Reducing Transport Intensity

In this paper, transport intensity concerns the economic or energy efficiency of transport.The focus of the paper is the measurement and use of indicators of transport intensity. Mostresearch has concentrated on the volume and distance measures, which show continuousincreases over time, normally at a rate that is higher than the growth in Gross DomesticProduct (GDP). It is argued that an additional element needs to be included, namelytransport efficiency, which relates to modes, technologies, organisational structures, the useof resources and prices. The measurement of GDP also needs to be extended. Measures ofeconomic and transport energy efficiency are applied to EU countries and contrasted withsimilar measures for the USA and Canada. The empirical evidence is then placed in thewider context of globalisation and economic change, and the case for real decoupling ismade for both the freight and passenger sectors.