CONFÉRENCE EUROPÉENNE DES MINISTRES DES TRANSPORTS
EUROPEAN CONFERENCE OF MINISTERS OF TRANSPORTDECISION ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT[CEMT/CM(2000)1/FINAL]

Ministers are asked:•

To note the background reports and summaries on:
−
−
−
−
−
−
−

•

The Joint ECMT-ACEA-OICA Conference: Smart CO2 Reductions;
Quantifying CO2 Abatement Policies;
Vehicle Emission Trends;
Assessing the Benefits of Transport;
Strategic Environmental Assessment for Transport;
Short Sea Shipping;
Safety in Road Traffic for Vulnerable Users.

To note the substantial progress being made in a number of areas, and reported in thispaper.
−−−−−To recognise that there remain important problems and challenges:
Unsustainable rates of traffic growth, locally or at regional or international scales;
Severe noise, severance and intimidation nuisances from traffic in built up areas;
Persistent growth in emissions of greenhouse gases from transport;
Poor air quality in specific locations despite substantial progress in vehicle emissions
controls;− Destruction and fragmentation of protected landscapes and habitats.
− To note that many sustainability issues can only be resolved if decisions affecting
access to jobs, to housing, to goods and services and for business and industry, aretaken in an integrated manner across the sectoral divisions of the different
administrations concerned.
−

To accept this implies that:− Transport Ministers need a stronger voice in land use planning decisions and otherareas such as housing and regional development policy if unsustainable traffic
generation is to be avoided;− Transport Ministers will have to play an increasingly significant role in shaping fiscal
policy where it affects transport prices in order that cost effective economic
instruments can be used effectively.

 ECMT / CEMT, 2003

− A more coherent policy is required towards the pricing and financing of transport
infrastructure, based on the public benefits of transport infrastructure and the externalcosts of its use. To this end, public spending decisions on proposed investments
should be based more clearly on the results of socio-economic assessments
undertaken by transport and environment authorities.
− In return, this requires that economic assessment procedures are improved to take fullaccount of distortions in transport markets and identify clearly how benefits are
expected to accrue to target beneficiaries. It also requires that environmental
assessments adequately cover strategic issues.
−

To agree, in summary, that they need to take a more proactive lead in achieving sustainable
development. Integration of transport and environment policy is essential to sustainable
development and it is a two way process. Transport ministries cannot make their fullcontribution unless they have a strong voice in the traffic and mobility impacts of decisions
taken outside their sector.

−

To confirm the importance attached to pursuing work in ECMT on the development of moresustainable transport policies with particular attention to:−−−−integrating transport policies with policies in other sectors;
reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the transport sector;
managing environmental impacts in the newer Member countries;
and improving decision making procedures in relation to infrastructure investments.

 ECMT / CEMT, 2003

2

SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORT POLICIESMaximisingpresent andfuture welfare

The objective of sustainable development is to maximise welfare, and provide asound economic, social and environmental base for both present and future1
generations . This paper identifies key issues for transport policy over the medium
and longer terms and reviews progress to date towards the development of moresustainable transport policies, following up on the Comprehensive Resolution on
Transport and the Environment of 1989 and other recommendations and2
resolutions agreed since then .
1.

Key Policy Issues

The development of sustainable transport policies implies reconcilingenvironmental, social and economic objectives and will require further
improvements on a wide range of fronts for inland transport.
Accidents

Death and injury from accidents are the most important issue in making transportsystems more sustainable. Current rates of death and injury from road accidents
are regarded as far from acceptable by Governments even in countries at theforefront of road safety performance. Accident rates in other modes, though much
lower are still not regarded as acceptable. However, policy responses are notaddressed in this report as road safety is the subject of a considerable volume of
ECMT work in its own right.
Excluding accidents, the key issues for current policy making can be summarised
as follows.

