asset management, accrual accounting, administration and oversight, and performance reporting issues. Relationships with other infrastructures will have to be managed from a systems perspective: a) Energy infrastructure: there is considerable energy demand impact resulting from this forecast of road/rail transport growth, which in turn brings important sustainability/environmental impacts (e.g. GHG emissions, fuel efficiency technologies). The author's forecast of road vehicle ownership/ use is considerably higher than other forecasts (e.g. IEA, WBCSD), which appear to be more optimistic with regard to the possibility of "decoupling" freight (and passenger) transport growth from economic growth - in particular with the impact of growing freight (and passenger) transport intensity from China, Big 5 and developing country growth. b) Telecom (ICT) infrastructure: technological advances will provide opportunities to improve vehicle safety and network management, with attendant productivity benefits to both road and rail infrastructure. However, these will be marginal relative to the expected growth in vehicle volumes arising from GDP and population growth. The long- term trend is for continued complementarity between virtual mobility (information/communications) and physical mobility (transport). c) Water infrastructure: severe climatic disturbances (e.g. shifting weather/ climate patterns, rising ocean levels) could require additional road and rail infrastructure spending to mitigate risks/damage to both infrastructure sectors. INFRASTRUCTURE TO 2030: TELECOM, LAND TRANSPORT, WATER AND ELECTRICITY - ISBN 92-64-02398-4 © OECD 2006 4. KEY FACTORS DRIVING THE FUTURE DEMAND FOR SURFACE TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE d) Congested urban areas: integrated infrastructure networks will require careful management in congested urban areas to reduce system-wide life cycle costs and to plan future capacity requirements and right-of-way acquisition to accommodate growth. Subterranean infrastructure asset management and planning will ha