Despite the great diversity of economic and political climates of the 21 APEC members, workshop participants identified several common challenges that almost every economy faces, such as the lack of reliable and comprehensive information, the need for effective education of policymakers and the public, and institutional barriers. They developed the following sets of recommendations:
Institutional Recommendations
APEC should encourage its member economies to establish official mechanisms of coordination among its ministries of transportation, energy, and environment. Often the greatest barrier to effective policymaking on energy-efficient transport is the lack of clear jurisdiction for a given
program, or the lack of communication among agencies regarding their particular needs and goals.
Data Collection and Goal Formulation Recommendations
APEC economies should prioritize the collection and analysis of data relating to their transportation energy consumption, to enable the characterization of their transportation systems. This effort will benefit greatly from the development and harmonization of common methodologies currently underway as part of the ADB’s action plan.
Policy/Program Recommendations
Using the results of pointed studies on energy-efficient transport, APEC can advise its members on the implementation of policies to address the range of issues presented by the need for energy efficiency in transport.
The major policies that need to be addressed are listed below, and implementation suggestions and rationale behind each recommendation are explained at length in the full report, found here.
- Increasing fuel economy of new vehicles
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Improving Operational Efficiency
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Improving Energy Efficiency in Freight Operations
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Reducing Congestion
- Improving Ridership in Existing Mass Transit Routes
- Encouraging Transit-Oriented Development and Land Use