Wealthcreation−Transport is a fundamental element in the creation of wealth. Improving
access to markets for jobs, housing, goods and services is essential to realising
the goals of European economic integration across the continent. Facilitating
the free movement of people in Europe is important for the social as well as
the economic dimension of integration. Infrastructure investments are notalways the most efficient route to improving access, but unnecessary delays incommencing work on valid projects as a result of poorly co-ordinated tests ofeconomic utility, financial viability and environmental acceptability are
increasingly perceived to be a barrier to integration and economic renewal.

Access−All citizens should benefit from the access transport services provide in areasonably equitable manner. This implies avoiding excessive dependence on
private automobiles if certain sections of society are not to be excluded.

 ECMT / CEMT, 2003

3

−

Recent rates of road traffic growth are widely viewed as unsustainable inmany countries. Failure to integrate land use planning sufficiently withtransport policy has in many places been the cause of traffic demand that isdifficult to manage. A certain degree of congestion should be expected on
optimally dimensioned roads but it is unacceptably severe in some locations
and at some times in many Member countries.

−

In many sensitive areas it is no longer possible to construct new infrastructure
for reasons of noise, space or the existing impact of heavy traffic. On sometrade routes through mountain valleys only very limited further growth inroad traffic is acceptable and new traffic will have to be carried by othermodes, with consequent heavy investments in rail infrastructure in somecases.

Intimidation−

The severance, nuisance and intimidation effects of road traffic forpedestrians and other non-motorised pavement and road users in built
environments are in many places severe.

Nature−

The costs attributed by the public to impacts of transport infrastructure
investments on landscapes and biodiversity are rising.

Noise

−

Noise, from road use and from rail freight, in urban areas and in mountainvalleys, is a major and growing problem. It frequently ranks top of theenvironmental issues of concern in household surveys. It is also important toconserve existing areas of quiet and limit the fragmentation that can result
from the construction of new infrastructure.

CO2−

Most Member countries have still to identify, in quantitative terms, measures
for the transport sector that will make a sufficient contribution to meeting the
economy-wide targets set under the 1997 UN Kyoto Protocol on reducing
emissions of CO2.

Air quality−

In many countries there have been striking improvements in the emissions of
air pollutants from new vehicles over the last decade and two further roundsof significant cuts have been agreed in the EU in respect of CO, NOx,hydrocarbons, particulate matter and benzene. Important work in thisdirection is also undertaken by the UN/ECE Inland Transport Committee.

−

However, at least for the medium term, air quality with respect to NOx, ozone
and particulate concentrations remains a problem in many locations at a local
and sometimes regional scale. The influence of prevailing weather patterns
and topography, as well as traffic conditions, make the nature of air quality
concerns specific to location.

−

In most transition economies, developing strategies to reduce CO,hydrocarbon, NOx and particulate emissions from both new and existingvehicles remains a challenge. Air quality is deteriorating in many cities inthese countries, with rapid growth in the car fleet through the addition of usedand new vehicles with poor environmental performance.

−

Ineffective enforcement of existing regulations, e.g. parking regulations andvehicle inspections, exacerbates some of the above issues. This is the result ofeither insufficient resources being allocated to enforcement or to
inappropriate design of regulations. In many cases improving the design orenforcement of existing regulations should be addressed before introducing
additional measures.

Traffic growth

Enforcement

 ECMT / CEMT, 2003

4

2.

Progress

The Council’s comprehensive Resolution on Transport and the Environment of1989 (No. 66) makes recommendations on all of these issues, many of which
remain highly relevant. Progress in areas covered by the resolution is reported
here.
Vehicle emissions controls
Euro 3 & 4
standards andthe Auto oilprogramme

In relation to vehicle emissions controls, the Council recommended that best
available technology be applied to the maximum extent practically possible atacceptable cost. In the intervening period, four rounds of negotiations have cut
EU emissions limits for new vehicles very substantially and the UN/ECE isfollowing a similar course in developing emissions regulations under the 1958
Geneva Agreement. The joint Auto-oil programme of the European Commission,
ACEA and EUROPIA has defined what is practically possible and what
constitutes acceptable costs on the basis of cost effectiveness over a series of time
horizons. The European Parliament played a key role in the process ofnegotiations required to reach a consensus acceptable to the public.
The work continues under Auto-oil II, as technological development of antipollution techniques progresses and modelling of the impact of emissions on
health and the environment improves. Results of the Auto-oil programme havebeen applied in recent rounds of EU emissions regulations for both light andheavy-duty vehicles.

