According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), transportation accounts for about 20 percent of world energy use, of which approximately 40 percent is used in urban transportation. The IEA also expects urban transportation consumption to double by 2050. It thus becomes imperative to ensure that the cities and their infrastructure are planned in ways that reduce energy utilized as well as other negative externalities such as air and noise pollution, congestion, and other climate and economic impacts.

Infrastructure planning must be done at two levels. At the very first level, efforts must be undertaken to reduce energy usage in transport by integrating land-use planning, encouraging non-motorized transportation, and ride-sharing, providing access to reliable public transportation, improving the efficiency of both public and private transportation, etc. At the second level, the transportation sector should be made cleaner through strategies that encourage hybrid/electric vehicles and the use of clean fuels or biofuels. These strategies have been discussed in detail below.

Avoid, Shift, Improve Strategy (ASI)

To transition away from carbon-intensive and unsustainable transport demand patterns the Avoid-Shift- Improve (A-S-I) strategy is often advocated. This strategy divides sustainable transport policies can be grouped into three types:

1. Avoid: This strategy includes avoiding or reducing vehicular trips through integrated land use and transportation planning. This strategy calls for improving not only the procedures related to land use planning but also institutions that have the responsibility of implementing such strategies. Detailed policy strategies for land use planning have been discussed in Chapter 2 of this report.

2. Shift: This strategy primarily involves looking at ways with which low energy or low carbon modal choices can be made. For example, encouraging citizens to opt for public transportation instead of driving cars is one such example. Shift to low energy or low carbon strategies includes providing a reliable and safe network of bike lanes, sidewalks, pedestrian crossings, and public transportation.

3. Improve: The improvement strategy primarily helps in reducing the energy consumption and carbon emissions of the vehicle fleet in the city. Policies under the improved strategy could be setting targets to increase the fuel economy of vehicles, implementing standards that reduce vehicular emissions, providing infrastructure for electric vehicles, and incentives for consumers who adopt vehicles with cleaner technologies (hybrid/electric vehicles).

To have the best possible impact, policy interventions must combine aspects of all three strategies, i.e. Avoid, Shift, and Improve. Further, the policy interventions must take cognizance of local circumstances and conditions and should be implemented accordingly.