The vital role that public transport plays in the economy attracts more and more the attention of the political class and of decision makers being a stimulus for investments and development. The visible impact in national and international economies has not been put up with and the leaders of the G20 Summit, held in Mexico (June 2012), approached for the first time the problem of urban transport.
The international cooperation forum, G20 Summit, includes 19 member states and the European Union, together representing 90% of the world’s GDP and 80% of the global commercial activity. Political coordination between members focuses on reaching economic stability and sustainable development, promoting financial regulations which reduce risks and new international financial structures. At the annual meeting held in Mexico, the participants discussed for the first time the importance of a performing urban transport system and the benefit it brings to economic development. “Infrastructure investments are very important as instrument of the state economy which concerns the development of policies. A proper infrastructure supports the development of an efficient and safe economic activity. This is the reason why the Presidency of Mexico and the other G20 countries have agreed that transport should be priority in economic policies”, declared Gerardo Rodriguez Regordosa, Secretary of the Treasury and Public Credit Ministry.
The development of transport systems becomes every day more relevant in the current economy also due to the impact of an increased share of urbanization; it is estimated that by 2050, global urban population will increase by 2.8 billion people, 95% of which will live in developing cities or low-income countries and will confront with the challenges imposed by the necessity of sustainable mobility. “The challenge is significant and delays in adopting measures can discourage the development of cities and worsen their problems. As regards sustainability and environment protection , the projects elaborated suggest that adopted policies have to promote energy efficiency without compromising the people’s needs as related to mobility and access which require planning of coordinated activities with multiple benefits”, said Regordosa.
According to UITP, the number of passengers in urban areas will increase by 50% daily in 2005-2025 and if current tendencies prevail, the greatest change in urban transport will be the modal shift to individual motorised transport, especially in the context of a rapid development of Asian countries, helping economic priorities align in encouraging sustainable mobility. “Public transport does not have a direct contribution only in global economic competitiveness, but also in a self-sustained industry, creating around 13 million jobs globally and providing public services. In many cities such as Paris, Barcelona or Amsterdam, local public transport is one of the biggest employers”, declared Alain Flausch, Secretary General of UITP.
Apart from these aspects, energy consumption growth in urban transport is another problem which implies major challenges; it can be reduced if the authorities will apply decisions on increasing the market share of public transport.
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