Eco trucks
under ECMT
multilateral
quota

Emission
limits, tests &inspection
under UNagreements

Phase out of
leaded petrol

The ECMT multilateral quota has been regularly updated to provide continuing
incentives for the use of the cleanest trucks available in step with changes infuture emissions regulations through the green quotas. An extension, preparing
the way for incorporation of Euro 3 and 4 standards, is to be tabled in the 2000
Prague Council.
The 1997 UN/ECE Vienna conference on transport and the environment provided
for EU and UN/ECE emissions limits and technical inspection procedures to be
applied to all international truck and car traffic through the Agreement
Concerning the Adoption of Uniform Conditions for Periodical TechnicalInspections of Wheeled Vehicles and the Reciprocal Recognition of Such
Inspections. ECMT Member Governments that have not yet done so are urged to
ratify the agreement.
The 1998 UN/ECE Global Agreement provides for the development of
harmonised world wide vehicle and testing procedures, including in respect ofenvironmental emissions. Preparations for world wide emissions certification fortruck engines are planned to be completed between 2005 and 2008.
The Council’s recommendations on fuels have also been addressed, by Auto-oil I
and through the phase out of leaded petrol recited in ECMT Resolution 99/6 andimplemented, in particular, by EU Directive 98/70/EC and observance of the 1998
UN/ECE Declaration on the Phase out of Added Lead in Petrol.

 ECMT / CEMT, 2003

5

Greenhouse gas emissions
ECMT & EU
voluntary
agreements

Council recommendations on global pollution issues were followed up by the
1995 ECMT Joint Declaration with ACEA and OICA on the reduction of CO2
emissions from new cars which agreed on significant and continuous
improvements in fuel efficiency. The subsequent ACEA voluntary agreement
concluded with the European Commission quantifies the industry’s commitment
with targets. Monitoring under the ECMT agreement suggests that the trend in
average emissions from new passenger cars is currently on course to meet thetarget of 140g of CO2 per km in 2008 (a 25% reduction compared to 1995). This
represents much the largest contribution in the transport sector to measures taken
so far towards meeting the commitments to reduce CO2 emissions made under the
1997 UN Kyoto protocol.
Efficiency and traffic management

ECMT
Resolution oninternalisation

In relation to the Council’s recommendations on traffic management which
underlined the importance of improving the efficiency and commercialorganisation of transport, gradual progress has been made. Specifically, aResolution on the Policy Approach to Internalising the External Costs ofTransport was adopted in 1998. This was followed up by a report establishing amethodology for making international comparisons of transport charges and taxes
and recommendations on efficient transport taxation and a draft resolution to beconsidered at the 2000 Prague Council.
Policy approaches towards travel in urban areas remains particularly challenging
and now focus on the necessity of integrated strategies that combine urban land
use and transport planning, improvement of public transport systems and pricing
measures. This integrated policy approach requires more effective horizontal andvertical coordination between policy institutions and implementing bodies
accustomed to working somewhat independently. Achieving a sufficient degree of
integration has been difficult in practice and slowed the implementation of widely
accepted principles for sustainability in urban travel such as those set out jointly
3
in 1995 by ECMT and the OECD .
Infrastructure investments

Strategic
environmental
assessment for
TENs andTINA

In relation to infrastructure, Council called for better environmental assessment,
better public consultation and better assessment of infrastructure needs. In 1997,
the Council made recommendations on strategic environmental assessment andtook up the issue again in 1999/2000 with a report and recommendations thathighlight, inter alia, the need for SEA of corridors in central and eastern Europe
where TINA projects are located and also further east in the New Independent
States. Assessing infrastructure needs is a regular ECMT exercise andrecommendations on assessing the benefits of transport were also prepared in
2000. On better public consultation, the 1998 UN Aarhus Declaration on Accessto Information, Public Participation in Decision Making and Access to Justice inEnvironmental Matters is the seminal policy statement.

