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Sustainability
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The Urgency of Decarbonizing the Mobility and Transport System
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The Urgency of Decarbonizing the Mobility and Transport System

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Transportation".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2024) | Viewed by 9260

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Paulo Ribeiro

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Centre for Territory, Environment and Construction (CTAC), University of Minho, 4800-058 Guimarães, Portugal
Interests: sustainable mobility; active mobility; mobility as a service; electrical mobility; transport modelling; smart cities; urban living labs; public transports; flexible transport systems (DRT)
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. José F.G. Mendes

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
CTAC, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Minho, Campus de Gualtar, 4750-057 Braga, Portugal
Interests: climate change; decarbonization of urban mobility; ESG corporate sustainability
Prof. Dr. Paulo António Alves Pereira

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
CTAC, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Minho, Campus de Gualtar, 4750-057 Braga, Portugal
Interests: transport infrastructures; decarbonization in roads; urban mobility

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Climate change and global warming represent one of the greatest threats and challenges faced by humankind today. Human activity is increasingly influencing the Earth's climate and temperature, through the emission of large amounts of greenhouse gases (GHG), namely carbon dioxide, methane and nitrogen oxide, which derive mainly from industrial activity, agriculture and the use of motorized vehicles. These gases prevent the release of heat into the atmosphere, causing an increase in the temperature of the air, oceans and the Earth’s surface.

A 2.0 °C increase from pre-industrial times will unequivocally have negative impacts on the natural environment and human health and well-being, including a much greater risk of dangerous and possibly catastrophic changes to the global environment.

With the Paris Agreement at the Conference of the Parties (COP) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC) in 2015, countries worldwide have committed to limiting global warming to below 2 °C by the end of the century, striving to reach the goal of 1.5 °C. To accomplish this, countries must reach their emission peaks as soon as possible, to achieve carbon neutrality by the middle of the century.

The share of GHG emissions caused by the transport sector has increased in the EU and represents approximately 24% of total emissions.

It should also be noted that atmospheric pollution in urban areas remains as one of the classic problems of cities, essentially associated with the burning of fossil fuels (gasoline and diesel) in the internal combustion engines of motor vehicles. It has not been easy to reverse the high levels of concentration of pollutants in the atmosphere, with consequences for the health of the citizens and inhabitants who are exposed to them.

The challenges that arise in the area of decarbonization of the mobility and urban transport system are contemplated, directly or indirectly, in the objectives of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development of the United Nations. The following sustainable development goals (SDGs) can be highlighted: SDG 3—Good health and well-being; SDG 7—Affordable and clean energy; SDG 11—Sustainable cities and communities; SDG 13—Climate action.

For these reasons, this Special Issue of Sustainability is seeking scientific and technical contributions regarding transport decarbonization to create a sound scientific and technical background for designing future policies, strategies and actions in this field. Thus, research and/or review articles should include, but are not limited to, the following topics on mobility: system efficiency, trip efficiency and vehicle efficiency, towards achieving a clean and fully decarbonized mobility.

Dr. Paulo Ribeiro
Prof. Dr. José F.G. Mendes
Prof. Dr. Paulo António Alves Pereira
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • decarbonization
  • sustainable development goals (SDG)
  • urban mobility
  • public transport
  • walking
  • cycling
  • sustainable mobility
  • sharing mobility
  • electric mobility
  • hydrogen vehicles
  • GHG emissions
  • carbon footprint
  • air quality
  • transport planning
  • mobility management

