Publisher's Synopsis
Transport is always high on the political agenda and perhaps never more so than at the present time when the economic imperatives of the world?s largest industry (automobile manufacture) are set in growing opposition to pressing environmental issues. This however is but a single example. The competing claims of road and rail; coastal shipping versus road haulage or the growing problems of urban traffic congestion could also be cited. In terms of transport policy the claims of state intervention, regulation, subsidy and planning have all come under pressure as ideological and economic factors have led to state stimulated competition, deregulation and the advocacy of market forces and the desire to attract more private money into transportation and transport infrastructure. This book analyses the current debate on the relationship between government (local, national and supranational) and transport planning, production and provision. Written and edited by transport specialists, political scientists and economists the topics examined include ideological developments, urban passenger transport, physical distribution, roads and land use planning, consumer choice and the appropriate role of the state.
