Published 03 Dec 2013
- Many cities in Europe are changing, according
to a new report which points to rapid transformations
in urban transport in some areas. While
cycling and efficient public transport are
becoming the norm in some urban areas, Europe’s
transport sector is still a major contributor
to excessive levels of greenhouse gases,
air pollution and noise, the report says.
Many cities are applying
innovative ideas which will make the car-based
transport system seem like an idea belonging
to the last century. City life does not
have to mean polluted air, congestion, noise
and long travelling times.
Hans Bruyninckx, EEA
Executive Director
Changing transport in
cities is just one story in the 2013 edition
of the annual Transport and Environment
Reporting Mechanism (TERM) published by
the European Environment Agency (EEA), which
presents a comprehensive analysis of transport's
effect on the environment in the European
Union.
Urban transport has
a marked effect on quality of life for the
three quarters of Europeans living in cities.
Road transport is a major source of air
pollution in cities, leading to a high proportion
of the population being exposed to pollutant
levels above EU and World Health Organisation
standards. The seriousness of this was underlined
in October when the UN classified outdoor
air pollution as carcinogenic.
Traffic noise is also
a major health issue in many cities. More
than a quarter of the inhabitants of Sofia,
Luxembourg, Paris and Tallinn are exposed
to night-time traffic noise above WHO limits,
according to data on 17 European capitals
published in the report. Quality of life
is also affected by commute times, with
commuters in London and Budapest are most
likely to travel more than an hour to work,
according to a survey of 75 cities in the
EU and Turkey.
Many cities have successfully
improved the urban environment by addressing
two sides of the issue - encouraging people
to switch to non-motorised modes and public
transport, while simultaneously restricting
car use. Despite initial opposition, such
schemes often become very popular with residents,
the report notes, citing the example of
Stockholm's congestion charge. The report
argues that such positive examples should
encourage municipalities to replicate policies
elsewhere.
Hans Bruyninckx, EEA
Executive Director, said: "Many cities
are applying innovative ideas which will
make the car-based transport system seem
like an idea belonging to the last century.
City life does not have to mean polluted
air, congestion, noise and long travelling
times. New ideas in urban transport are
transforming many cities into more pleasant,
healthy places to live."
Better cycling infrastructure
in many cities is starting a self-reinforcing
pattern of increasing bike traffic, the
report notes, referring to the Copenhagenize
Index of bicycle-friendly cities. For example,
Seville recently moved rapidly up to fourth
place due to the extensive new infrastructure
for bikes, which has allowed bike traffic
to increase from 0.5 % of kilometres travelled
to 7 % in just a few years.
Transport in cities
Europeans flying more,
limiting transport emissions reductions
The EEA's TERM report
also includes many other indicators measuring
environmental trends connected to transport.
In the EU, greenhouse
gas emissions from transport fell slightly
(0.6 %[i]) between 2010 and 2011. However,
deeper year-on-year cuts will be necessary
to meet the target of cutting emissions
by 60 % of 11000 levels by 2050, the report
shows, as current transport emissions are
actually 25 % above 11000 levels.
Emissions reductions were limited by rising
aviation emissions, which went up 2.6 %
between 2010 and 2011. This increase follows
the more general trend in air passenger
demand, which grew by two thirds between
1995 and 2009. Overall, Europeans are travelling
more than ever before. While plane travel
reached an all-time high in 2011, car passenger
transport decreased slightly, according
to the report.
New cars have become more efficient in line
with EU legislation, the report shows, suggesting
that many manufacturers will meet their
2015 target for average new car fleet efficiency
ahead of time. However, there are some differences
between real-world driving emissions and
the emissions recorded in the test cycle,
the report states, so a new international
standard test may soon be introduced to
resolve some of these issues.
Renewable energy in transport is not increasing
as fast as it should do –Member States have
agreed to increase renewable sources to
make up 10 % of energy consumed in transport,
but in 2011 levels were below the necessary
'target path' at a 3.8 % average of all
EU Member States. Most of this energy comes
from biofuels, which must meet sustainability
criteria to be counted.
