The transport network should improve accessibility on both long distance and short distance travel, and strengthen economic and social cohesion under the best possible environmental and social conditions. During the last twenty years, annual passenger transport growth rates in the Community have been higher than the rates of gross domestic product growth. Finally, car ownership in the EU has increased from 232 to 435 cars per 1000 people since the 1970s. In a sketchy cost-benefit consideration it can be noted that congestion costs in the Union currently amount to four times the resources spent for passenger public transport.
Road traffic is particularly costly in terms of environmental pollution.
In the context of a multi-faceted approach to sustainable mobility and, with the aim to promote the use of sustainable modes of transport and reduce emissions from road transport, the European Commission in the latest Green Paper addressing the transport challenge, proposes using EU policies to encourage public transport and offers an alternative to road traffic. At last, there is growing recognition that increasing road capacity is no longer an acceptable option to tackle congestion for it increases environmental externalities, nor does it give a comparative advantage in economic terms. If some benefits could be obtained by improving traffic flows, increased road capacity is likely to increase the total volume of road traffic, and consequently environmental impact because of journeys and the construction of infrastructures. In principle, collective transport would provide for considerable comparative advantages in terms of a more rational and efficient use of energy, air quality, security, employment and technological progress. Just to have some examples in mind, it is worth saying that energy consumption per passenger km is five times lower for regional coach and railway services than for private cars.