Responsible Transport: A post-COVID agenda for transport policy and practice

The unprecedented global shutdown that resulted from the COVID pandemic presents an opportunity to reconfigure future transport policy and practice for the benefit of the global environment and individual citizens alike. Before COVID, much of the emphasis in transport policy was on demand management, ‘smart’ technological interventions and sustainable mobility. The public health crisis has necessitated an urgent reconsideration of transport and its contribution to post-COVID economic recovery. In recognition of the importance of individual behaviour and collective responsibility in protecting both personal and public health during the crisis, this think piece proposes a new concept of Responsible Transport to help inform and shape transport policy and practice responses to COVID. The novelty of this proposal lies in the fact that it incorporates not only environmental considerations with respect to sustainability but also encompasses considerations of individual and community health and wellbeing. Moreover, it stresses the role of the individual as a responsible autonomous actor in delivering socially desired transport outcomes.