[sustran] Technical and policy information in an 'information age'

[eric britton]

The other day Dr. Erik T. Verhoef of the Dept. of Spatial Economics of the
Free University in Amsterdam wrote to the UTSG  list the following:

Does anyone have suggestions where to find a coherent set of emission
coefficients for inland freight transport (road, rail and shipping)?
Preferably a source that makes a distinction between:
* average and optimal (economically as well as technically) load factors
* average fleet, latest vintages and/or 'best practice' (in particular
relevant for new investments)
and that is suitable for the EU.
All suggestions are welcome. If there is a demand for it, I could also post
the results to UTSG.

Now I thought immediately: I know that this is the sort of thing that is
pretty easily on tap to the various people and groups around Europe
participating at the EST (Environmentally Sustainable Transportation)
program of the OECD (see http://www.oecd.org/env/trans), and at the same
time is of real interest to at least some of the people on the Sustran list,
and no doubt quite a few others. Makes sense doesn't it?
The problem with the Net of course is that there is so much out there on it
and so many contacts but one simply can't get to it most of the time, try
though we may.
So here is what I have proposed to our colleagues in the EST program (see
above) and they have indicated that they are already to look at this.  Why
not see what can be done to create some sort of MASTER PORTAL for issues of
transportation and the environment (which of course gets us right into
information technologies on the one hand, land use, energy, etc. etc.) which
might try to make best use of the available (and fast evolving) sorting and
menuing technologies to do the job.
As a first step, they have indicated that they would be willing to discuss -
in case anyone was interested - some sort of informal association or
'co-sponsorship' of some of the best and most relevant sites (and I can't
think of a better place to start than the couple we have here) and then see
what might be done to move step by step in some good complimentary
directions along these lines. And then once there is a solid structure in
place, one could begin to extend the circle outward.
Any interest out there in this sort of thing?
**********************************************************

Eric Britton

EcoPlan International -- Technology, Economy, Society

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