 ECMT / CEMT, 2003

6

UN and EU transport and environment policy statements
In October 1999, the EU Council agreed a Strategy on the integration ofenvironment and sustainable development into transport policy; in June 1999
Ministers from 51 European countries adopted the WHO Charter on Transport,
Environment and Health; and in 1997 transport and environment Ministers
adopted the UN/ECE Declaration on Transport and the Environment. These threerecent international declarations cover many of the areas of concern identified
above.
EU strategy

The EU Strategy states that long term environmental concerns should play a roleequal to other concerns, such as economic and social factors, when formulating
future transport policy. Notably, the EU Council called on Member States todevelop integrated strategies to promote sustainable development, leading where
necessary to co-ordinated measures.
3.

Policy Objectives

The challenge of developing transport policies for sustainable development is toorient the sector towards a compromise that maximises the economic and social
benefits of transport and minimises associated environmental, social andeconomic costs. Many of the measures required to achieve this balance are notnew, the main difficulty is effective implementation.
Efficiency
Combineregulation,
pricing &better service
quality

The most efficient approach to achieving sustainable development of the transport
sector requires a combination of regulatory instruments (particularly for vehicle
emissions) and restructuring of charges and taxes on the basis of marginal costs(including external costs) to provide incentives to reduce external costs to optimallevels. It often also requires improvement of the quality of transport, especiallyrail services (ensuring reliability and complete logistic services) and promotion ofinter-modal services. Failure to structure charges efficiently will make the use ofother tools much less cost effective.

Restructure
charges &taxes

Initially the structure of charges is more important than the precise level. It should
be noted that efficient prices do not generally coincide with coverage of total
infrastructure costs (for example in railways efficient prices will in many cases
leave substantial uncovered infrastructure costs; and for urban roads efficient
prices will raise revenues substantially above capital infrastructure costs). In thiscontext it has to be acknowledged that efficiency is not the only politicalconsideration in setting the level of charges, and budgetary pressures at times
result in increasing charges above marginal social cost levels. Moreover, full costcoverage is viewed as an important principle in some countries.

 ECMT / CEMT, 2003

7

Electronic
t-km charges
for trucks are
now possible

Technological advance has brought down costs and opened opportunities for
introducing charges closely linked to the incidence of external costs. This now
appears feasible for heavy goods vehicles and an electronic km charge could be
introduced to replace part of existing fuel charges and annual vehicle taxes, as forexample will the new Swiss Heavy Vehicle Fee which will enter into force in
2001. Recent restructuring of the Eurovignette in 6 Member countries to provide
environmental incentives is consistent with Resolution 98/1 on the policy
approach to internalising the external costs of transport. Dissatisfaction with thecurrent system in some participating countries presents an opportunity to replace
it with an international system of electronic t-km charges. Other countries could
join such a new truck charging system rather than increasing existing fuel charges
and fixed taxes.

Three point
strategyMore generally, a number of Member countries have adopted a three part strategy
for improving the incentives produced by charges levied on all vehicles: shifting
the emphasis from fixed to variable charges; introducing relatively simple systemsof use charges; and differentiating both fixed and use charges.
Congestion

Adjustingexpectations

To some extent congestion is a form of rationing that reflects the absence of a
pricing mechanism for road space. In some places chronic congestion is the resultof under-investment in road capacity over a prolonged period. Frequently it
results from a failure to integrate land-use and transport planning. To some extent,
however, concern with congestion reflects unrealistic expectations that free-flow
conditions should be the norm — optimally dimensioned infrastructure will
inevitably be congested at peak periods of use. The utility of even crowded
transport infrastructure is such that net benefits remain positive, even when quite
extended periods of congestion are encountered. A better understanding of theway economic benefits get transferred from direct users of infrastructure to theiremployers, customers and other economic agents is required.
Congestion pricing can certainly improve traffic flows on inter-urban trunk roads
and its potential for managing congestion in urban areas needs to be assessed
through trials in pilot cities. Better integration of land-use and transport planningis the underlying imperative for the longer term.

