By 2050, the European Commission proposes several strategic objectives among which removing conventional fuel vehicles from urban traffic, using a 40% share of sustainable fuels with low carbon emissions in air transport and reducing by at least 40% the emissions in the maritime transport, shifting 50% of the interurban passenger and freight transport on medium distances from road to rail and maritime/inland waterways, as well as cutting transport emissions by 60% by mid-century.
To meet these objectives within the large urban agglomerations, the Commission proposes to specialized players and authorities to elaborate observe and finance sustainable mobility plans. The European Commission seeks to accelerate large-scale implication into the Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans of local and regional authorities in Europe through the wide information on the objective, content and benefits of these plans.
In most cases, the territorial extension to suburbs of large agglomerations has made public transport or other similar alternatives no longer attractive as related to personal vehicles. A vicious circle has thus been created: the low demand for public transport has led to the allocation of fewer resources which has resulted in a poorer offer of public transport services.
In order to break this vicious circle, urbanists and public transport decision ma-kers (at local, regional and national level) have to focus their strategies on upgrading transport vehicles, but also on developing a connection between public transport and urban planning. Urban mobility is a constantly increasing reason for worries. Nine out of ten EU citizens believe that the situation of traffic in their area should be improved. The development of efficient transport systems in urban areas has become a task that grows in complexity, if we consider both urban traffic congestions and the accelerated urban expansion.
The responsibility for urban mobility policies lies primarily with local, regional and national authorities. Nevertheless, decisions adopted at local level are not taken in isolation but within the framework provided by national, regional and EU policy and legislation. Therefore the Commission believes that much is to be gained from working together in order to support action at local, regional and national levels and to provide for a partnership approach while fully respecting the different competences and responsibilities of all actors involved.
Environmentally friendly policies have been introduced in many cities across the EU. Action at EU level can help to strengthen markets for new, clean vehicle technologies and alternative fuels. This will directly support EU industry, promote healthy environments and contribute to the recovery of the European eco-nomy. By making users pay for the external costs which they cause (environmental, congestion and other costs) according to the polluter pays principle, the internalisation of external costs can encourage transport users to switch over time to cleaner vehicles or transport modes, to use less congested infrastructure or to travel at different times.
It is also necessary to rethink strategies for the extension of tram, subway or light rail networks, as well as the construction of new such networks.
“By 2050, the majority of medium-distance passenger transport, about 300km and beyond, should go by rail”, EU policies state.
Prognoses for 2030 and 2050 look good on paper, it seems that we have already eliminated the polluting factor from urban transport….but if we take a closer look to what’s happening now in most European cities and metropolitan areas and if we start using and investing in electrified city transport and to support its extension, we will not be able to meet this objective and we will still have draft projects in 2030-2050.
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