There has been growing interest internationally in the development of
comprehensive estimates of the costs of urban transport, fuelled by concerns
over global warming, peak oil, road congestion, tolls and public transport
subsidies. This article examines the internal and external costs of major modes
in Sydney. In terms of total costs, trains are the cheapest, followed by buses,
with cars the most expensive. However, the 'out-of-pocket costs' paid by
motorists at the time of making a trip are less than one-sixth of total costs.
This suggests rational individual travel choices do not add up to rational
travel patterns for the city, and that we are paying heavily as a society for
the convenience of cars. Governments need to give higher priority for public
transport (particularly rail which has the lowest overall costs of any mode) and
to change pricing for urban travel, if we are to develop more sustainable cities
O custo social (custo privado + custo externo) dos trasnportes urbano é uma informação extremamente relevante, já que nela que se fundamenta as decisões governamentais sobre dos diferentes modos de transportes. Esta é uma questão que mobiliza a Sara na elaboração do artigo na disciplina Economia dos Trasnportes. No Brasil temos muito o que fazer neste âmbito.
