Focus on mobility and domestic use of

energy (2005)

This study is part of the program ‘Energy and climate: debate in Flanders’, that provided the Flemish parliament with material for discussion in its efforts to encourage energy saving in Flemish households.
The mobility behaviour of the Flemish families and technology for traffic and transport applications still provide an important margin for further energy savings. For a policy to anticipate the mobility needs and the choice of means of transportation, a better insight will be necessary in the determinants of the mobility behaviour of the households. Energy saving in goods traffic is outside the scope of this study.
Mobility’s share in our energy consumption is considerable. The carbon emissions of the transportation sector represent 19 % of the total carbon emissions (MIRA-T, 2005). By signing the Kyoto protocol, Flanders has committed itself to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 5,2% compared to 1990 over the period 2008-2012.
The recommendations of this study contribute to the implementation of the new Flemish Climate Plan. In addition, there are other Flemish policy plans, such as the Mobility Plan for Flanders, the Flemish Environmental Policy Plan and the Environmental Structure Plan, in which attention is given to energy saving and mobility.
The research project includes three steps, in accordance with the basis principles of viWTA’s technology assessment. That is to say that the information currently available in the world of science and technology will be completed with the experiences and opinions of common users. It was our objective to generate realistic policy recommendations based on theoretical knowledge and field experience. The first step was the literature search, establishing facts and figures with respect to mobility behaviour, transport of passengers, greenhouse gas emissions, … completed with the existing information on mobility determinants, described by means of an existing model of behaviour (time, cost, comfort, availability, …). This literature search provided the basis for the focus group discussions. The second step consisted of the focus group discussions that enabled us to identify the most important factors that influence the mobility behaviour of common users. Given the huge difference in the available means of transportation, a sharp distinction was made, in this focus group discussions, between users from urban districts and those living in rather rural areas.
The results of the literature search and the focus group discussions have led to policy recommendations reviewed by an expert panel (step 3).  
This research provided the following reporting documents:
 a background document for literature search, focus groups and expert meeting
 a report with the policy recommendations
 an accessible brochure