To make our transport system more sustainable it needs to:
- be more resilient in the face of increasing change
- minimise negative impacts on the environment.
Increasing the sustainability of our transport system will:
- improve Auckland's air quality
- reduce its vulnerability to future oil shocks
- reduce run-off from the road network into our waterways
- mitigate climate change - read more about climate change on the Low Carbon Auckland page.
Improving the resilience of our transport system in response to potential long or short-term disruption is also crucial. We face a number of potential challenges in this regard, including:
- the impacts of weather events
- long-term impacts of climate change
- disruptions arising from accidents, damage or incidents on the network
- fuel shocks
- impacts from new technologies.
Decisions must also be made in a way that reduces the risk of investments being 'caught out' by rapid change, whether arising from climatic conditions, technological developments or other forms of change.
How this can be done
Efforts to develop a more resilient and environmentally responsible transport system must:
- improve fuel efficiency and reduce the use of fossil fuels
- improve travel options, particularly public transport, walking and cycling
- identify parts of the transport network where disruption would have significant and widespread impacts, and develop appropriate strategies to improve their resilience
- stop harmful pollutants from entering our waterways
- reduce the impact of non-permeable surfaces on runoff and the creation of urban heat islands.