 ECMT / CEMT, 20038

Urban travel
Integrating
land useplanning
and traffic
management

Current best practice in local planning and traffic management policies is anappropriate target for all Member countries in many areas of urban traffic
management, for example in addressing the severance and nuisance effects ofroad traffic. In the ongoing joint ECMT/OECD work, it is becoming clear that
although progress is slow, a majority of cities experiencing chronic congestion
and air quality problems and are introducing measures to improve the efficiency
of urban travel. Much is being done to enhance public transport solutions, forexample improving service quality and integrating public transport networks intoa more individualised “door-to-door” approach to urban mobility. It is widely
accepted, however, that public transport cannot solve the problem alone andcomplementary pricing measures (including for parking) are essential as anincentive for more optimal use of private cars. Recent European research and theexperience with planning guidelines of several countries, including theNetherlands (where the “ABC” guidelines direct developments to different sites
according to their public and private transport impacts and needs), has highlighted
the importance of coherence between policy towards the development of urban
planning, public transport and parking.
Greenhouse gas emissions

Quantify cutsin CO2emissions

To ensure cost-effective CO2 emissions reductions, the measures applied to thetransport sector should be determined on the basis of a cross-sectoral analysis ofpossible measures. The first step in the transport sector is to accurately quantify
the emissions reductions expected from national and multilateral measures alreadytaken and proposed. Reference to a robust base case scenario for emissions
projections is important. The process is underway in most Member countries, but
not complete in any as yet.

Smartemissions
reductions

To complement the ACEA voluntary agreement on emissions from new cars,
efforts to influence driving styles and ensure adequate maintenance of vehicles arelikely to be most rewarding in the short term. Economic instruments will be
important both in providing incentives for accelerating the uptake of more fuelefficient vehicles and in managing demand. Improved traffic management has
made a significant contribution in a number of cities (e.g. Turin) particularly
through integrated measures to improve information in real time on congestion
and information on bus arrival times (a key factor in quality of service).

Voluntary
agreement forlight goods
vehicles?

For the longer term complementary progress in improving the fuel efficiency ofcommercial vehicles, especially the lighter vehicles, is required and a further
voluntary agreement could be appropriate. Cost sensitivity and the modularity ofvehicle models complicates the issue for heavy goods vehicles where improved
driver behaviour and advances in logistics and information technology appear tooffer the greatest potential for emissions reductions.
The outlook for CO2 emissions trends suggests some stabilisation in emissions
from passenger cars whilst emissions from trucks and air transport continue togrow, truck emissions overtaking car emissions in the near future. This suggests
efforts should now focus on measures to deliver emissions reductions in these fast
growing sub-sectors.

 ECMT / CEMT, 2003

9

More support
for advanced
technology

Technological advance is a key part of all strategies to reduce emissions. There is
therefore a role for efficiently targeted public support for research anddevelopment in improved engine and vehicle technology and design. Some joint
research with industry is being funded under the current research programme of
the European Community and there is scope to expand the co-operation at bothnational and international levels.
Government measures are required both to sustain technological development,
notably towards low emissions vehicles, and to moderate transport demand. In
this latter respect the measures already discussed in relation to land use planning,inter-modal transport and improving urban mass transport are important.