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 5014 KiB  
Article
Investigating Access to Schools through Walking: A Study of Built School Road Networks
by Giuseppe Salvo, Luigi Sanfilippo and Alberto Brignone
Sustainability 2024, 16(17), 7452; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16177452 - 28 Aug 2024
Viewed by 998
Abstract
The scientific literature commonly states that walking to and from school can provide a regular source of physical activity for children and young people. Transport planners emphasise the importance of interventions in the road network to improve walking practices among this younger population. [...] Read more.
The scientific literature commonly states that walking to and from school can provide a regular source of physical activity for children and young people. Transport planners emphasise the importance of interventions in the road network to improve walking practices among this younger population. The Walking School Bus is an initiative that can have a positive impact on traffic management while simultaneously promoting physical health. It is a transportation service used by elementary school students to walk the home–school route accompanied by parent volunteers. It is a similar mode to the school bus in which there are several lines, each consisting of several stops, and each line is associated with a predetermined route that must go through all the stops and then arrive at the school. This paper aims to propose and implement a microsimulation traffic flow model leading to a local solution. The study has two primary purposes: (1) to evaluate the impact of Walking School Bus demands on traffic performance and (2) to examine the effect of different routes on traffic flow delay. Finally, after the implementation, the model will be applied to analyse the situation of an existing school, which will consider this mode of transport. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Urgency of Decarbonizing the Mobility and Transport System)
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12 pages, 998 KiB  
Article
Decarbonizing Urban Mobility: A Methodology for Shifting Modal Shares to Achieve CO2 Reduction Targets
by Paulo J. G. Ribeiro, Gabriel Dias and José F. G. Mendes
Sustainability 2024, 16(16), 7049; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16167049 - 16 Aug 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1248
Abstract
In most urban areas, mobility is predominantly reliant on automobiles, leading to significant negative environmental impacts, such as noise pollution, air pollution, and greenhouse gas emissions. To meet the objectives of the Paris Agreement, urgent action is required to decarbonize the mobility sector. [...] Read more.
In most urban areas, mobility is predominantly reliant on automobiles, leading to significant negative environmental impacts, such as noise pollution, air pollution, and greenhouse gas emissions. To meet the objectives of the Paris Agreement, urgent action is required to decarbonize the mobility sector. This necessitates the development of assessment and planning tools to create effective decarbonization scenarios. Urban mobility must evolve to reduce dependency on fossil fuels by increasing public transport options and promoting active modes of transportation. This research presents a methodology to estimate the modal share required to shift car users to active modes and public transport, thereby achieving future CO2 emission reduction targets in the road transport sector. A case study in Braga, Portugal, demonstrates that to meet the 2040 target of 59,150 tons of CO2, 63% of trips must be made using active modes (e.g., walking and cycling) and 32% by public transport. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Urgency of Decarbonizing the Mobility and Transport System)
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26 pages, 6900 KiB  
Article
Analyzing Young Adult Travelers’ Perception and Impacts of Carpooling on Traffic Sustainability
by Waqas Haroon, Muhammad Arsalan Khan, Zeeshan Ilyas, Hamad R. Almujibah, Muhammad Umer Zubair, Muhammad Ashfaq and Muhammad Hamza
Sustainability 2024, 16(14), 6098; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16146098 - 17 Jul 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2323
Abstract
Since young adults (i.e., aged between 18 and 30) are generally more flexible and conscious of economic and environmental concerns, it is essential to assess their travel perceptions and tendency to shift towards sustainable transportation modes. Therefore, this research aims to evaluate the [...] Read more.
Since young adults (i.e., aged between 18 and 30) are generally more flexible and conscious of economic and environmental concerns, it is essential to assess their travel perceptions and tendency to shift towards sustainable transportation modes. Therefore, this research aims to evaluate the acceptance of carpooling (CP) in the younger population to alleviate traffic congestion, fuel demand, and pollution. This study was conducted in Islamabad, a fast-growing city in Pakistan with a high percentage of young residents, to evaluate travelers’ perceptions, mode choice decisions, and potential acceptance of CP. An online questionnaire-based survey was developed and distributed to collect a total of 656 responses from the young adult population. Various factors influencing travel perceptions, mode choice, and tendency to carpool were categorized and analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis, stepwise, and mediated multiple regression analysis. Thereafter, the tangible impacts of CP, including reduced traffic congestion, fuel consumption, and emissions resulting from the potential adoption of CP by the younger population, were quantified. The findings imply that young travelers’ mode choice mediates the relationship between travelers’ perception and the tendency to carpool. The outcomes also affirm the impact of demographic variables, including gender and education levels, on the willingness of the young adult population to shift towards carpooling. Furthermore, results predicted that adopting CP, especially by younger adults, may reduce by about 33.6% the number of private vehicles in Islamabad. The findings of this study could offer helpful insights for transport planners, commercial carpool service operators, environmentalists, and policymakers to promote carpool systems, especially among young adults. