Abstract
Modern modes of transport, in the developed world, were designed to achieve higher mobility (or speed) and increased accessibility, all in the name of growth and human progress. However, in the course of providing for this higher mobility, through the rapid expansion of the transport system, we have ended up with a condition of imbalanced mobility, which we refer to as "hypermobility," particularly with reference to the automobile mode. Ironically, this very expansion of the transport network, with the objective of providing higher transport speeds, has resulted in traffic congestion that has drastically reduced mobility and accessibility, thereby lowering business productivity, increasing fuel consumption, increasing pollution, and robbing the public of billions of hours of valuable time. In light of the present unsustainable conditions, we examine and analyze the concepts of mobility through an inquiry of time, space, human freedom, and social justice from an ethical and systemic viewpoint. We conclude that if hypermobility is not dealt with both as an individual and as a collective responsibility, the challenge to transport ethics and its systemicity could be further impaired.
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Khisty, C.J., Zeitler, U. Is Hypermobility a Challenge for Transport Ethics and Systemicity?. Systemic Practice and Action Research 14, 597–613 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1011925203641
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1011925203641