Smartmeasures —immediate
gains

Because of the relatively long time frame for many measures to achieve their fullpotential, it is necessary to make an early start in order to achieve the CO2
emissions reductions required. This underlines the importance of non-productmeasures (for example changing driver behaviour, improving vehicle inspection
and maintenance programmes, raising tyre pressures) which have an impact on
existing vehicles in use and have at least as great a potential as improvements tovehicle design.
A coherent regulatory framework is required to avoid obstacles to thecommercialisation of technological advances. This sometimes requires explicit
trade-offs between incompatible regulatory pressures. Fuel quality is an importantpart of this equation. It also requires a degree of uniformity in the regulations andincentives introduced across Europe in order to achieve economies of scale, forexample in the development of the use of alternative fuels.
Air quality

Inspection &maintenance

Measures to improve maintenance of existing vehicles and accelerate uptake oflow emission vehicles are required if current advances in vehicle technology andemissions regulations are to have an impact on air quality in the short to medium
term, in all Member countries. The remarks made in the previous section on driver
behaviour and other non-product measures also apply.

Success in
cutting themass andnumber ofparticles
emitted?

An assessment of the impact of the particulate emission limits planned to enter
into force will be important in determining what further measures, if any, should
be envisaged. Particle traps, recently commercialised on some diesel cars and on
trucks, are expected to cut not only the mass of particles but also the number ofparticles emitted, reducing emissions to levels comparable with petrol engines. It
appears, however, that some cars might be able to respect EU Euro 4 emissions
regulations applicable from 2005 without the use of particle filters. If filters are
not widely employed, further regulation of particulate emissions may be required,subject to the results of research into the health impacts, including cancer risks, ofultra-fine particles.
In the longer term, as a result of progress in reducing emissions from passenger
cars and commercial vehicles, emissions from other kinds of vehicles (e.g.
aircraft, diesel locomotives, motorbikes, agricultural and industrial vehicles) will
become increasingly significant and attention should shift to these sources.

 ECMT / CEMT, 2003

10

New member
countries —old problems

In the newer Member countries additional measures to reduce emissions from newand existing vehicles are required. This includes developing and enforcing tighter
emissions standards — based on the two latest rounds of EU emissions limits inorder to avoid creating barriers in the international market for vehicles. For someof the major cities, introduction of measures to retrofit existing vehicles with
pollution control devices and promote the use of alternative fuels needs to beconsidered, taking account of expected cost-effectiveness. Improving fuel quality
will probably be an important part of strategies in these countries.
Noise

Integrated
measuresProtect quiet
spacesTraffic from aircraft and on arterial roads can cause severe noise stress in homes,
offices and schools etc. in their vicinity. Where noise exposure guidelines exist,
exeedence tends to be widespread and frequent. Noise from rail operations, freightwagon brakes in particular, is not such a widespread problem but neverthelesssignificant and night-time noise restrictions can be a barrier to efficient use of therailways. Tackling problems of road and rail freight traffic noise will require a
combination of measures to influence traffic, invest in noise barriers and reducenoise emissions at source. At the other end of the noise nuisance spectrum, quiet
in recreational areas are increasingly compromised both in urban areas and inrural areas traversed by trunk roads.
Impacts of investments on landscapes and biodiversity
As the territorial extent of transport networks grows, more money will inevitably
have to be spent on mitigation, more attention given to alternatives to construction
and better procedures developed for public consultation (as set out in the 1998
UN/ECE Aarhus Declaration). The conclusions on strategic environmental
assessment developed below are relevant here.
4.

The real issue

Decision Making

During the last Council debate on environmental issues in 1997, the Dutch
Minister underlined that despite the major environmental costs of transport, thebenefits are large and the real issue is in making decisions that achieve thegreatest benefits while minimising the costs. How this balance is reached in
making decisions on transport projects, and also policies, is critical to making thetransport system sustainable in practice.
Evaluating transport policies and projects

Accounting
for market
distortions

4

Recent work underlines the importance of good cost benefit analysis (CBA) tomaking sustainable investment and policy decisions. It also provides a framework
for arriving at reliable results in the face of market failures that are widespread intransport, overcoming weaknesses in traditional CBA that has undermined its use
in many countries. The framework identifies the economic circumstances inwhich additional analysis is appropriate according to the degree to which there is
distortion in a) transport prices and b) the prices of products on the market:• Where distortions are minor, good traditional CBA is adequate to capture all
economic benefits flowing from the decision to invest. There are no
significant additional economic benefits (e.g. from regional development)
beyond those captured by the analysis.

