Briefing on the Review of the Transport White Paper

BRIEFING ON THE REVIEW OF THE TRANSPORT WHITE PAPER

CONNECTIVITY MOBILITY SAFETY ENVIRONMENT

Legislative Background On 28 March 2011, the European Commission published its “White Paper on a Roadmap to a Single European Transport Area” 1 in the framework of the Union's 2020 growth strategy. The adopted roadmap proposed 40 concrete initiatives to build a competitive transport system that would increase mobility, remove major barriers in key areas and fuel growth and employment. At the same time, it aimed to dramatically reduce Europe's dependence on imported oil and cut carbon emissions in transport by 60% by 2050.

The European Parliament has decided to write an own initiative report on the implementation of the 2011 White Paper on Transport. The European Commission has also started a public consultation to take stock of the progress and to assess the validity of the analysis of the situation in transport sector as well as trends, priorities and targets that were identified in 2011.

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European Commission, « White Paper, Roadmap to a Single European Transport Area – Towards a competitive and resource efficient transport system », COM(2011) 144 final, Brussels, 28 March 2011

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FIA Region I Position Our vision: fair, intelligent and affordable mobility for all Tomorrow’s mobility will continue to be a key enabler for growth, social interactions and welfare. In order to achieve this goal, policymakers should foster the progressive uptake of cleaner vehicles and fuels. They should also provide seamless connections between modes and a variety of mobility options to users. The European Union’s role should be to sketch a vision for sustainable mobility and provide Member States with adequate tools to address today’s challenges.

The future must be shaped with European citizens in mind, with special focus on safeguarding their right to social, economic and environmental welfare. Policymakers should act now to offer a variety of intelligent mobility services to citizens, while respecting their privacy and freedom of choice. By 2025, optimal connections between transport modes should be guaranteed by technology, based on real‐time traffic information. Society must also optimise driver training by striving to provide lifelong traffic education to achieve a high level of road safety. Technologies will increasingly be used to support drivers.

In 2011, the Transport White Paper developed recommendations meant to design a competitive and resource efficient transport system. Half a decade later, it is time to evaluate progress and renew Europe’s commitment to improve transport systems’ efficiency based on most recent evidence. This stocktaking exercise should enrich the vision with each transport mode’s merits and support better modal choice, without stigmatising some modes or imposing blanket solutions. This paper builds on the FIA’s vision for mobility 20252.

Less CO2 emissions through efficiency targets and improved mode integration In 2011, the European Commission strived to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 60% by 2050, thanks to increased engine efficiency, alternative propulsion systems and clean technologies, biofuels deployment and optimal use of various modes based on the availability of European multimodal transport information and payment system. According to a RAC Foundation study3, motorists making little use of public transport believed that fares were too high (54%), bus stops and train stations were too far from where they lived (47%), services did not run often enough (44%) and did not operate on time (37%).

Today, public transportation modes in EU Member States are still and too often not well linked. Passengers are under‐informed about the possibilities, fares and cross‐border journeys, even in major European cities.

The low level of cross‐border interoperability or interoperability between modes is also a serious hurdle to overcome. Little has been done to improve European passenger convenience in recent years. Work is currently ongoing to improve data sharing and consumer information. This will be a key element to encourage European citizens to choose the best mode for their journeys, with short or longer range. The European Commission has further defined CO2 targets for passenger cars and light duty vehicles, in order to increase the efficiency of the European vehicle fleet.

The FIA supports the setting of post 2020 efficiency targets for passenger cars and light duty vehicles. In light of the recent findings on vehicles’ actual “real world performance”, a swift and fair adoption of the Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicles Test Procedure (WLTP) is urgently needed. Further steps to account for real driving emissions should be further pursued. The consumption of vehicle accessories, such as

FIA, “The Road to 2025: Fair, Intelligent & Affordable”, Brussels, October 2014 http://www.rac.co.uk/pdfs/report‐on‐motoring/rac‐rom‐2014‐v16‐compressed, page 14

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mobile air conditioning should be included in future tests. The labelling directive should be revised in order to provide customers with realistic consumption expectations and allow them to make informed choices when purchasing a vehicle.

