A4-0289/96

Resolution on the Commission Green Paper on 'The Citizens' Network: fulfilling the potential of public passenger transport in Europe' (COM(95)0601 - C4- 0598/95)

The European Parliament,

- having regard to the Commission Green Paper (COM(95)0601 - C4-0598/95),

- having regard to Decision no 1692/96/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 July 1996 on Community guidelines for the development of the trans-European network ((OJ L 228, 9.9.1996, p. 1.)),

- having regard to the following petitions:

(a) 575/95 on cycle tracks in Italian towns and cities,

(b) 576/95 on the traffic situation,

- having regard to the motion for a resolution by Mrs Muscardini on an alternative transport network to support trade between Lodi and Piacenza (B4-0466/96),

- having regard in particular to Annex B of the Green Paper pertaining to Community policy instruments of relevance for passenger transport,

- having regard to the Commission Green Paper on the urban environment (COM(90)0218),

- having regard to its resolution of 12 June 1991 on the urban environment ((OJ C 267, 14.10.1991, p. 156.)),

- having regard to the Commission's Green Paper on the impact of transport on the environment: a Community strategy for 'sustainable mobility' (COM(92)0046) and the report on the same subject ((Group Transport 2000 Plus, Transport in a Fast Changing Europe, December 1990)),

- having regard to the legislative proposals on access to buildings and transport for the disabled, and its resolution of 16 September 1987 on transport for handicapped and elderly persons ((OJ C 281, 19.10.1987, p. 85.)),

- having regard to its resolution of 12 June 1992 on congestion and urban transport ((OJ C 176, 13.7.1992, p. 240.)),

- having regard to its resolution of 13 March 1987 on the bicycle as a means of transport ((OJ C 99, 13.4.1987, p. 219.)),

- having regard to the Commission Green Paper, 'Towards fair and efficient pricing in transport: policy options for internalising the external costs of transport in the European Union' (COM(95)0691),

- having regard to its resolution of 6 June 1996 on the Common Transport Policy Action Programme 1995-2000 ((OJ C 181, 24.6.1996, p. 21.)) (COM(95)0302 - C4-0351/95),

- having regard to the report by the OECD/CEMT, 'Urban Travel and Sustainable Development',

- having regard to the growing mobility of European citizens,

- having regard to the concentration of work-places further away from workers' homes than previously,

- having regard to the increase in the number of vehicles in the Union,

- having regard to the growth of recreation and tourism,

- having regard to the increase in the number of households in which more than one person is in paid employment and which are thus contributing to an increase in commuter traffic,

- having regard to the principle of subsidiarity laid down in Article 3b of the EC Treaty,

- whereas the process of migration from rural areas and the outermost regions is leaving vast areas of Europe deserted, increasing the regional imbalance within the Union and exacerbating the problems of major cities and metropolitan areas,

- having regard to the Rio Earth Summit commitment to stabilize CO2 emissions at 1990 levels by the year 2000,

- having regard to the report of the Committee on Transport and Tourism and the opinions of the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs and Industrial Policy, the Committee on Research, Technological Development and Energy, the Committee on Regional Policy, the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Consumer Protection and the Committee on Women's Rights (A4-0289/96),

A. whereas intermodality should be incorporated in the title of the Green Paper as such,

B. whereas the environment and public health are increasingly being harmed owing to the constant increase in the use of private cars; whereas sustainable mobility is dependent to a very great extent on a reduction in such traffic flows and associated congestion or on the transfer thereof to alternative, less harmful modes of transport,

C. whereas greater integration is needed between transport planning, regional planning in general, town planning, road networks and traffic management and parking systems,

D. whereas the EU committed itself at the Rio Conference to stabilizing CO2 emissions; whereas, in this context, Agenda 21 is aimed at creating a more sustainable urban environment; whereas most CO2 emissions are produced by urban traffic,

