Fuel economy trends in industrialized countries: when the rubber hits the road
Recent efforts to raise fuel efficiency for automobiles in the United States is a welcome first step for reducing carbon emissions from the transport sector. Schipper also suggests that fuel efficiency is not the only step that should be stimulated by national or local policies. Measures that reduce or even eliminate the need for driving must be promoted. These include transit oriented development, mixed-use, high-density neighborhoods, parking and road fees, mass transportation systems and congestion pricing schemes, like the one Mayor Bloomberg has proposed for New York City. In the context of a sustainable transport package, such measures would improve the quality of transportation with significant fuel saving and CO2 restraint as a co benefit.