Transport is critical for 'green growth'

In a keynote speech at the XXIVth World Road Congress in Mexico yesterday, Carole Coune, secretary general of the 1102 International Transport Forum at the OECD, stressesd the role of transport for environmentally responsible development.Coune, who assumed office as the International Transport Forum's secretary general in August, said, "Transport is a critical factor in delivering green growth. The sector has to innovate to cut its environmental footprint, and new transport industries and transport infrastructure investment will be motors for growth after the crisis.Fast growing economies in Latin America and in Asia will determine in large part how transport's environmental footprint will evolve."Transport infrastructure investments figure large in economic recovery programs because of the number of jobs they create. But understanding which projects are most likely to generate growth in the long term, beyond the construction phase, is critical to making the best use of severely limited public funds," Coune said."It has a lot to do with freeing up constraints in the existing transport system that act as a brake on innovation and business development. It has alot to do with making urban areas more rapidly accessible from major entry points: airports, rail and bus hubs. It is about connecting workers and potential workers to employers," Coune told delegates to the XXIVth World Road Congress. She added that this is something transport Ministers will discuss in depth at the International Transport Forum's annual summit in Leipzig, Germany, in May 2012.