Panel leaders
Jillian Anable, University Aberdeen, United Kingdom
Neil Wallis, Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership, United Kingdom (who continues the work of Caroline Watson, Energy Saving Trust)
Read more about the panel leaders here

The 2011 Proceedings are available online.
Go to the proceedings pages to see all abstracts and download papers and presentations!

Summary

• Policies and practices which may accelerate fuel, technology and behavioural transitions in the transport sector.
• New business models for car ownership, use and mobility management and ways of encouraging optimal use of cars.
• The impact of urban and regional form on energy consumption from transport.

Panel description

Despite EU targets on energy efficiency and climate change, transport emissions continue to rise and progress towards reducing the sector’s extremely high dependence on fossil fuel is still negligible in practice. Some issues are being addressed via the EU Climate Action and Renewable Energy Package such as putting new passenger cars on a trajectory towards reducing emissions. However, traffic levels continue to increase at around the same rate as we see average car emissions declining so that the net impact takes us no further towards our goals. There are initiatives to include vans and eventually trucks into the emissions regulations, and aviation will soon be included in the EU emissions trading scheme. But without complementary measures to tackle the demand for transport and mobility there is a risk that improvements to energy efficiency could be countered by the growth in traffic. However, climate change, renewable energy targets and rising oil prices dictate we cannot afford to settle any longer for such modest outcomes.

Papers are invited which offer international, national or local perspectives on policies and practices which may lead to fuel, technology and behavioural transitions in the sector.

Possible topics include:

• Business models for car ownership, use and mobility management. How can changes in the way we own, pay for and plan our travel impact on transport energy consumption?
• Efficient use of the car such as car pooling, car clubs, and eco-driving. What can be done to ensure that individuals make the most efficient use of their car? What incentives or cultural changes are needed to encourage, normalise and ‘lock-in’ energy efficient driving and car use?
• Land use and urban and regional form. How does the way we design our towns, cities and developments impact on energy consumption from transport? What are the key relationships and where is the evidence? What other benefits come from sustainable planning and how transferable are the lessons from place to place?
• Fuel and technology transitions in the transport sector. What is the likely form and rate of technological transition in the transport sector? How can this transition be accelerated? How sustainable is this likely to be? How will consumers use new technology and what are the implications and challenges for associated infrastructure supply?
• Modal shift, demand reduction and consumer behaviour change. How can we decouple economic growth from increases in travel demand? Is modal shift a realistic possibility and what will actually ensure people make the shift? What is the role of public transport infrastructure in this shift?
• Accessibility versus mobility. What is the role of accessibility planning in reducing energy demand from transport? What techniques, tools and models are used to plan for accessibility and where is the evidence that it has an impact on energy consumption?
• Freight transport and energy demand. What is the impact of rising fuel costs on logistics planning and production and consumption patterns? Where are the opportunities for energy reduction in this sector? What policies could help promote these reductions?
• Making aviation and/or shipping more efficient. What further policies are needed to ensure that aviation and/or shipping are more energy efficient? Will this have to come from demand reduction?

Note. Abstract submission is now closed!

Panel leaders

Jillian Anable, University of Aberdeen, United Kingdom
Dr Jillian Anable is a Senior Lecturer at the Centre for Transport Research, Aberdeen University. She is nationally and internationally recognised for her work on travel behaviour change, specifically the monitoring and evaluation of travel behaviour in response to ‘soft measures’ or ‘smarter choice’ interventions together with the application of market segmentation techniques to design effective campaigns. She is currently involved in a cross-institutional and multi-disciplinary project – the UK Energy Research Centre (UKERC), carrying out among other things scenario analyses of the UK travel sector to 2050 incorporating lifestyle and policy changes, advising the UK Government advisory body – the Commission for Integrated Transport - on climate change and carrying out work for the Department for Transport and the Scottish Government on carbon abatement, public attitudes to climate change and smarter choices.

Neil Wallis, Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership, United Kingdom

Neil is responsible for LowCVP's communications activities including all publications, the monthly e-newsletter and the website. He also manages the Partnership's own events, including the annual conference and party conference activities, and agrees participation in third-party initiatives. Neil is responsible for media and parliamentary communications and also for the Secretariat's information management.

Neil has worked in both the public and private sectors in a variety of policy, public affairs, business development and communications roles. After 7 years with the energy company, Texaco, and a two-year assignment as a VSO volunteer, Neil joined the Energy Saving Trust's nascent transport programmes division. He has a degree in Economics and Politics, a Masters in Business Administration and a Postgraduate Certificate in Journalism. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.