Ten years from now, in 2035, sale of petrol and diesel cars in Europe will end. This measure was adopted by governments as a step towards a carbon neutral transport system in 2050. At the same time, there is increasing opposition to climate policies, both among the public and in some political parties, that are having more and more electoral success. In addition, transport policy makers also need to deal with the loss of tax revenue from petrol and diesel sales, requiring a complete re-form of car taxation.
These are just two of the numerous challenges transport planners have to deal with, pushing and pulling them in different directions. Apart from the climate emergency, there are the tight economic reality, changing global relations, emerging new technologies and growing expectations to provide for many different needs. However, what aims should be front and central and on how to achieve them, is increasingly debated.
This complex situation requires transport professionals to provide a reliable evidence base, nuanced analyses of the challenges and a variety of solutions for current and future generations, in order to support decision making. Cooperation between research, policy and practice, exchange of knowledge and experiences and the application of state-of-the-art methods are crucial to achieve this.
With that in mind, this year at ETC 2025, delegates can expect presentations focusing on the following themes:
- Moving towards sustainable transport in a polarised world.
- Providing access and transport in times of financial challenges.
- Building adaptability and resilience into transport systems and decision making.
- Utilising technology, Artificial Intelligence and digital twins to improve transport systems and transport research.
- Dealing with labour, resource, infrastructure and energy challenges in freight and passenger transport.
- Creating healthy, efficient, safe and inclusive transport schemes for current and future generations.
- Shaping functional and comfortable cities providing necessary access for all ages and capabilities.
- Expanding the 21st century planners toolkit with fit for purpose models and decision support systems.
