Erik Verhoef is the new ambassador of the NWA Route Logistics and transport in an energetic, innovative and sustainable society (RLT from here on). RLT is one of the 25 routes within the Dutch Research Agenda (abbreviated as NWA).
Finding a way to transition to a sustainable mobility and logistics system by 2050 is the primary task of RLT, according to Erik. To this end, RLT will set up several innovative research programmes.
All mobility fossil-free and circular within 25 years
He emphasizes the urgency of RLT: ‘When I started as a young researcher at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam in 1992, we were already working on transportation issues, sustainability, and adjusting mobility systems. If you look at how far we have come since then and how far we still have to go—although there have been positive changes, such as the introduction of electric cars—we really need to speed up the process. We have 25 years left to ensure that all mobility is fossil-free and completely circular.’
Collaboration is crucial
Collaboration between various parties is of utmost importance. ‘A lot needs to change in a short period of time. Necessary changes sometimes get stuck in political or administrative processes, and in coordination problems between different governments, between markets and (semi-)government entities, and between market players themselves. For instance, consider the integration between spatial developments and mobility demand, between the providers and users of infrastructures, between energy and transport markets, and between measures at the national and municipal levels, among others. With our approach, we aim to contribute to improve this process so that we can indeed achieve the goals by 2050.’