China's Transportation System in Transition: A Simulation Model of Energy
and Development
Sandia National Laboratories, 1999
Project Summary
The composition of transportation modes in China is rapidly changing to include
more movement by highway. This movement toward passenger vehicle-based transport
is very much like that of Taiwan, South Korea, the United States and portions
of Europe. The key distinction between these development movements is the
path the latter countries took, and the path China has yet to find. This
project supported a detailed examination of alternative transportation development
paths for China. A dynamic simulation model was designed to evaluate scenarios
linked to development variables such as population growth, GDP structural
change, and energy demand elasticities, and policy variables such as energy
taxes, public transport investment, and vehicle technology.