Environmentally Sustainable Transport (EST) Efforts Spreading in Japan

JFS Newsletter No.65 (January 2008)

Towards Environmentally Sustainable Transport

Last year (2007) saw a great increase in the attention paid to global warming issues, such as the stunning decline in Arctic sea ice, abnormal weather all over the world, and the award of the Nobel Prize to former U.S. Vice President Al Gore and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The start of the New Year should be an opportunity for every country to properly and promptly address these issues. Entities such as governments, citizens and industries all need to review their respective approaches. Because the transport sector consumes huge amounts of fuel and emits enormous amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2), it is also working to develop and implement innovative means of transport that take into account global warming issues.

The Environmentally Sustainable Transport (EST), was launched in 1994 as an international project by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) with the aim of creating a sustainable society through changes in the transport sector. The core of the EST approach is to create a vision and long-term scenario, and identify possible instruments and strategies to realize the vision/scenario by using backcasting methodology. To achieve the vision adopted, innovative technologies need to be developed, transportation quality improved, human behavior reviewed and urban renovation and structural reform undertaken by society. The EST approach has been actively implemented in European countries that feel strongly threatened by climate change, and has also begun to spread in Japan.

EST Initiatives in Japan

The first EST-related initiative in Japan dates back to September 1994. To promote barrier-free transport, such as the installation of elevators and escalators in railway stations in response to requests from organizations serving disabled people, the 'Foundation for Promoting Amenities of Transport' was established on the initiative of the then Ministry of Transport (now the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism). The foundation changed its name to the 'Foundation for Promoting Personal Mobility and Ecological Transportation' (abbreviated as the 'Eco-Mo Foundation') in 1997 when it expanded its operations to include environmental measures. Hoping to realize a people- and environment-friendly society, the Eco-Mo Foundation promotes barrier-free access and environmental action in transport and transport-related fields.

Preventing further global warming has been a hot topic around the world, and Japan needs to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the transport sector to 250 millions ton-CO2 by fiscal 2010. According to the latest report by the Center for Global Environmental Research of the National Institute for Environmental Studies, CO2 emissions from the transport sector in Japan have increased by 18.3 percent from 1990 levels. Looking at post-1990 trends, emissions have remained roughly flat or decreased slightly after 2001. The transport sector includes private cars, which account for about half of the total, as well as freight-hauling trucks and other modes of transportation.

Thus, EST is urgently needed to help curb global warming and create a sustainable society from the perspective of transport, and so the Eco-Mo Foundation created a committee in 2006 to promote EST initiatives across Japan. Committee members were gathered from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism; the National Police Agency; the Ministry of the Environment; transport operators and academic experts. The committee's main activities are providing information about EST through its website and e-mail newsletters, and holding symposiums.

EST Models in Local Cities

To promote EST throughout the country, action at the local level is essential because this is the level at which much of the city and urban redevelopment planning takes place. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism chooses as EST models local communities that are taking initiatives to promote public transport use and avoid excessive dependence on private cars. Examples of model projects include development of a light rail transit (LRT) system, promotion of more widespread and efficient use of bus services, creation of an easy-to-use environment for bicycles, smoothing traffic flow through regulation and road improvements, and support for low-emission vehicles. The Toyama Light Rail Portram of Toyama City, which was written up in JFS Newsletter #64, is an EST model project.

The Rebirth of Trams: The Promise of Light Railway Transit (LRT)
http://www.japanfs.org/en/mailmagazine/newsletter/pages/027840.html

The first EST model projects took place in 11 regions that were chosen in 2004 and launched at full scale in 2005. Since then, 10 regions were chosen in 2005 and six regions in 2006. Here we present the various efforts made by one of the model regions, Kanazawa City.

Examples of Kanazawa City EST Efforts

Kanazawa City, with a present-day population of about 450,000, has been prosperous since the Edo Period (1603-1867), as the castle town of Kanazawa Castle [founded 1583]. The city escaped war damage and other major catastrophes about for 400 years, and its cityscape now has great historic value. From the beginning, Kanazawa tried to implement its EST project so as to conserve nature and tradition while modernizing city functions.

The percentage of passenger cars driving in Kanazawa City had been increasing since the 1970s and reached 60 percent in 1994. Thus, the city fell into a vicious cycle of rapid motorization and a shift away from public transportation. It found itself unable to secure enough land to construct new roads for the increasing proportion of cars while still keeping its valuable traditional cityscape. In facing up to these problems, the city incorporated many innovative ideas for decreasing passenger car use into its transportation planning. For example, it started promoting public transportation by enhancing bus services, improving sidewalks, and properly locating parking areas in the city.

To curb increasing car use, Kanazawa City has emphasized bus services. Not only did it introduce a new bus system and community bus services, it also introduced a 'park and ride' system, where passengers park their own cars in parking lots provided by suburban shopping centers and change to buses to go into the city center. Park-and-ride commuters can purchase bus passes at a 40 percent discount. Another measure to promote bus use is the 'Kanazawa Eco Point' system. People earn points when they ride buses and pay with an IC fare card or for shopping at system member stores.

Another measure was city planning designed to make it easy to walk around the city, taking advantage of Kanazawa's natural, historical, and cultural features. The city government aims to make moving around the city easy and pleasant by improving the street environment for walkers and securing walking areas as community space, based on the concept of 'citizens as the major players in the city.'

In addition, more parking lots were being developed, but they were dispersed randomly around the central city area, reinforcing private car use. Thus, Kanazawa City established a basic policy of parking space relocation that aimed to move parking space to more appropriate places in residential, commercial and business areas. The city also initiates dialogues with citizens by organizing meetings and forums.

Other EST Models

All the other EST models have their own strengths and original ideas in various areas. Kyoto Prefecture works on EST mainly from a soft perspective focused on collaboration among various local actors such as communities, companies and schools. Uji City in Kyoto Prefecture carried out a pilot program with about 5,000 participants who reviewed their daily car use, while the city called for more environment-friendly driving through the Internet and brochures. After the program, the number of morning train users grew by 30 percent.

'Smart Car Use' Project in Kyoto Increases Train Commuters, Reduces Cars
http://www.japanfs.org/db/1888-e

Some EST programs in Kyoto Prefecture that are considered highly successful include: workshops in which women's organizations, elderly people's groups and local governments draw up local maps and elementary school programs focusing on community bus systems in which children study about their communities from a mobility management perspective and propose measures to promote bus use. Kyoto's EST program is distinctive for its initiatives supported by collaboration among local actors.

On the other hand, EST initiatives in Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture utilize high information technology. The Toyota Motor Group, Toyota City and Aichi Prefecture are working together on a comprehensive transportation program that employs transport demand management (TDM) and intelligent transport systems (ITS). Toyota City's EST model is known for its advanced ITS.

The 'Michi Navi Toyota' [('road navigation Toyota')] website provides various categories of information via car navigation systems, the Internet and mobile phones, about current road traffic conditions, public transportation services, parking space availability and bicycle rentals. To achieve a people- and environment-friendly city with advanced transportation systems, Toyota City has taken additional measures using ITS technology including an advanced traffic signal control system that adjusts to traffic congestion conditions for more efficient driving, a bus location system to provide information to computers on the current location of each bus, an on-demand bus service and parking lots with electronic toll collection systems.

Conclusion

Transportation systems are indispensable for getting to work, school or shops. EST can help make transportation more people-and environment-friendly, and is a step forward from merely pursuing convenience through additional road construction and maintenance. We expect it will continue to be a hot topic that attracts more and more attention as it becomes an increasingly essential component of a more sustainable society.

(Written by Noriko Sakamoto)