 ECMT / CEMT, 2003

11

•
•

Where prices are distorted there will be additional benefits and costs toconsider.
But where transport prices are distorted, it will be appropriate to correcttransport prices rather than shape investment decisions on the basis of
inefficient pricing.

Who benefits
in the end?

The distributional aspects of the benefits from investments are likely to be ofoverriding political importance, particularly in respect to regional development
policy. Over time the beneficiaries of an investment change as, for example,
companies relocate to extract the best advantage from the expansion of a road
network. The ability of the economy to shift benefits to those who value them
most in monetary terms may indeed make the original target beneficiaries worse
off, once the economy fully adjusts to the new piece of infrastructure. Reliable
analysis of the way benefits are expected to be realised, and the way they are
expected to be captured and redistributed over time, should therefore be included
as a priority in any cost benefit assessment. The way some of the initial timesavings get replaced by other, financial forms of benefit are particularly
important, especially where an investment is designed to relieve congestion.

The right
balance inpublicinvestment
expenditure

The relation of project assessment to government spending decisions is of crucial
importance. Transport projects that have passed a full CBA and satisfy
environmental and legal conditions are not always implemented. This is often
because they are believed to ‘crowd out’ private investments. There is a problem
in that financial assessment tests differ between private and public sectors,
making direct comparison of value for money difficult. The appropriate test for
public spending is whether the calculated return on investment exceeds its cost by
more than the opportunity cost of public funds. This might be measured by thelong term bond rate, including a weighting if higher public expenditure would
affect this rate. A project that passes this test would then be justified. Such a
decision rule was employed in France (using an opportunity cost rate of 8%) for
most of the 1990s. The rule has important implications for marginal social costpricing in transport, demonstrating that its revenues arise as part of a consistent
set of economic instruments and not as a result of under-investment. Further
research to build consensus internationally should be encouraged in this field.
Strategic environmental assessment
Environmental impact assessments are an essential component of the process ofmaking decisions on infrastructure investments. Shortcomings in this discipline
have become apparent in relation to impacts that go beyond the scope of projects
in isolation. Strategic environmental assessment (SEA) has emerged in responseto address large scale effects including:• impacts on traffic on the network beyond the geographical confines of the
project assessment;• regional and global environmental impacts including acidification,
stratospheric ozone, climate change and biodiversity;• and the environmental impacts of policy decisions.

Decision tool

Recent work in ECMT highlights four key routes to maximising the effectivenessof this new tool:• link SEA clearly to the planning process leading to an investment decisionand begin it early; ECMT / CEMT, 2003

12

•
•
•
Do it without
delay

keep the output of SEAs simple and to the point, to maximise the impact ondecision-makers;
the only way to develop effective SEA methodologies and procedures isthrough practice;in the newer Member countries, SEAs along pan-European corridors, forexample undertaken in conjunction with the TINA programme, are a priority.

The aim of procedures for SEA is to improve the decision making process byaddressing fundamental environmental issues early in the planning process. When
successful this should streamline decision making and eliminate unnecessary
delays, rather than creating new barriers to implementation of successful projects.
5.

Implementation

Implementation of the measures to achieve the policy objectives set out above issometimes slow or politically difficult. Better understanding of how
implementation can best be carried out and how barriers to the introduction of theappropriate measures can be overcome is important. A number of lessons emerge
from ongoing work on implementing sustainable urban travel policies.
Consult withthe public

Consultation with the public and with interest groups is extremely important, notonly in preparing proposals for infrastructure projects but also in introducing
traffic management, pricing and other policy initiatives. Effective consultation
requires time and resources but without it the risk of failure or prolonged delay
close to planned implementation is exacerbated.

