The EU White Paper for Transportation to 2050

Image via WikipediaWHITE PAPER - Roadmap to a Single European Transport Area – Towards a competitive and resource efficient transport system (31 page pdf, European Commission, Mar. 28, 2011)

Also discussed here: EU transport chief releases radical plan to cull petrolheads (Carlton Reid, BikeBiz, Mar. 29, 2011)

And here: EU to ban cars from cities by 2050 (The Telegraph, Mar. 30, 2011)

The focus today is on the recently released White Paper from the EU which outlines various steps to move toward a carbon free major cities within the next 20 years through the use of new technology, investments in infrastructure and relying on user/polluter pays to achieve greater mobility.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHx5SL0ZrpU]

Transport White Paper presented in Brussels

(2.15 min You Tube video)

Key Quotes:

“The plan also envisages an end to cheap holiday flights from Britain to southern Europe with a target that over 50 per cent of all journeys above 186 miles should be by rail”

“"That means no more conventionally fuelled cars in our city centres..Action will follow, legislation, real action to change behaviour"

“people contaminating city centres with exhaust fumes and engine noise will get the same respect as dog owners not collecting their pets droppings or men urinating in public”

"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"

“Future development must rely on a number of strands:

• Improving the energy efficiency performance of vehicles across all modes. Developing and deploying sustainable fuels and propulsion systems;
• Optimising the performance of multimodal logistic chains, including by making greater use of inherently more resource-efficient modes, where other technological innovations may be insufficient (e.g. long distance freight);
• Using transport and infrastructure more efficiently through use of improved traffic management and information systems”

3 of the 10 Goals:

• Halve the use of ‘conventionally-fuelled’ cars in urban transport by 2030; phase them out in cities by 2050; achieve essentially CO2-free city logistics in major urban centres by 2030
• 30% of road freight over 300 km should shift to other modes such as rail or waterborne transport by 2030, and more than 50% by 2050, facilitated by efficient and green freight corridors.
• Move towards full application of “user pays” and “polluter pays” principles and private sector engagement to eliminate distortions, including harmful subsidies, generate revenues and ensure financing for future transport investments.

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