Sustainable Development and Transportation: A Taiwan Perspective

In response to The Rio Agenda 21 and The Kyoto Protocol, Taiwan government has formulated important policies and set up implementation guidelines for national sustainable development over the past few years. This paper presents the policies and strategies that Taiwan has endeavored to pursue environmental, social, and economic sustainability. In transportation sector, some important undertakings for sustainability are also examined. To be sustainable, overall transportation systems including infrastructures, vehicles, operation and maintenance must not endanger the public health or ecosystems while meeting the mobility needs. They must at least comply with two basic principles: use of renewable resources at below their rates of regeneration and use of non-renewable resources at below the rates of development of renewable substitutes.