European Commission adopts roadmap for sustainable mobility future
The European Commission (EC) has published its new White Paper on Transport that provides a roadmap of 40 concrete initiatives for the next decade to build a competitive and resource-efficient transport system.
Under the title Transport 2050 - Roadmap to a Single European Transport Area, the paper outlines how Europe can increase the level of mobility, give a boost to the economy, and create new jobs. At the same time the comprehensive strategy will reduce Europe’s dependence on oil imports and significantly decrease carbon emissions from the transport sector. EC Vice-President Siim Kallas, responsible for transport says, Transport 2050 is a roadmap for a competitive transport sector that increases mobility and cuts emissions. We can and we must do both.” He went on to say that, “curbing mobility is not an option; neither is business as usual. We can break the transport system's dependence on oil without sacrificing its efficiency and compromising mobility. It can be win-win.The envisioned initiatives will attempt to fundamentally transform Europe’s transport system. The key goals for 2050 include:To free cities of conventionally-fuelled cars Use 40 percent of sustainable low carbon fuels in aviation and cut shipping emissions by at least 40 percent A 50 percent shift of medium-distance intercity passenger and freight journeys from road to rail and waterborne transport.Collectively, the proposed steps will contribute to a 60 percent cut in Europe’s transport emissions by 2050. As urban transport accounts for 40 percent of all road transport in the EU and is responsible for a quarter of CO₂ emissions from transport, cities play a key role in the proposal. A central goal of the roadmap is a shift to clean cars and fuels in European cities. In order to halve the use of conventionally-fuelled cars by 2030 and phase them out completely by 2050 the development of appropriate fuelling and charging infrastructure is vital. Another objective is to achieve CO₂ -free movement of goods in major urban centres by 2030. This can be realised through the use of Intelligent Transport Systems and smarter, more efficient approaches to delivery for example through the adoption of electric, hydrogen and hybrid technologies. The roadmap aims to make Europe a world leader in safety and security of transport. It sets out to halve road casualties by 2020, and move close to zero fatalities in road transport by 2050. As 69 percent of road accidents occur in urban areas, cities will need to take the lead in stepping up safety measures. CIVITAS cities have already developed and implemented innovative and comprehensive sets of measures in line with the EC’s strategy proposal. From cleaner vehicles and fuels, collective passenger transport and urban goods transport, to safe and secure travel, progressive mobility solutions to lead European cities into a future of competitive and resource efficient urban transport systems are well underway in CIVITAS cities.For more information on the Transport White Paper 2011, visit the European Commission’s Mobility and Transport website.
Author: CIVITAS Secretariat