Climate protection and energy security are legitimate goals of European policy. Road traffic still largely depends on mineral‐oil based fuels. A variety of alternatives, such as CNG and electromobility are emerging on the European market. Our position is essentially technology neutral. The FIA does not believe in a forced shift toward modes or propulsion systems currently labelled as “cleaner technologies”. The European Union should rather concentrate on supporting research and providing sound evidence on each mode’s relative merit, rather than imposing blanket solution in freight or urban transport. While new technologies can contribute to lowering some undesirable effects of personal transport, their uptake should be first encouraged via targeted incentives, public procurement and car sharing schemes. In addition, the real merit of each technology should be compared on their whole life cycle rather than on tailpipe emissions to fully deliver environmental benefits. Incentives could help consumers overcome the high level of uncertainty they face when purchasing alternatively fuelled vehicles (re‐sale value, cost of fuel, etc.).

However some challenges, such as congestion, will still need innovative local solutions, such as optimal use of Intelligent Transport Systems.

The FIA supports: 

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Designing and implementing a framework for European multimodal transport information, management and payment systems as soon as possible and the effective raising of consumer awareness on the newly available tools Considering a revision of the strongly normative approach to conventionally fuelled vehicles based on up‐to‐date life cycle data on their effects on the environment Ensuring that CO2 and pollutants are reduced in real life by implementing the WLTP and the Real Driving Emission test by 2017 Setting ambitious CO2 emissions targets post 2020 for all vehicle types Fostering the deployment of alternative technologies via targeted incentives and first movers (public procurement, sharing schemes) Only adopt a top‐down approach in areas with European added value and consider adapting or removing targets on alternatively‐fuelled vehicles in city centres, freight, etc.

Cost of mobility The 2011 vision foresaw a progressive shift toward the full application of “user pays” and “polluter pays” principle. Taking into account the high amount of taxation already paid by motorists, we believe that any shift to distance‐based taxation should overall remain revenue neutral in order to keep systems and administration costs as low as possible. According to the French Automobile Club, ACA, around 30% of motorists’ budgets are currently spent on taxation4. When looking for alternative transport modes, attention should be given to each mode’s capacity but also to the need to finance and maintain the infrastructure. Governments should encourage affordability by developing a level playing field for vehicle sales, repair, taxation systems and fuel costs. Revenues from road tolling systems should be earmarked and spent on the infrastructure.

European motorists already accept the users‐pay principle today, as they are subject to a high level of national taxation. Recent experience shows that the rise of personal mobility costs is often used to

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http://www.automobile‐club.org/files/Budget/2013/#/14, « Budget de l’automobiliste 2013 », page 15

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consolidate states’ budgets rather than for transport, meaning that road infrastructure suffers from under‐ investment. In the UK, 66% of those surveyed believed that local roads had been neglected by the authorities and had deteriorated5. The increase of road pricing may also lead to negative and unintended consequences, such as higher fatalities and pollution when the traffic shifts from main roads to secondary roads. Member States should analyse the whole range of consequences of pricing schemes, including the positive impact of road transport, before introducing them.

In our view, any charging scheme should include a thorough debate at national level and sufficient safeguards on revenue neutrality and adequate reinvestment in the infrastructure to be considered. When Member States introduce kilometre‐based pricing, the European Commission should require interoperability of the systems, transparency and strong data protection safeguards.

The FIA supports: 

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EU action exclusively focussed on its areas of competence, i.e. the completion of a seamless TEN‐T network and the respect of European principles (subsidiarity, non‐discrimination, interoperability, data protection) Full respect of the subsidiarity principle when it comes to road charging schemes and providing people with alternatives to private cars in rural and urban areas A sound debate and cost‐benefit analysis, including the environmental and safety costs of traffic redirection, before introducing any measure impacting personal mobility A fair level of earmarking of existing taxation and charging to be reinvested in building and maintaining European roads, the backbone for Europe’s mobility

Urban mobility The 2011 vision was based on halving the number of conventionally fuelled vehicles in city centres by 2030.

With an EU average age of 8.6 years6 per car and a penetration rate of maximum 6.5% for new vehicles7, this goal is still far from being achieved. While the EU has set CO2 and NOx targets for new vehicles, they still significantly underperform in real life, which makes it difficult for cities to reach their air quality targets.

