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The all-encompassing issue for transport professionals in the closing years of this century is sustainability and its links with economic growth, consumption, and the environment, and there can hardly be any understanding of their mutual growth other than global and systemic, particularly with respect to the developing world. The reason for this is that in comparison to the developed world, the need for transport systems improvement in the developing world is much more intense, with motorized transport (MT) estimated to increase by more than 100 percent in the next ten years (World Bank, 1986). What is most alarming is that a majority of transport policy-makers in developing countries believe that a higher rate of MT is vital for economic development, at the expense of non-motorized transport (NMT). This trend is changing more and more cities in the developing world into unlivable precincts, with horrendous problems of traffic congestion, safety, and environmental damage. Governments in these countries are facing serious challenges to keep people and goods moving, with no relief in sight. The objectives of this paper are: to describe the nature of sustainable transport systems, to briefly outline the transport modes and their characteristics, to spell out the new transport paradigm, and to suggest the more critical strategies for sustainability.

DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4899-0265-8_12

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