Work with thepress

It is vital to win popular and political support. This can make the introduction of
measures better understood and accepted. It requires communication,
campaigning with local or affected groups, mobilising support from groups who
benefit as distinct from the rather natural mobilisation from groups who think they
will not. The role of the media is crucial and it is necessary to work with themedia to ensure balanced coverage. Proof by example, through well publicised
pilot projects, can also be a powerful tool.

Build support

The sequencing of measures can in some circumstances be planned to foster
acceptance where a package of measures includes some that will be seen as
positive and others as negative by certain interest groups. In a special case of thisgeneral principle, earmarking of revenues from new charging schemes toinvestment in improved transport services has also been used with success insome instances. Earmarking revenues to provide for the reduction of taxes
elsewhere (inside or outside the sector) could probably be used to similar effect.

Enforceproperly

Effective enforcement is an essential part of implementation. Where enforcement
proves problematic, modification of the regulation, charge, etc. to render
enforcement easier may be appropriate but technological advance is increasing theopportunities for automatic enforcement of the law, for example with the existinguse of speed governors on trucks and likely development of satellite tracking
applications for pricing and possibly regulatory controls.
6.

Taking a moreproactive lead

Enhanced Role for Transport Ministers

External pressure for improved environmental protection has, over the decadesince the Council’s Comprehensive Resolution on Transport and theEnvironment, resulted in improved planning and regulation of the transport sector.

 ECMT / CEMT, 2003

13

Meeting the challenge of developing sustainable transport policies is now going torequire a proactive lead from Transport Ministers. The emphasis will be on
integrating sectoral policies, as emphasised for example in the 1998 EU
Amsterdam Treaty. Integration of transport and environment policy is a two way
process and transport Ministries cannot make their full contribution tosustainability unless the traffic and mobility impacts of decisions taken outside thesector are given adequate consideration. Transport Ministers thus will have asignificant role in shaping fiscal policy where it affects transport prices. Transport
Ministers also need a stronger voice in land use planning decisions if
unsustainable traffic generation is to be avoided and similarly in other areas suchas housing and regional development policy traditionally the responsibility ofenvironment and other Ministers.

Integration isa two-wayprocess

Intelligent
management

To achieve better policy integration, initiatives are particularly recommended in
the following specific areas:−

Transport Ministers should advise Finance Ministers on ways charges andtaxes for the use of transport infrastructure can be developed to improve theefficiency of the transport sector. This should be done both in the national
context and in international institutions such as the ECMT to ensure coherent
developments in this field across the continent;−

In making economic assessments of potential investments in transport
infrastructure, transport and infrastructure ministries should take full accountof distortions in transport prices. Assessments should also identify clearly
how benefits are expected to accrue to target beneficiaries and take account of
the way these benefits are likely to be captured by other economic groups
over time, for example through changes in behaviour and in the location ofindustry. In seeking public funds for projects that have passed stringent costbenefit analysis and environmental evaluations, more weight should be given
to objective tests of financial returns as opposed to arbitrary spending limits.

−

Transport Ministers should seek to establish joint consultative procedureswith planning authorities at local level and Environment, Housing, Public
Works and Regional Development Ministers at a national level, to subject
transport projects to environmental impact assessments and land use plans toassessments of transport impact.

In the long term transport ministries will increasingly see a change in emphasis in
their role and will be seen less as a simple provider of transport infrastructure andmore as responsible for the intelligent management of the transport system as anintegrated whole.

 ECMT / CEMT, 2003

14

NOTES1.
2.
3.
4.

Sustainable Development: A Renewed Effort by the OECD, OECD Policy Brief No.8, 1998.
The ECMT is mandated to work on inland transport but most of the conclusions and recommendations
presented in this paper apply to all modes of transport.
Urban Travel and Sustainable Development, ECMT, Paris, 1995.
Assessing the Benefits of Transport [CEMT/CS(2000)9].

 ECMT / CEMT, 2003

15

16