ACT TravelWise National Autumn Conference - Call for Papers 2010

The Right to Travel...more for less

Do we have a right to travel? According to Article 13 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights we do: 

'Everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residence within the borders of each State. Everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, and return to his country.'

Freedom of movement is part of the liberty of man. Strong stuff but is it sustainable? With an ever growing population and the depletion of resources can the state guarantee this right? In Britain the state is encouraging sustainable travel behaviour through its campaign ‘ ACT on Co2’ and projects like the sustainable travel towns initiative, but will it in the not too distant future start legislating to prevent travel? Will citizens only be able to travel at certain times on certain days?

And yet, increasingly, the public sector is expected to promote and support personal mobility more and more with ever decreasing resources whilst the private sector and service suppliers have to operate within a business environment to bring back profits to their shareholders whilst providing services to build a fairer, more accessible society. How can this dichotomy of expectations vs. resourcing continue to deliver improvements to transport systems and support the right to travel, or are we entering a new phase of mobility austerity where at best, we seek to maintain our current transport system with its alleged inequalities?

The new Coalition Government faces many significant challenges to ensure that the economy recovers without placing too heavy a burden on the planet and its resources. 

We are now in an era which demands more for less!

This conference will challenge our understanding of sustainable travel and examine practical ways in which we can demonstrate the effectiveness of smarter choices in offering a best value solution to overcome travel issues.

To access the guidance notes and submission form click on the links below...

http://www.acttravelwise.org/uploads/docs/ACTTravelwiseAutumn2010RighttoTravelgettingmoreforless.pdf

http://www.acttravelwise.org/uploads/docs/ACTTravelWiseCallforPapersSubmissionForm2010.doc