EVALUATING THE EU’s TRANSPORT WHITE PAPER

There are many challenges to developing a coherent set of transport policies. We all need transport on a daily basis, as does business for moving around the goods that we all eventually consume. At the same time, there are physical and environmental trade-offs to be made when facilitating travel, while the use of transport infrastructure can have adverse social, economic and environmental impacts. Balancing these issues requires a strategic approach that aims to deliver the benefits of transport, while mitigating, or potentially eliminating, any adverse impacts.  

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ENSURING THAT EU INVESTMENT IN TRANSPORT IS CONSISTENT WITH ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

The provision, development and maintenance of transport infrastructure – such as roads, railways, ports and airports – is important for society and the economy. However, using land for transport infrastructure inevitably means that it cannot be used for other purposes, including for nature and the ecosystem services that nature provides. In addition, enabling more transport through the provision of more infrastructure has the potential to increase emissions, both of the CO₂ emissions that contribute to climate change and of air pollutant emissions. There is therefore a balance to be struck between developing the transport network and protecting the environment. TEPR and Belgian consultancy Milieu have produced a report looking at the extent to which EU financial support for transport infrastructure is consistent with protecting the environment.

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INTELLIGENT TRANSPORT SYSTEMS – DEVELOPING THE RIGHT POLICY FRAMEWORK

There has been much discussion in the last couple of years about the potential for self-drive or autonomous vehicles, which can navigate without the need for a driver. While the widespread use of such vehicles is still a long way off, vehicles are increasingly becoming more intelligent. New vehicles are able to undertake basic actions and to interpret traffic control signals without the intervention of a driver. The potential advantages include increased road safety, and thus a reduction in accidents, increased efficiency with a reduction in travel times and reduced environmental impact. 

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ENSURING THAT CONSUMER INFORMATION ON THE FUEL ECONOMY AND CO2 EMISSIONS OF NEW CARS IS STILL RELEVANT

The provision of information to consumers is useful as it helps them to make informed decisions about new cars that they are considering buying. Information on the CO2 emissions and fuel economy of new cars helps buyers to understand the environmental and economic performance of different vehicles. Since 2001, UK legislation has required that information on the CO2 emissions and fuel economy of new cars is communicated to potential buyers on a car label, and via other means. As a result of subsequent developments, it was important to evaluate the legislation to ensure that it was still relevant to potential car buyers. In 2018 TEPR, with the LowCVP, evaluated the relevant legislation for the UK Department for Transport. This report has now been published.

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  TOWARDS A SUSTAINABLE MOBILITY SECTOR BY 2050 Europe’s cities are often congested, polluted and noisy places to be, largely due to high levels of road traffic. Inter-urban roads are also increasingly congested with the result that pollution and noise from road transport is becoming increasingly widespread in rural areas, which also adversely affects farmland, […]