rfr · GS0WRFR1 · 2005-01-01 00:00:00 — Det är ingen lätt uppgift att bedöma forskningsansökningar; sektorsrelevansen är den enklaste delen för erfarna fackmän inom sektorn, men för att bedöma den vetenskapliga kvaliteten måste man ha vetenskaplig kompetens. KFB:s forskningsrådsliknande system fungerade enligt min uppfattning bra och borde kunna tas som utgångspunkt. Jag har noterat att har inrättat ett vetenskapligt och etiskt råd och att har liknande planer. Det är ett steg på vägen. Personligen hade jag gärna sett att de forskningsstödjande myndigheterna också hade kopplat tydliga finansieringsåtaganden till strategin för att på så sätt ge den en verklig styrförmåga. Men jag inser att det nuvarande systemet med trafikverkens sektorsforskningsansvar inom ramen för ett mycket begränsat fritt budgetutrymme ger dem små möjligheter att sätta av medel för att avtalsbinda ett sådant åtagande. Även här finner jag att finansieringen av finansiärernas transportforskningsuppgifter är avgörande för en framgångsrik lösning. En brist i dagens strategi är att den inte visar hur den skall utvärderas fristående. Det skulle behövas en innehållslig granskning som kan ge svar på frågor av typen: -Ger oss de beslut som tagits med ledning av strategin och programmet kunskaper som leder fram mot det transportpolitiska målet och dess delmål och etappmål? -Ger de oss underlag för att utveckla och förbättra målformuleringar och målstrukturer? -Ger de oss ökad förståelse av transporterna som system och av deras betydelse i samhället? -Ger de oss en ökad förståelse av hur de offentliga beslutssystemen i infrastrukturplaneringen skall bli effektiva och skapa nödvändigt utrymme för politik på nationell, regional och lokal nivå? -Ger de oss förmåga att hantera ett transportsystem med ett ökat inslag av nya aktörer, upphandling, prissättning och internationella avtal? -Ger de oss underlag för att generellt förkorta ledtider och öka flexibiliteten? -Ger de kunskaper som gör oss bättre rustade att möta det oväntade? Sådana och liknande frågor behöver både en politisk och en fackmannamässig utvärdering. I mitt tycke kan den politiska utvärderingen lämpligen kopplas till budgetprocessen, de årliga besluten i riksdag och regering, därefter i sty- 2004/05:RFR1 TRANSPORTFORSKNING I EN FÖRÄNDERLIG VÄRLD relser och verksledningar, om hur mycket som skall anvisas till det årliga programmet. har till uppgift att till ledning för regering och riksdag utvärdera hur långt vi nått i vår strävan att förverkliga det transportpolitiska målet. erfarenheter, kompetens och sak- och metodkunskap gör det i mitt tycke väl lämpat att svara för den fackmannamässiga utvärderingen. Jag har i den här rapporten redovisat de iakttagelser jag gjort under min genomgång av den svenska transportforskningen efter finansieringsreformen. Även om det synes omöjligt att få fram en helt samstämmig uppfattning, är det ovedersägligt att transportpolitiskt viktig och långsiktigt kunskapsuppbyggande forskning fått minskat stöd och att samhälls- och beteendevetenskaplig forskning om vägtrafiksäkerhet hamnat allra mest i strykklass. Det är lika ovedersägligt att i synnerhet har uppmärksammat detta och i sin nationella strategi för transportrelaterad FUD, som utarbetats tillsammans med trafikverken m.fl., uttalat tydliga ambitioner att förbättra situationen. Även de övriga medverkande i strategiarbetet har ställt sig bakom uttalanden. Då jag tilltror förmågan att genomföra sina ambitioner, ser jag inget behov för trafikutskottet att påtala problemen. Däremot förordar jag att trafikutskottet driver på för att utveckla, förstärka och förankra strategin. Det skulle t.ex. kunna göras genom ett tillägg i instruktion att svara för att en samlad strategi regelbundet utarbetas i samverkan med övriga myndigheter som har uppgiften att stödja FUD inom transportområdet. Strategin och de till den kopplade åtgärdsprogrammen bör utvärderas, och jag finner väl kvalificerat för uppgiften. Den borde likaså kunna åläggas institutet genom ett tillägg i dess instruktion. Jag har funnit att och sektorsansvar för transportforskning på flera sätt är diskutabelt. Dels innebär det att verken åläggs att svara för FUD-behoven för andra väg- och banhållare och deras operatörer, vilket med ökad konkurrens kan leda till besvärliga etiska problem, dels skall de svara för ifrågasättande och kritisk forskning, t.ex. på trafiksäkerhetsområdet, där udden kan komma att riktas mot deras egen verksamhet. Slutligen skall de finansiera dessa forskningsbehov i konkurrens med sina egna behov inom anslagsramen för verksamhetsgrenen sektorsuppgifter, vilket också kan leda till problem för beslutsfattarna. Jag tror att det skulle vara värdefullt med ett särskilt ramanslag för sådan FUD som är motiverad av det transportpolitiska