E. whereas private passenger transport is in many places increasing at such a rate as to impede freight and business traffic,

F. whereas the attractiveness of local public passenger transport can be considerably increased by improving the intermodality of different modes of transport, thereby reducing traffic and shifting individual journeys onto transport carriers which are less harmful to the environment,

G. whereas it has consistently sought to promote public transport, particularly by rail, in preference to road transport,

H. whereas there is a direct link between the construction of the trans- European networks and promoting public transport,

I. whereas all costs incurred by transport, including urban and public transport, must be allocated to the various modes of transport rationally and whereas a portion of the resulting revenue should be used for the development of sustainable urban mobility,

J. whereas the Community directives on government procurement and calls for tenders no longer permit the exclusion of public transport,

K. whereas, pursuant to Articles 77 and 90(1) and (2) of the Treaty, publicly run public transport services are permitted,

L. whereas, at virtually all levels, more resources should be made available for the improvement or construction of infrastructure for the operation and promotion of collective, public and non-motorized individual transport and combinations thereof,

M. whereas private sector participation in public transport companies is desirable, particularly for the purposes of financing,

N. whereas Article 130a of the Treaty sets as a priority objective the harmonious development of the Union and stipulates that this should be achieved by means of actions of all kinds leading to the strengthening of economic and social cohesion and, in particular, reducing disparities between the levels of development of the various regions and the backwardness of the less-favoured regions,

O. having regard, therefore, to the obstacles to social and economic development suffered by the peripheral and outermost regions of the EU because of their remoteness and island status and the important role that could be played by an improved public transport system in remedying this situation,

P. whereas priority should be given to structural measures and measures to improve infrastructures in transfrontier regions,

COMPETENCE OF THE UNION

1. Takes the view that the shaping of a sustainable public transport network in the Union to benefit all citizens is the primary responsibility of local and regional authorities; the coordination of national networks should take place at Union level, in particular, to facilitate access by the disabled, the elderly and the less mobile;

2. Considers that this duty therefore falls within the remit of the Union as otherwise, in the absence of adequate and sustainable feeder transport, there can be no guarantee that those networks whose establishment was entrusted to the Union by the Treaty will come into being in relation to the internal market;

3. Believes that the Union should promote integrated transport planning to prevent pointless, cost-intensive, parallel investment and promote environmental protection; this would include making environmental assessments and interdependence evaluations of regional and local transport systems a prerequisite for transport investment subsidies;

4. Considers it very important that citizens, in their capacity as consumers of transport services, should be very closely involved in the establishment of public transport networks and takes the view that such involvement must be at local, regional, national or European network level;

5. Believes that greater support is needed for networks to enable European towns and urban areas with high traffic densities to exchange ideas on strategies and models for increasing the intermodality of different modes of transport;

FINANCING

6. Is of the opinion that the operation of public transport services should as far as possible be paid for by the travelling public and that necessary additional financing by national, local and/or regional authorities should as far as possible be performance-related;

7. Considers that the system of road pricing is a measure which must therefore be considered by each Member State as appropriate in order to achieve the objectives of the trans-European and citizens' networks;

8. Proposes that the European Union should use appropriate resources to provide financial support for highly promising innovations in the field of public passenger transport which could help to achieve the objectives of the Green Paper;

9. Hopes that efforts will be made to go beyond strictly economic criteria and take account of possible social benefits in order to fund initiatives concerning the mobility of citizens in peripheral regions with sparse population density or a high percentage of rural inhabitants;

INTERMODALITY

10. Considers the links between the use of the various modes of transport very important and therefore wishes to stress the facilities for those links, as set out in Article 1(3) of the Decision on trans-European networks referred to above;

11. Agrees with the Commission that public transport should be promoted, but believes that genuinely functional and rational use of a network will be possible only if scope is reserved in it for the use of cars, which are currently used for more than three quarters of all journeys in the European Union;

