Transport Innovations and Society

The number and importance of non-binding policies have increased in recent years, having the potential to shape transport policy agendas at multiple governance levels. These policies provide visions, guidance, recommendations, or objectives for action, while compliance remains voluntary. But who issues such policies, when, and on which topics? And to what extent can they transition into binding policies? First PhD article by Jonathan Schreiber, whom I have the pleasure of supervising together with Dominic Stead. Open access 

Enhanced road safety is presented as the key argument for introducing automated vehicles into our transport systems. But does the scientific evidence actually support this claim? In our new meta-analysis paper led by Amirhossein Taheri, with contributions from Jing Yang, Steffen Müller, Dimitris Milakis and Mohammed Quddus, we examined how safety benefits evolve as connected and automated vehicles (CAVs) enter the transport system. The study reviews 49 studies published between 2015 and 2024, analysing how Safety Improvement Rates (SIRs) change with different CAV Market Penetration Rates (MPRs). SIR measures the reduction in traffic conflicts or crashes as CAV adoption increases. Our results show that: - At low MPRs (10%-20%), safety gains are modest, with SIRs of 2.8% and 4.9%, respectively. - At mid-range MPRs (30%-60%), earlier studies appear to overestimate safety benefits, with our corrected estimates showing SIRs of 8.0% and 9.4%, respectively. - ...

Innovation races often distort rational decision-making. For example, is the robotaxi service model truly suitable for the European context, where taxis account for less than 1% of trips while public transport exceeds 20%? In other words, is the “Waymo model” universally applicable? In our new book chapter in Advances in Transport Policy and Planning (edited by Jan Anne Annema), co-authored with Andrea Lucia Hauslbauer and Chiara Vitrano, we examine the extent to which academic AV research accounts for contextual diversity, defined as the geographic, cultural, and policy factors that shape AV service deployment outcomes. Based on a systematic review of 26 influential peer-reviewed articles, we analyse both the empirical presence and the analytical role of these context factors. Our findings show that while geography and policy are frequently acknowledged, they are often treated as background conditions rather than as active analytical lenses. Culture is significantly underrepresented ...

In our new article, with Veronique Van Acker, Yannick Cornet, Eva Malichova, and Manuel Ojeda-Cabral, we provide empirical insights into what makes travel time worthwhile, based on the theoretical concept of Worthwhile Travel Time (WTT). Using a large dataset of over 38000 validated trips collected across 8 European countries via the Woorti app , we examined how experience factors, travel activities, traveller and trip characteristics shape perceived worthwhileness (i.e., enjoyment, fitness, and productivity) across walking, cycling, public transport, and private motorised travel. Key findings: Walking and cycling offer higher perceived WTT compared to public or private motorised travel. For walking and cycling, enjoyment plays a larger role than fitness. Activities like accompanying someone or listening to audio (for walkers) and the act of cycling itself or reflective thinking (for cyclists) enhance worthwhileness. For public transport, personal productivity (e.g., browsing, thinking...

Despite ambitious commitments under the Paris Agreement , the reality is stark: current policies are insufficient to keep global warming below 2°C. The transport sector, responsible for nearly a third of the EU’s GHGs, has shown limited progress. While other sectors have steadily reduced emissions, transport emissions are actually higher today than in 1990 . Many European countries have struggled to make substantial reductions over the past decade. This highlights inconsistencies in the formulation of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and in the definition and implementation of effective policies. At DLR Institute of Transport Research , we (Florian Koller and Dimitris Milakis) are proud to lead the new Horizon Europe project PATH2ZERO (Accelerating net-zero transformation by advancing Europe’s transport pathways and cross-sectoral synergies) , to address these challenges. Our vision, together with 11 partners from Europe, over 40 national stakeholders and over 10 inter...

I have been recently invited by the ITS International Magazine to write an article on space transport systems as a new frontier for transport planning and the benefits for Earth-based transport systems. The article starts by describing the global space exploration roadmap, highlighting key technological developments for human space missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond. Then, it outlines the unique challenges of planning transport systems in space settlements, such as dealing with reduced gravity and extreme environmental conditions. A conceptual model is described, focusing on core elements like infrastructure, travel behaviour, and impacts on safety, health, and equity. Additionally, the paper discusses how space transport research can offer insights for improving Earth-based transport systems, particularly in vehicle design, resource efficiency, and multi-modal integration. The article is available here .  

In our new article with Dennis Seibert "The illusion of the shared electric automated mobility transition", we argue that the transition from private internal combustion engine-based automobility will likely favour privately-owned electric AVs over shared AVs, unless a landscape “shock” such as a climate breakdown, energy crisis or a significant political shift towards collective mobility exerts substantial pressure on the automobility regime. Drawing from the multi-level perspective of technological transition , we develop a conceptual model for the transition towards private and shared electric automated mobility, supported by a comprehensive literature review. Our analysis reveals that shared, particularly pooled, mobility emerges slowly (niche level). Key actors resist a shift from private to shared electric automated mobility for economic (vehicle manufacturers), instrumental, affective, symbolic (users and societal groups), tax-revenue, governance and administrative (pu...