Editorial: Will the positive development in transport have a negative effect on the economy?

The new issue of the magazine brings seven interesting articles from different areas of transport. They discuss aspects of autonomous cars, modal shift behavior of car users to light rail transit, impact of commuting time on life satisfaction, increase of public transport use by the local population...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Karel Pospíšil
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Palacký University Olomouc 2023-04-01
Series:Transactions on Transport Sciences
Online Access:https://tots.upol.cz/artkey/tot-202301-0008_editorial-will-the-positive-development-in-transport-have-a-negative-effect-on-the-economy.php
Description
Summary:The new issue of the magazine brings seven interesting articles from different areas of transport. They discuss aspects of autonomous cars, modal shift behavior of car users to light rail transit, impact of commuting time on life satisfaction, increase of public transport use by the local population, user public transport perception during the covid pandemic, identification of older adult needs as future users of autonomous shuttles and perceived effectiveness of penalties in traffic. They are generally a contribution to the solution of topics discussed in the public space, on professional forums and scientific journals in the last ten years. They resonate with topics of sustainable transport development, such as restrictions on individual car transport, strengthening the role of public transport, sharing means of transport, calming traffic, autonomous vehicles, sharing the transport space with multiple modes of transport and leisure activities, the introduction of alternative fuels, including electromobility, hydrogen technologies, synthetic fuel, etc. All these topics have a positive direction not only towards the sustainability of transport, but are also a significant contribution to the sustainability of the general development of human society. People are starting to think more ecologically, governments are supporting ecological solutions. They are beginning to accept the idea that ubiquitous cars are not the right direction for the development of society. They are beginning, so far timidly, to return to public transport. Governments and local authorities often strongly support this trend. They are starting to promote pedestrian zones at the expense of previously busy city streets. In addition to purely transport and ecological impacts, however, economic topics are coming to the fore. New technologies, measures or changes in traffic behavior can bring with them not only reduction of traffic pollution as such, but also a reduction in vehicle production and a reduction in the consumption of traditional fuels. For example, the introduction of autonomous vehicles together with car-sharing supported by electronic applications can dampen the demand for vehicles in an unprecedented way. In the same way, the introduction of alternative drives will limit the sale of fuels burdened with consumption taxes. In a number of countries, the production of automobiles has a very significant share in the creation of the gross domestic product and creates job opportunities for a considerable part of the population. Consumption taxes generate a significant part of the revenue of the state budgets of a significant majority of all countries. Indisputably positive changes in transport, their technologies, in the perception and concept of transport will probably imply very significant changes in tax systems and the structure of industry in developed countries. It seems that while purely transport approaches are the subject of intense research and political interest, the effects of this event on the economy, i.e. on the creation of sources of public finance income, employment, etc., remain on the fringes of interest and are not the subject of public discussion at all. At the same time, the lack of consumption taxes will probably cause the need for the introd
ISSN:1802-9876