Users have the right to use a transport system that meets their needs, ensures safety, is economically rational, flexible, and environmentally friendly. The further part of the EU transport policy focuses on these issues.
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Dangerous roads.
The Maastricht Treaty enables the Union to take action to improve road safety. This is necessitated by the high number of fatal road accidents. The task is difficult because responsibility for road safety rests with many regional, national, and community institutions. The Union aims to halve the number of road accident victims by 2010. This is to be achieved by harmonizing penalties in member states, standardizing and enforcing regulations regarding maximum speeds and the permitted amount of alcohol (or substances with similar effects) in the blood. Standardization also requires road signaling, signs, markings, indications of dangerous spots, and language solutions so that a coherent identification system is created. The system for signaling weather conditions on the road also requires expansion.
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New technologies for road safety.
In particular, emphasis is placed on the use of information and communication technologies for monitoring and assisting vehicle traffic, installing vehicle recording devices (black boxes), and automatic speed limiters. Furthermore, the digitalization of driving licenses can support the harmonization of penalties in the Community and prevent drivers from avoiding responsibility. The Union should also support the emergence of safe cars on the market, equipped with modern safety features and constructed from modern materials.
Transport with a human face.
Transport should be user-friendly. Therefore, wanting to develop intermodal transport, including intermodal passenger transport, actions should be taken to:
Rights and obligations of transport users.
The Community wishes to create a charter of rights and obligations for transport participants within the next 10 years. Proposals include increasing carrier liability for delays, accidents, lost luggage, introducing carrier classification, and eliminating irrational behavior of transport participants (including passengers).
Rationalization of urban transport.
Urban transport, due to the huge increase in vehicles, is currently in a critical state – city congestion, increased air pollution, noise, more accidents, are some of its manifestations. Short routes and low vehicle speeds cause increased fuel consumption and higher exhaust emissions. To solve this problem, the Union postulates changing the power supply of vehicle heat engines and developing high-quality public transport.
The article comes from the magazine “Logistyka” 4/2004.
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Dangerous roads.
The Maastricht Treaty enables the Union to take action to improve road safety. This is necessitated by the high number of fatal road accidents. The task is difficult because responsibility for road safety rests with many regional, national, and community institutions. The Union aims to halve the number of road accident victims by 2010. This is to be achieved by harmonizing penalties in member states, standardizing and enforcing regulations regarding maximum speeds and the permitted amount of alcohol (or substances with similar effects) in the blood. Standardization also requires road signaling, signs, markings, indications of dangerous spots, and language solutions so that a coherent identification system is created. The system for signaling weather conditions on the road also requires expansion.
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New technologies for road safety.
In particular, emphasis is placed on the use of information and communication technologies for monitoring and assisting vehicle traffic, installing vehicle recording devices (black boxes), and automatic speed limiters. Furthermore, the digitalization of driving licenses can support the harmonization of penalties in the Community and prevent drivers from avoiding responsibility. The Union should also support the emergence of safe cars on the market, equipped with modern safety features and constructed from modern materials.
Actual transport costs.
Transport costs are not just fuel and vehicle depreciation costs. They also include the costs of building new infrastructure, the costs of improving safety, and reducing the negative impact on the environment. The European Commission claims that the imbalance of transport modes results from the fact that transport users do not bear the full costs of its use. This also results from the excessive and chaotic burdening of carriers with various taxes and fees, regardless of, for example, the degree of infrastructure utilization and environmental pollution. The Union aims to replace unsynchronized tariff policy with instruments enabling the implementation of transport policy. These instruments are:
– charging fees for infrastructure use – covering its wear and tear, as well as environmental protection costs
– fuel taxation – so as to regulate carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere and promote substitute fuels (hydrogen, biofuels)
– rationalization of VAT in various transport sectors.
Transport with a human face.
Transport should be user-friendly. Therefore, wanting to develop intermodal transport, including intermodal passenger transport, actions should be taken to:
– improve conditions for intermodal travel, especially intermodal transfers (transfer points between different modes of transport)
– introduce integrated tickets – covering several modes of transport
– improve luggage transport – especially transfers between modes of transport
– continuity of travel – smooth, temporal, and spatial connection of transport modes with each other.
Rights and obligations of transport users.
The Community wishes to create a charter of rights and obligations for transport participants within the next 10 years. Proposals include increasing carrier liability for delays, accidents, lost luggage, introducing carrier classification, and eliminating irrational behavior of transport participants (including passengers).
Rationalization of urban transport.
Urban transport, due to the huge increase in vehicles, is currently in a critical state – city congestion, increased air pollution, noise, more accidents, are some of its manifestations. Short routes and low vehicle speeds cause increased fuel consumption and higher exhaust emissions. To solve this problem, the Union postulates changing the power supply of vehicle heat engines and developing high-quality public transport.
To achieve the first goal, it is necessary to implement and enforce standards regarding the reduction of exhaust emissions by vehicles, and to create legal regulations for the use of substitute fuels such as gas, biofuels, or hydrogen. By 2020, it is postulated to replace 20% of conventional fuels with alternative fuels. Tax policy should support ecological fuels and vehicles. It is also necessary to stimulate the use of electric vehicles, mainly in short-distance, urban traffic (e.g., taxis, parcel delivery, etc.)
The article comes from the magazine “Logistyka” 4/2004.