Overview
The conference attracts transport policy makers, practitioners and researchers from all over Europe and beyond. At the European Transport Conference (ETC), they can find in-depth presentations on policy issues, best practice and research findings across the broad spectrum of transport. The range of topics with the multi-seminar approach makes ETC unique among transport conferences and it has established itself as the premier event of its type.
The conference programme covers supranational issues, national and local policy and the planning and implementation of projects at a local level. Sessions at the Conference can be challenging in discussing matters of policy at the highest level, they can also provide good, basic education and training opportunities. As transport policy makers, practitioners and researchers throughout Europe respond to the challenges of climate change, economic growth, equality issues, social and demographic change and now, the effects of a pandemic, ETC provides a forum for the presentation and discussion of robust and affordable responses.
Transport planners will be asked to supply solutions to the challenge posed by ‘the new normal’. Will workers return to offices in city centres? What is the future for retail? Will the recent switch to cycling and walking continue? How will public transport recover? Are existing models robust enough to deal with the new situation? At the same time, they are finding solutions for resilience in the face of the existing threats posed by climate change, energy and infrastructure security; the need to improve health and fitness; hard and soft measures to improve the safety of walking and cycling. They have to deal with the challenges and opportunities offered by big data and consider the impacts of future technology such as connected and autonomous vehicles (CAVs) which will revolutionise travel behaviour and land use patterns as well as whole industry sectors.