målet, behovet av långsiktig kunskapsutveckling i samhället utöver det egna verkets behov och för kreativt ifrågasättande forskning. Dessa intressen torde vara gemensamma för transportsektorn, och därför borde enligt min mening ett sådant ramanslag med fördel kunna avse hela sektorn och läggas hos kopplat till uppdraget att utarbeta en samlad strategi. Även detta kunde klargöras i instruktion och preciseras i de årliga regleringsbreven. Därmed skulle de nämnda problemen minskas och strategin få en stärkt status. TRANSPORTFORSKNING I EN FÖRÄNDERLIG VÄRLD 2004/05:RFR1 Jag ser ännu ett problem i det nuvarande systemet, nämligen att det lägger ansvaret på myndigheter för en uppgift som är tydligt politisk som avvägningen mellan insatser för forskning som är närings- och tillväxtpolitiskt motiverad, t.ex. de industrinära programmen, och den som är transportpolitiskt motiverad, t.ex. den som stöder en utveckling mot det transportpolitiska målet, samt den som är forsknings- och utbildningspolitiskt motiverad, t.ex. den som stöder en långsiktig kunskapsutveckling i samhället. Slutligen har jag inte kunnat undgå slutsatsen att det för svensk transportforsknings framtid krävs ökade resurser. Annars måste delar av den forskningen läggas ned. Detta är ett politiskt val, och det bör inte som (t.ex. i fråga om trafiksäkerhetsforskningen) göras under hand, genom att forskningsområdet inte tas upp i utlysningar eller att ansökningar inte beviljas. Det är en för tung börda att lägga på de forskningsstödjande myndigheternas ansvariga tjänstemän. Förklaring till i rapporten använda akronymer Jag tar inte upp sådana förkortningar som nästan alla känner till som EG, EU, , FoU etc., men i övrigt försöker jag vara fullständig, även om akronymerna har förklarats i texten VTI:s bibliotek och informationscenter Build-operate-transfer, entreprenören bygger, driver och över- Computer aided design, datorstödd formgivning och underhåll vid KTH Conférence Européenne des Directeurs des Routes , centrum för järnvägsmekanik Cooperation in the field of Scientific and European Economic Space, samarbetsavtal mellan Efta och EG Area, EU-initiativ om europeiskt forsk- Nätverk för att bygga ERA TRANSPORTFORSKNING I EN FÖRÄNDERLIG VÄRLD för arbetsliv och socialvetenskap Forum of European national Förnyelseforum i anläggningsbranschen, (byggherresamver- för miljö, areella näringar och samhällsbyg- Forskning, utveckling och demonstration Private financing initiative, avtal om privat finansiering av Public-private-partnership, avtal om offentlig-privat samarbete Union Internationale de Chemin de fer, int. Union Internationale de Transports Public, int. Strategies, Programs, and Projects Pertaining to Policy on Transport Research in Selected European States, the United States, and (Short title: SmartBench) , 26 October 2004 The SmartBench project was funded by the German Federal . 2004/05:RFR1 STRATEGIES, PROGRAMS, AND PROJECTS PERTAINING TO POLICY ON TRANSPORT The government in champions the international competitiveness of the countrys economy and industry. The structure and substance of transport research in is in flux. Because has its own industry, extensive and cost-intensive research programs on vehicle development are conducted in cooperation with industry, the research community, and the government and are largely financed by the Swedish state. Setting priorities in transport research also seems to come easier to than to , where authority is shared by the federal government, state governments, and their respective ministries in a way unknown in . On the whole, is one of the worlds innovative leaders in both applied and basic research on transport, an assessment reflected in the ambitious objectives of the countrys transport policy. An outstanding example thereof is Vision Zero, long-term goal of completely eliminating deaths due to accidents. , like other countries, is grappling with the impacts of mass motorization. In comparison to the German way of dealing with these problems, the Swedish approach seems to focus pragmatically more on environmental objectives and safety standards and devotes greater attention to the needs of disadvantaged road users. The social sciences, a traditional strength in , play a major role. Swedish transport research addresses the topics of safety, environment, and future technologies. The independent Swedish local authorities conduct their own environmentally ambitious transport projects, which are scientifically grounded political decisions promoting informed efforts to help the environment. STRATEGIES, PROGRAMS, AND PROJECTS PERTAINING TO POLICY ON TRANSPORT 2004/05:RFR1 This inquiry into Swedish policy on transport research is part of the Study on Strategies, Programs, and Projects Pertaining to Policy on in Selected