On the lookout for the travel time that has flown by.
Investments in road infrastructure often appear to “save time” through higher speeds and less congestion. But is this really true? Research shows that average travel times do not change significantly over time, but instead distances between starting and finishing points become longer, and speeds become higher. This is likely to reinforce car dependence, the environmental impact of the transport system, and make it more difficult to achieve a sustainable transition.
Jean Ryan, a researcher at the Swedish National Road and Transport Research Institute, questions the time focus that characterizes how new road infrastructure is viewed and motivated. Is it possible to break this habitual way of thinking, and what alternatives are there to expanding the road network?
Organized in collaboration with the Lund Society for Nature Conservation and the Sustainability Forum at Lund University as part of the spring lecture series on climate and environmental issues. Free admission, no pre-registration required.