Transport is much more than the addition of cars, buses, bikes, trains, and planes. It is a complex, multilayer system that interacts with many other systems (like the energy and health systems) and is subject to many risks and threats:
1. Extreme weather events linked to climate change
The vulnerabilities of the transport sector to climate change are characterized in four different ways:
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Direct physical impact to physical infrastructures, such as washout of bridges, roads, and railway tracks during flooding;
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Indirect physical disruption- resulting from other interconnected or co-located infrastructure, such as power outage disrupts signaling and controls;
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Direct non-physical impact on human health, behavior, and decision making, such as congestion resulting from extreme precipitation; and
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Indirect non-physical disruptions resulting from loss of information, social, financial, and other resources, such as ICT outage disrupts traffic communication and management.
2. Information and telecommunication vulnerability and failure
ICT and interconnectivity have improved efficiency and functionality for transport infrastructure. However, they have also brought an increased security threat from cyber and data privacy breaches, vulnerability to natural phenomena failure of critical IT systems, or the inability to keep the pace of change and technology advancement.
Physical and cyber systems in transport have become functionally dependent in their operation and delivery of services. For example, signals and switches control the transit train routing, track alignment involves control system connections, and computer-controlled highway systems include traffic lights, signage, and automatic toll collection
Examples of ICT failures include:
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A cyber-attack on a carrier company in 2017 saw container ships standstill at sea and 76 port terminals around the world functionally ground to a halt;
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In May 2021, gasoline pipelines along the east coast of the US were also temporarily held hostage by ransomware attacks;
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Disruptions to the electric grid have a greater impact on-road vehicles and transport services powered by power systems. Their operation also relies on ICT systems and satellites that provide critical input on routing and operations.
3. Pandemics
The COVID-19 crisis brought physical distancing among humans and limited mobility. We have seen and experienced an unprecedented decline in transport activity, or even suspension of transportation services. For example:
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The market for air travel collapsed, grounding a significant portion of the world's airline fleet.
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The number of cars on the roads fell sharply with many people instructed to work from home.
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Public transit ridership tumbled to an all-time low;
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Global supply chains were disrupted which led to a shortage of essential supplies as well as logistical issues and inventory build-up.
The COVID 19 pandemic also drew increased attention to another kind of risk: the possibility of contagion and spread of illness through the use of transport services. Transport and mobility were rapidly associated with the potential spread of the coronavirus—especially in situations where transport is synonymous with enclosed spaces and large concentrations of people on planes or urban public transit. This is the most acute challenge transport systems have been grappling with since the outbreak began, and operators have had to take quick action to protect their staff as well as passengers.
The risks call for a system-wide approach to transport. All these risks must be considered when making public decisions to ensure sure that the transport systems can absorb these risks at the least possible costs (i.e., transport systems are resilient). An expansive approach that departs from “projects to implement” to more fully integrate risks and resilience considerations to improve decisions on mobility. Stability should not be taken for granted. Resilience cannot be tackled at the component level but instead always at the system level. Transport systems should be designed in such a way as to maintain minimally appropriate levels of functionality even in the face of extreme risk is important, and to enable relatively quick recovery preferably to a stronger and more resilient system. Expansion of the list of risks to consider is also important.