12. Takes the view that, in addition to private cars, an effective network should provide far more scope for the use of collective transport such as (where possible electric) taxis or car pooling and car sharing;

13. Considers that passenger transport by private car should be reduced;

14. Considers it advisable to expand facilities for the hire and use of bicycles and (where possible electric) cars; urges the Member States to promote the use of the bicycle, in particular through the use of cycle paths and increased access for bicycles on trains;

15. Points out that the most recent Commission proposal on cabotage in passenger transport (COM(95)0729) also makes it possible to operate regular services in Member States other than the Member State of origin and that regular cross-border services should hence become easier to operate;

16. Urges the authorities of the Union, the Member States, regions and towns to devote more attention to the facilities for linking various modes of transport through integrated park-and-ride interchange points and integrated regular timetables for public passenger transport;

17. Takes the view that public transport stopping points should be equipped in such a way that they not only offer the travelling public the necessary level of comfort but also provide information on waiting times and next available services and also in such a way that they can be used by passengers with physical disabilities;

PLANNING

18. Believes that, for the time being, mobility in the European Union will only increase, and that account should be taken of this in future planning;

19. Stresses the beneficial effects of flexible working hours for relieving the burden on public transport in peak periods and for ensuring more even use of capacity and hence more economic utilization of public transport as well as increased comfort; calls for consideration to be given to how far subsidies by employers to the cost of travel on public transport by their employees can be linked to price reductions by the transport companies ('job tickets');

20. Calls on the Commission to publish a transport policy guidance plan for national and regional policies every five years;

21. Considers it necessary to promote urban distribution, and recommends, to this end, that centres be established at stations; considers it necessary, moreover, to ensure that in future new residential areas are built and business estates and recreation areas established only in conjunction with transport facilities;

22. Draws attention to the need to locate more transport facilities underground and in multi-level configurations and to carry out further Community research into ways of improving methods of building infrastructure underground and in multi-level configurations;

23. Is concerned that it has become possible to use out-of-town business estates for services which do not damage the residential environment at all, thereby increasing the volume of transport and eroding the social diversity of inner cities;

24. Considers that, in planning urban infrastructure and that of conurbations, full account should be taken of measures to discourage the use of private cars by means of:

- parking policy,

- the creation of reserved lanes for public transport,

- better infrastructure for cyclists and pedestrians,

- better and more effective policing of traffic regulations,

- measures to ensure that public transport facilities are accessible to disabled people and others with a mobility impairment;

25. Considers that, in order to promote healthy use of the option of cycling, which puts little pressure on infrastructure, the following are required:

- cycle paths which are separated as completely as possible from other infrastructure,

- better facilities for bicycle parking and repairs in conjunction with public-transport facilities;

26. Agrees with the Commission's long-term aim to ensure that public transport is accessible to all; calls on the Commission to implement a coordinated cross-directorate policy to promote accessible transport, which should include measures to promote the widespread use of low-floor buses, accessibility of rail and underground networks for disabled persons and improved telematics to provide adequate information for disabled users;

PUBLIC TRANSPORT

27. Considers that innovative capacity, awareness of customers' needs and efficiency in public transport would be helped by a proper distribution of roles between government and industry, with government taking political responsibility for public services and undertakings making optimum use of market mechanisms in order to provide high-quality services;

28. Considers that effective and ongoing training of public transport staff in the use of new technologies and in providing services is essential for the success of attempts to encourage travellers to make greater use of public transport;

29. Recommends that all transport planning and urban infrastructure should take full account of the needs of disabled people and others with a mobility impairment;

30. Notes however that a fully liberalized public transport market does not offer any guarantee for the establishment or maintenance of an integrated network and considers, therefore, that the public transport network and its integration with other forms of transport is a government responsibility;

