the root cause of a range of health problems, mostly associated with the inhalation of gases and particles. This paper aims to outline some of the primary measures that may be adopted both for controlling the environmental impact of transport and for redistributing the demand to different modes of transport. The analysis will specifically concentrate on those measures associated with traffic management and, in particular, car sharing, park and ride, priority routes and road pricing. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.