"It's Not Enough Simply To Improve System We Have"

It's almost a year since you joined ETH. How do you typically get to work?

On the commute in, I usually take two buses. On the way home, I try to do one of the bus journeys on foot. That gets me moving for a couple of kilometres!

It would be great for the environment if more people used bikes for short trips. What is it that prevents so many of us from doing this?

There are lots of reasons people don't use a bike. The main ones are that it's too strenuous and that people don't feel safe. But if we're really interested in reducing emissions, we need to be focusing more on long-distance travel, especially air travel.

Right now, what's the biggest challenge for transport planning?

The biggest challenge is climate change. Transportation still causes around 40 percent of greenhouse gas emissions in Switzerland. It's not enough simply to improve the system we have. We also need to change how we travel and reduce how much we travel overall.

Is it easier to change people's behaviour or to improve the existing transport infrastructure?

If only it were that simple! Both options are highly complex, especially considering all the different behaviours involved and the sheer quantity of transport infrastructure. From a research perspective, it's all about finding out what works and what impact our measures will have. Research to date indicates that a lot of the improvements will have to come through behavioural change.

Does pricing have an impact on people's choice of transport?

Yes, it does. Pricing is a very effective means of changing people's behaviour.

What's the difference between urban and rural populations when it comes to transportation?

It really depends on where you are. But, generally speaking, urban dwellers have more options: public transport is better and journeys are shorter, which means they're easier to tackle by bike or on foot.