European States, the , and (short title: SmartBench), a project funded by the Federal . countries covered are , The , , , and . The project was launched in 2002 and completed in 2004. It involved the cooperation of the on Mobility at the , (Wissenschaftszentrum für Sozialforschung, WZB), the Forschungsund Anwendungsverbund Verkehrssystemtechnik (FAV), (Institut für Verkehrsforschung des Deutschen Zentrums für Luftund Raumfahrt, DLR), at (Zentrum Technik und Gesellschaft an der TU , ZTG), and ography at in (der Hum- boldt-Universität zu ). The objective of this undertaking is to identify successful research programs, initiatives, and projects outside and to make them available and useful for German transport research. The factors determining their success are discerned through examination of German policy on transport research and comparable policy in the countries studied. Data in the countries being compared were gathered, described, and evaluated together with the participating national colleagues, a procedure that facilitated consideration of the conditions prevailing in their countries. The results are being collated in final country reports, with the on Mobility focusing on and . The present report begins by depicting the basic conditions and objectives of Swedish policy on transport research. It also throws light upon the Swedish transport market in order to explain the background of the political decisionmaking process behind Swedish transport research. The subsequent section shifts attention to the structures of and changes in Swedish transport research and explores its context. To gain perspective on the projects and programs of transport research, it proved purposeful to investigate the institutions that fund research. They play a key role in the planning and implementation of Swedish transport research. The most important ones are selected and presented in this report. Because the quality of Swedish transport research derives from the training of young scholars at Swedish colleges and universities, one section concentrates on that training and its strengths. A report on transport research in would be incomplete if it did not give due space to social science transport research and the topics it treats. The same is true for municipalities, which not only pursue novel transport policies but also act on research results. 2004/05:RFR1 STRATEGIES, PROGRAMS, AND PROJECTS PERTAINING TO POLICY ON TRANSPORT activities engaged in by the are held up as examples of innovations in transport policy and environmental policy. This report concludes by looking at how the objectives of Swedish transport research are actually put into practice, whether there are any special Swedish features or innovative project ideas, programs, and structures, and whether the results of this study are transferable to and seminal for German transport research. For the interim report and final report on , the most valuable sources of information were the Internet and the 24 interviews conducted with transport experts primarily in and in and Berlin.74 Further details are available by e-mail. We are grateful to Professor (burg-Harburg), speaker of ,75 and to Dr. , , Environmental Psychology Unit, ,76 for their reports, comments, and practical support. has an area of 173,732 square miles (just under 450,000 square kilometers), compared to 139,000 square miles (or about 360,000 square kilometers). The landscape is fairly flat, and the geography is dominated by numerous inland lakes, a host of (skerries), and, in the Baltic Sea, the large good tenth the size of population), live in towns, the corresponding figure in being central and northern regions are thinly populated, and the country as a whole has a population density of 8.5 inhabitants per square mile (22 per square kilometer) as opposed to 89 per square mile (231 per square kilometer). is subdivided into 24 counties (län), including the three biggest citiesStockholm (743,000), (462,000), and (257,000). has been a constitutional monarchy since medieval times. The first Swedish Riksdag (parliament) was convened in 1435. In 1809 the power of the king was restricted, and in 1866 the four-chamber parliament was reformed into a bicameral body. present unicameral parliament dates 74See the list of interviewees, Enclosure 1. For a list of literature and other sources, see Enclosure 2. 