Search

Transport is in need of innovation to reach the goals set for social and, more importantly, environmental sustainability. However, in transport, innovation rarely goes from pilot to large-scale implementation, as various barriers create blocking mechanisms to implementation. This paper focuses on the technology of geofencing in transport management, with the aim to contribute to the understanding of actors' perceptions of drivers and barriers to the technology and how these perceptions impact its implementation. A qualitative approach, based on 34 interviews, helped identify drivers and barriers to geofencing, with the focus on Sweden. The drivers and barriers were then analyzed at different institutional levels (macro, meso, and micro). Drivers could be identified for actors at all levels, indicating that geofencing can contribute to transport sustainability. However, there are also barriers at all levels that hinder implementation. Closer collaboration is necessary to reduce knowledge gaps, develop policies, and establish viable business models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change impacts such as extreme temperatures, snow and ice, flooding, and sea level rise posed significant threats to railway infrastructure networks. One of the important questions that infrastructure managers need to answer is, "How will maintenance costs be affected due to climate change in different climate change scenarios?" This paper proposes an approach to estimate the implication of climate change on the life cycle cost (LCC) of railways infrastructure assets. The proportional hazard model is employed to capture the dynamic effects of climate change on reliability parameters and LCC of railway assets. A use-case from a railway in North Sweden is analyzed to validate the proposed process using data collected over 18 years. The results have shown that precipitation, temperature, and humidity are significant weather factors in selected use-case. Furthermore, our analyses show that LCC under future climate scenarios will be about 11 % higher than LCC without climate impacts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sweden has set itself aspirational climate goals to reduce its fossil fuel dependence, and has the ambition of being a global climate transition leader. These goals have proven difficult to achieve in the transport system. In this paper we describe the development since 2016 of a broad and heterogeneous discourse coalition in favour of more strategic governance in Swedish transport planning, encompassing business, trade unions, environmental experts and green-left politicians. We first analyse their claims for a radical reorientation of Swedish transport planning, which are shown to focus on fiscal rules, a lack of political courage, and slow-moving environmental legislation processes, as three main reasons why the transport system is slow to transition. We then discuss whether these claims constitute a politicisation of the climate policy discourse, or rather a new iteration of the previously depoliticised discourse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Transition to fossil-free road transport by adopting EFVs. • Internal, external and governmental drivers for and barriers to EFV adoption. • Political ambivalence results in uncertainty over the future development of EFVs. • Developing a brand image as being a sustainable firm acts as a major driver for EFV adoption. • Grid uncertainties concerning capacity and ensuring sustainable energy production. Freight transport in urban areas needs to become more sustainable. There is much potential to reduce emissions by transitioning to electric freight vehicles (EFVs). The context of this study is Sweden, a country with ambitious goals for transitioning to fossil-free road transport that incentivizes the adoption of EFVs through regulations, subsidies and environmental zones. However, it seems that few companies are adopting EFVs. This paper aims to explore why that is by investigating drivers for and barriers to the adoption of EFVs. An embedded case study of five firms in Stockholm that are exploring the possibilities of using EFVs is conducted. The findings reveal a number of drivers and barriers, which are then categorized as internal, external or governmental. The results show uncertainties at the micro, meso and macro levels. Uncertainties relate to political and legal uncertainties, technological and infrastructure-related uncertainties, customer expectations and willingness to pay, and operational uncertainties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Bike-sharing systems can contribute to transport justice. • These systems typically only target already mobile groups. • Stakeholders must prioritise equality objectives to promote transport justice. New mobility solutions have so far primarily been designed to meet the mobility needs of affluent user groups and have had limited impacts on objectives related to justice. This paper sheds light on a bike-sharing system implemented by a local authority in Sweden and discusses the findings in relation to the literature on transport justice. The study is based on a single case study and demonstrates that the system mainly attracts users who already have high accessibility. That docking stations were placed in low-income residential areas, combined with the fact that the price model was affordable, suggests that the system has potential to promote transport justice. The study indicates that this equality profile was primarily treated as an add-on in the design and setting up of the system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Swedish air travel per capita need to be reduced by 38–59% to meet climate targets. • The effect on air travel by a high-speed rail network in Northern Europe is modest. • Mixed modes, combining rail and air, may give significant emission reductions. • The main aviation low-carbon fuels alternatives are analysed. In many industrialised countries, the climate impact from long-distance travel is greater than that from short-distance travel. In this paper, we present five scenarios for long-distance travel in 2060, which are consistent with a 67% probability of limiting global warming to 1.8 degrees. The scenarios concern travel by the Swedish population, but per capita travel volume and fuel use could be generalised globally. A key result is that all scenarios require reductions in Swedish per capita air travel in the range of 38–59% compared to 2017. The direct effect on air travel of implementing a high-speed rail network in Sweden and Northern Europe was found to be modest. A higher emission reduction could be achieved if mixed mode trips comprising rail and air legs were more widely adopted. Finally, the pros and cons of future aviation fuels are discussed, the main candidates being biofuel, electrofuel, and liquid hydrogen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]