31. Considers that contracting out local and regional public transport, whether at network level, where the contracting authority sets qualitative conditions, or at line level, where the contracting authority determines the network, is the best method of encouraging efficiency and effectiveness and thus the competitive position as regards cars; it should be encouraged by public authorities for the restructuring of small-scale services contracted out in rural or sparsely populated areas and supported by national, regional and Community funds;

32. Considers nonetheless that a basic level of universal service provision is essential in public transport, and that this provision should include affordable fare levels on a safe and efficient public transport system, particularly for those with reduced mobility; considers that, when choosing the method of contracting out, the interests of public transport employees must also play a central role;

33. Urges that public transport should be organized such that within normal management limits it is accessible to physically disabled travellers; considers, however, that the Commission should be aware that disabled persons are usually mobile only if provided with a door-to-door service and that these facilities should therefore not be covered under the public transport budgets of the authorities concerned;

34. Calls on the Commission to consider whether additional provisions are needed to allow the public transport market to function adequately now and in the future;

35. Considers that women's security fears on public transport, which are demonstrably justified and by no means imaginary, should be taken into account, notably by examples of good practice in alleviating women's fear of attack;

36. Regrets that the Green Paper does not address the needs of part-time workers, the vast majority of whom are women, or of shift-workers, given that their transport needs are different from those of regular commuters;

37. Observes that consumers who have a choice between using a private car and public transport to travel to and from work will opt for public transport only if the travelling time by public transport is not more than 1.5 times that by car and if the cost is comparable;

38. Calls on the Commission in a future White Paper to set out quality standards which must be met by public transport, whether provided by government or private undertakings;

39. Notes moreover that adequate use of the various modes of transport depends on the facilities available at public-transport boarding points, including the importance of appropriately trained staff for disabled people and others with reduced mobility;

40. Considers that provision for transporting bicycles on public transport is seriously deficient and should be improved;

41. Considers that the use of light rail in and between conurbations which are close together is to be recommended, and calls on the Commission, as part of its research and development policy, to develop a Community model for this which can be adapted to circumstances, including the integration of the various transport modes and the linking of railway stations, passenger ports and airports by those modes;

42. Considers that greater emphasis should be given to metropolitan urban passenger transport using waterways, which are particularly environment- friendly and can absorb a significant share of urban traffic in those cities which have waterway networks;

43. Considers it necessary to improve coordination between public transport systems at local and regional level in the various Member States, but stresses the particular problem of border regions;

44. Believes it necessary, in the interests of providing a universal service, for priority to be given to measures to ensure accessibility between the continent and the outermost and island regions of the EU by means of specific measures in the field of public transport policy;

45. Recommends that, at least in every transport region, if it is not possible to introduce it at Member State level, a single fares and payment system should be introduced for public transport, which should also be made available in the other Member States at sales points for cross-border transport services, as for example those developed for the Odessey/Transvision project;

46. Believes that a general public transport information number should be introduced in all Member States, and that it should be possible to exchange information between the various public transport networks;

47. Considers that, in order to encourage proper use of various transport modes, an integrated fare system should be introduced so that passengers are able to travel by different services using a single ticket;

48. Recommends moreover that signposting, indication of destinations and lines/routes and information about public transport facilities should be provided in a manner which renders them comprehensible to all (including non-residents);

49. Recommends that the Member States encourage a fresh approach to public transport, the environment and health, by means of information and training programmes;

50. Considers that the provisions for transporting disabled people on public transport are seriously deficient and should be improved;

51. Notes the recommendation in the Green Paper on affordability of public transport, underlines its importance for people with reduced mobility and recommends greater harmonization of existing Europe-wide concession schemes for people with reduced mobility;

ENVIRONMENT AND HEALTH

52. Notes that car traffic is one of the principal sources of air pollution;

53. Notes that the use of low-pollution vehicles has in fact increased in recent years but that, because of the total increase in the number and use of private vehicles, the damage to the environment and health has become more severe;

