Planck Foundation




GLOBAL RESOURCES ANALYSIS


SPILLS | MOBILITY


Mobility is a very positive facet of world's prosperity. But the same prosperity has lead to an -sometimes- unwanted virtual distance reduction. Prosperity hasn't effect daily travel times, but has increased travel distances with the same factor as the travel speed. Much of the current mobility has (in the complete view on economic wealth) even a negative value. Prosperity/economy/wealth is not only about having more products and services. It's also about less time spending on (traveling to and/or commuting to) work and about interesting facets of and having pleasure in doing the thinks that must be done. There is only a marginal difference (if there is any and this is very questionable) in wealth experience in working in an office in own home city or in an office in one of more cities away. This (maybe and if there is: just slightly sized) higher wealth experience of that working place becomes completely negative if travel time, traffic congestion extra time, traffic congestion mal experience, lower health status by less physical exercise and travel costs (a mix of daily and fixed facets) are taken into calculation. Prosperity is certainly not equal to traffic congestion. Each day an hour extra travel time by traffic congestion can not be seen as positive part of prosperity, it's hard to find prosperity in unwanted commuting home/work travel and/or in traffic congestion. Having each day 2 full hours more free time by working in their hometown, and having less mobility costs and therefore more purchase/saving power is a dream for much of (or all) the commuters. There is a lot of prosperity (and pressure on resources and energy demand) to gain for all commuters if they could more easily find the job they like with the same intensity closer to home. By people themselves unwanted types of commuting mobility is one of the unexplored yet spills of modern economy that can be addressed for more prosperity and less pressure on energy and resources. Commuting mobility can be reduced in many ways. Things from the new localization features in Google Adwords (finding a better job closer to home) till remote desktop technology (working -more flexible- at an office space in their homes or in -more and more becoming available- new formula based remote desktop workers office space in/nearby the suburbs). Governments can stimulate the avoiding of the by mobility caused spill of energy and resources (and also wealth levels and family time) by proclaiming, information and tax reductions on home or home town office work. This will be much more cheaper than new road plans to address traffic congestion. And PeakOil will solve this mobility spill also very much by the price increase of mobility caused by strong rising motor fuel and public transport prices.


Author: Gijs Graafland


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