75Professor and MBA (2003), Overview of the Swedish research funding system with special accentuation on programs for transportation and logistics, 7 2003, unpublished manuscript, Wissenschaftszentrum für Sozialforschung, Research Area on Organizations and Knowledge, Research Unit on Innovation and Organization. (2003), Behavioural science perspectives in Swedish transport research: Preliminary report to the in , unpublished manuscript of 7 2003, Wissenschaftszentrum für Sozialforschung. STRATEGIES, PROGRAMS, AND PROJECTS PERTAINING TO POLICY ON TRANSPORT 2004/05:RFR1 from 1971 and has 349 members. The current head of state, King , has reigned since 1973; the social democratic prime minister, , has held office since 1996. social and political system is marked by small ministries, a strong, independent municipal government, and a policy style oriented to cooperation and consensus. The office of Ombudsman is an original Swedish institution. It is a small, autonomous supervisory body acting in the public interest. There is a ombudsman, a consumer ombudsman, and an equal-opportunities ombudsman. currently allocates 3.8 percent of its GNP to research and development (R&D), more than any of the other 28 members of the . Re- search by industry accounts for 75 percent of this funding. The remaining 25 percent goes to university research. There is relatively funding available to the government and ministries for their own R&D. Objectives of Transport Policy In 1998 the Swedish parliament passed legislation77 that is still the basis of official transport policy. The law stipulates that transport policy shall contribute its share to socially, culturally, economically, and ecologically sustainable development. The objectives of transport policy are to create an accessible, quality transport system; provide safe transport (Vision 0); protect the environment; regional development; avoid gender bias in serving ; and meet the requirements of people with disabilities. Road and railroad users should have the widest possible freedom to arrange for safe, environmentally sound, and reasonably priced transport. Im- proved cooperation between the various means of transport is combined with effective competition between different transport providers. Decisions affecting transport issues are to be made as decentrally as possible, with a clear distinction between the roles of the diverse planning levels and actors. The vision of integrated transport is not explicitly formulated in , it is a part of transport planning. Swedish transport policy has set extremely high goals. The political intention behind Vision 0, the spectacular target announced in 1996, is to eventually reduce the number of traffic fatalities in to zero. Although the average annual toll remained unchanged at 550 for years thereafter, a shift in the trend seemed to occur as of mid-2002. In 2003 only 496 road and rail fatalities a year were reported in , the lowest number since 1950. This development could be due to waning economic growth and to the effectiveness of road safety measures. The political objective is to scale back the number of annual traffic deaths to 270 by 2007. For historical reasons, safety has long been an important subject in Swedish transport policy and management. has not waged war since 1809, so the country has no disabled veterans. After so long a period, it may have 77 Government 1997/98:56. 2004/05:RFR1 STRATEGIES, PROGRAMS, AND PROJECTS PERTAINING TO POLICY ON TRANSPORT come as a shock to be confronted again by casualtiesthose from rapid growth in transport after World War II and the attendant increase in the number of road and rail accidents. The consequences of transport were not socially accepted. This response quickly gave rise to the creation of an independent research council on traffic safety. In addition, the switch from left-hand to right-hand traffic in 1967 gave policy-makers and government officials a unique opportunity for the selective introduction of speed limits on expressways and highways, control measures hitherto unknown in . This change was accompanied by the creation of a scientific commission whose comparatively generous budget enabled it to involve many researchers from a variety of disciplines.78 When it comes to safety, the Swedish manufacturers, producers of accessories, and municipalities have traditionally been highly and innovative in dealing with the familiar critical factors in accidents: drunk driving, speeding, and fatigue. has the same transport-related problems as does: environmental impacts, area lost to motorized private and delivery transport, lack of parking space, and accidents. As pointed out above, , unlike , is sparsely populated, especially in its central and northern rural regions. The countrys transport infrastructure is correspondingly very thin, and the climatic conditions are comparatively harsh. However, fleet of buses for people with disabilities is striking. Kneeling buses are standard in . Conditions with rail transport, whether in the passenger trains themselves or in the subway stations and intercity train terminals, appear to be no better than in . Access is difficult. For out-of-town