54. Recommends that the further development and use of alternative energy sources for transport be encouraged;

55. Draws attention to the projects supported by the Union concerning the use of biodiesel-fuelled urban buses and electric, hydrogen-powered, gas-powered or hybrid-fuel-powered buses, motor scooters and cars, and recommends the continuation and expansion of these projects;

56. Draws attention to the innovative and practical character of projects and commercial organizations which provide vehicles for public use, notably bicycles, which can sometimes be used completely freely and without charge, and cars, to use which one must join a club which takes care of the administration and collection of fees;

TECHNOLOGY

57. Draws attention to the DRIVE, ATT, PROMETHEUS, THERMIE, EURET and ENTRANCE programmes, whose practical applications have hitherto been too few and too diverse;

58. Recommends the development of interoperability between public transport systems, particularly as regards the various types of rail transport, and calls on the Commission to develop a Community standard with a view to this, as already attempted in the COST programme; calls on the Commission to develop a Community standard for accessibility of trains and stations for people with reduced mobility;

59. Calls for specific measures to be taken to place greater emphasis on urban transport by waterway, in order inter alia to boost technological research into the development of new vessels or more environment-friendly means of propulsion, as well as give fresh impetus to the construction of urban passenger transport craft and assist the rehabilitation of waterfront areas where new terminals could be sited;

60. Recommends greater use of telematics in the operation and guidance of transport, as now incorporated in the POLIS programme; particular care must be taken to ensure that telematics is used to place public transport at the heart of an overall mobility strategy and not to increase the attractions of private motor vehicle transport;

61. Recommends that support be given to private multi-carrier transport operating companies, e.g. by devising standard contracts authorizing the use of transport information when value-added services are set up;

62. Believes that the use of new information technologies and telematics may offer a valid solution as regards achieving a varied and more flexible organization of traffic flows as well as influencing the demand for mobility by means of automated provision of services;

63. Notes also the possibilities of using telematics in ticketing systems other than in the places where tickets have traditionally been bought or places of use as well as the possibility of using contact-free smart cards for public services, and the possibilities opened up by the use of electronics for public transport payment systems;

64. Notes, however, that congestion notification systems in the Union are too diverse, and recommends that the Commission therefore submit a proposal for standardization in this regard, for example as developed in private industry in the CONCERT system, and to implement the RDS-TMC and DAB throughout Europe as soon as possible;

65. Draws attention to the studies commissioned by the Commission with regard to the car and train of the future, and calls on the Commission to submit the results of these studies to the Institutions, producers, public transport organizations and consumers at the very earliest opportunity;

66. Notes the great diversity of systems used in parking signs and routes, and calls on the Commission at least to ensure that such systems are also intelligible to visitors to the towns concerned;

67. Draws attention to the study, 'Telematics Applications in Urban and Public Transport' by the Scientific and Technological Options Assessment Unit (STOA), and recommends that good note be taken of it;

CONCLUSIONS

68. Calls on the Commission, at the earliest opportunity and in consultation with the Council and Parliament, to publish a White Paper containing proposals for a programme of legislation and an action programme containing a coordinated directorate plan on the Citizens' Network and in this context to organize an information campaign on the Citizens' Network;

69. Calls on the Commission to fund and promote a series of pilot projects to meet the long-term objectives of the Citizens' Network in conjunction with the Member States;

70. Calls on the Commission to encourage and/or to support regional pilot projects for mobility centres for the development of intermodal sustainable passenger transport in a number of European cities;

71. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Economic and Social Committee, the Committee of the Regions, the governments and parliaments of the Member States, the Central and Eastern European countries (CEEC), the CIS, the governments and parliaments of the Mediterranean countries, the governments and countries belonging to the European Economic Area, the governments and parliaments of the ASEAN countries, the US Administration and Congress, the European Conference of Ministers of Transport (CEMT), the UN Economic Commission for Europe, the International Union of Public Transport (UITP), the Community of European Railways, the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR), Eurocities and national public transport organizations.