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Urgency of Decarbonizing the Mobility and Transport System)
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12 pages, 1263 KiB  
Article
The Impact of Football Teams’ Transportation on the Carbon Footprint for Away Matches
by Roman Domański
Sustainability 2024, 16(11), 4721; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16114721 - 1 Jun 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1329
Abstract
Problem: Participating in professional sport involves constant travel. From a review of the literature, the issue of transport in sport (passenger transport) in generating a carbon footprint has already been noted. A reliable assessment of the scale of this phenomenon is currently underway. [...] Read more.
Problem: Participating in professional sport involves constant travel. From a review of the literature, the issue of transport in sport (passenger transport) in generating a carbon footprint has already been noted. A reliable assessment of the scale of this phenomenon is currently underway. The aim of this article is to assess the carbon footprint of transporting football players to away matches. It is complemented by a proposal to change the way matches are played using the Sports Centre concept. Methods: A systematic literature review was carried out in the theoretical part. The research part was conducted based on EN 16258 and the centre of gravity method. The objects of this study are five selected football clubs from the Polish Ekstraklasa, and their method of travel (by coach) to away matches. Results: The use of alternative (low-carbon) modes of transport reduces GHG levels from 13 per cent (Pogoń Szczecin) to 34 per cent (Jagiellonia Białystok). An interesting solution, although not yet adapted to the current times, is the implementation of the Sports Centre concept, which allows a 48 per cent reduction in the distance travelled (81,940 kgCO2e per year). Conclusions: Football clubs can neutralise their remaining carbon footprint through investments that indirectly contribute to total carbon neutrality, such as the planting of oxygen trees or the installation of a photovoltaic system to completely neutralise the carbon footprint. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Urgency of Decarbonizing the Mobility and Transport System)
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23 pages, 3999 KiB  
Article
Analysis of the Interaction between Humans and Autonomous Vehicles Equipped with External Human–Machine Interfaces: The Effect of an Experimental Reward Mechanism on Pedestrian Crossing Behavior in a Virtual Environment
by Raul Almeida, Emanuel Sousa, Dário Machado, Frederico Pereira, Susana Faria and Elisabete Freitas
Sustainability 2024, 16(8), 3236; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16083236 - 12 Apr 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2036
Abstract
The advent of autonomous vehicles (AVs) has sparked many concerns about pedestrian safety, prompting manufacturers and researchers to integrate external Human–Machine Interfaces (eHMIs) into AVs as communication tools between vehicles and pedestrians. The evolving dynamics of vehicle–pedestrian interactions make eHMIs a compelling strategy [...] Read more.
The advent of autonomous vehicles (AVs) has sparked many concerns about pedestrian safety, prompting manufacturers and researchers to integrate external Human–Machine Interfaces (eHMIs) into AVs as communication tools between vehicles and pedestrians. The evolving dynamics of vehicle–pedestrian interactions make eHMIs a compelling strategy for enhancing safety. This study aimed to examine the contribution of eHMIs to safety while exploring the impact of an incentive system on pedestrian risk behavior. Participants interacted with AVs equipped with eHMIs in an immersive environment featuring two distinct scenarios, each highlighting a sense of urgency to reach their destination. In the first scenario, participants behaved naturally without specific instructions, while in the second scenario, they were informed of an incentive aimed at motivating them to cross the road promptly. This innovative experimental approach explored whether motivated participants could maintain focus and accurately perceive genuine risk within virtual environments. The introduction of a reward system significantly increased road-crossings, particularly when the vehicle was approaching at higher speeds, indicating that incentives encouraged participants to take more risks while crossing. Additionally, eHMIs notably impacted pedestrian risk behavior, with participants more likely to cross when the vehicle signaled it would not stop. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Urgency of Decarbonizing the Mobility and Transport System)
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