travelers, signage about location and departure times for intercity trains is especially problematic. The road system, however, has many streets with bicycle paths. The Development of the Swedish Transport Market The transport market in has been developing positively for years. An example is the situation with passenger and freight transport. In 2000, total passenger transport in reached its highest level ever: just over 5 billion person-miles (8.3 billion person-kilometers). The number of passengers in the province of (the southernmost part of ) surged by 50 percent after the opening of the Øresund , which connects and . Passenger traffic across the is 40 percent more than expected. The number of trips by rail, that is, with the (, SJ) and the other providers, rose by nearly 35 percent, from 26.5 million in 1997 to 35.7 million in 2002. The number of person-miles followed a similarly upward trend, rising just under 17 percent,79 from 5,062 person-kilometers in 1997 to 5,920 person-kilometers in 2002. 78See Professor review (18 October 2004) of this report, unpublished paper, Wissenschaftszentrum für Sozialforschung, Research Unit on Innovation and Organization. 79Statens Järnvägar (2002). STRATEGIES, PROGRAMS, AND PROJECTS PERTAINING TO POLICY ON TRANSPORT 2004/05:RFR1 This growth in passenger transport, however, had no effect on the modal split, which remained at a 7 percent share of the market.80 The volume of transported freight also reached the unprecedented level of 19.9 billion ton-kilometers. In this area, has traditionally achieved a much more advantageous modal split than most of the other European countries because of the special transport measures it has implemented. The railroads in handle 14.6 percent of the long-haul freight (distances more than 62 miles, or ) in terms of ton-kilometers, whereas the movement of freight by road account for 69.5 percent.81 The corresponding figures for are 25 percent for the railroads and 37 percent for roads.82 In both countries, the rest of the freight is transported by air and sea. This development is attributed to the reforms that transport market has been undergoing since the 1960s.83 The Transport Act of 1963 was a prelude intended to promote the efficiency of business management by separating economical from uneconomical networking. The idea was to encourage this change by broadening SJs latitude for pricing and timetables. Motivated by the burgeoning deficits in public transport, the Swedish government launched the regionalization of local public transport by passing the Transport Act of 1979. Regional transport consortia (trafikhuvudmän) were set up in the 24 counties and organized by the regional transport . The task of these consortia was to hone local public transports responsiveness to local needs. The standardized process for subsidization was refined, with the result that selective funding could be keyed to local demand. Transfer of accountability to the local institutions led to adaptation to local conditions, enabling municipal authorities to decide for themselves how to use the funds allocated to them. For the first time, SJ was granted full discretion over its budget so as to facilitate flexible development of its quality standards. The franchises, however, remained with the transport authorities, a link that initially precluded real competition. Regional and municipal grants to cover operating costs continued to swell in the following years. To reverse this trend, genuine competition for transport services has been sought since the late 1980s. The passage of the Transport Act of 1988 seemed like a silent revolution to contemporaries. The franchises of the transport companies were transferred to the regional transport , which thereby acquired their first opportunity to call for competitive bids on transport services. This approach functionally separated clients from producers.84 A momentous step in the railroad industry 80Banverket (2002), p. 81Bundesministerium für Verkehr, Bauund Wohnungswesen (German Federal Mi- nistry of Transport, Construction, and Housing) (2003). Verkehr in 2002/2003. : für Wirtschaftsforschung (DIW). 82Banverket (2002), pp. 83Oliver Schöller and (2004), Elchtest. Die Reform des staatlichen Eisenbahnsystems in , Internationales Verkehrswesen, 56(5), 188191. 84See also (2004), Synetra: Synergien zwischen Bahnnetz und transport. Praxis, Probleme, Potentiale [Synetra: Practices, problems, and 2004/05:RFR1 STRATEGIES, PROGRAMS, AND PROJECTS PERTAINING TO POLICY ON TRANSPORT was the creation of a railroad infrastructure company () for the entire rail network, which had hitherto been part of SJ.85 Divestment of unprofitable infrastructural services was intended to give SJ the chance to calculate independently in line with the market.