Without relevant action to deploy alternative propulsion systems in cities, the targets put forward by the EU in 2011 seems unrealistic.

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http://www.rac.co.uk/pdfs/report‐on‐motoring/rac‐rom‐2014‐v16‐compressed, page 7 http://www.acea.be/statistics/tag/category/average‐vehicle‐age 7 http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics‐ explained/index.php/File:New_passenger_cars_with_alternative_fuel_engine,_%25_of_new_passenger_cars_%282010‐2012%29.png 6

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Around 75% of Europeans live in urban areas today. Cities need to make optimal use of technologies to support safe, affordable and efficient urban mobility. The role of the European Union should be to facilitate exchange of good practices between cities and promote efficient ways of tackling existing challenges, without imposing blanket solutions. Sound policies should aim at fostering intermodal complementarity and focussing on providing citizens with sufficient information to make rational mobility choices. Intelligent Transport Systems have the potential to reduce congestion, increase safety and make mobility more efficient. Citizens’ free movement is hampered by the variety of measures put in place by cities, such as, low emissions zones, temporary and permanent restrictions on certain types of vehicles; measures which do not always deliver the desired effects. We therefore welcome the setting up of an urban mobility scoreboard, which should give all cities an indication of “winning strategies”. As a rule of thumb, the FIA calls on cities to provide clear information on the systems in place to all users and seek to improve the consistency of existing schemes.

The FIA supports: 

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The deployment of Intelligent Transport Systems to improve mobility’s safety, efficiency and convenience, whilst respecting citizens’ privacy and free choice of services based on fair competition Local schemes facilitating mobility at peak hours including the facilitation of co‐modality and the introduction of flexible working time Ensuring a certain level of consistency among existing restriction schemes, which take into account the needs of occasional users The provision of dedicated infrastructures for each mode when possible in high traffic sections of road Funding EU projects, which involve alternative fuels and propulsion systems in a local context, e.g. e‐car sharing in urban areas

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Road safety In 2011, the Commission emphasised the European leadership in road safety and aimed to make the EU a world leader in safety and security of transport in all modes. Since then the number of fatalities has constantly declined to reach less than half of 2001 levels. The Commission is considering setting a target for the reduction of serious injuries based on a common definition and has enacted the much awaited legislation on eCall.

The improvement of road safety is one of the FIA’s highest priorities, as showcased by the wealth of activities carried out by our Automobile Clubs, ranging from safety testing (tyres, child seats) to crash test activities. Looking ahead, we believe that the progressive automation of vehicles will contribute to improving road safety. However, new safety challenges are also likely to arise with technology, such as the poor crash compatibility of heavy versus light vehicles which complicates post‐crash rescue operations.

Driver distraction represents an increasing threat to road safety and is becoming one of the leading causes for road casualties. In fact, inattention is believed to be the root cause of 25% to 55% of accidents across the world today8.

The FIA therefore supports:    

The revision of the Third Driving License to adapt training contents to new vehicle functionalities, mandate a second‐phase driving license9 at European level and implement lifelong traffic education Progressive uptake of automated functionalities, while using technical means to ensure that drivers are always fully aware of their current level of automation and their related responsibilities Implementing technical solutions to prevent the critical decrease of attention and misuse of automation functions Using motorist‐generated taxes to upgrade and maintain a high quality road infrastructure and to support the deployment of cooperative systems at national and European levels

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Geoffrey Mackellar, CEO of Emotiv, quoted in Advanced Driving Magazine (Spring 2014 edition), page 48 Some European Countries have put in place a second phase driver license training, mostly based on theory, a drive with feedback and sometimes focus group. They address the main weaknesses of novice drivers, i.e. lack of practice, over‐confidence and are implemented in Austria, Finland, Luxembourg and Switzerland.

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Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) Region I office FIA Region I is a consumer body representing 111 Motoring and Touring Clubs and their 38 million members from across Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The FIA represents the interests of our members as motorists, riders, pedestrians and passengers. FIA Region I is working to ensure safe, affordable, clean and efficient mobility for all.

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March 2015 | ©FIA 2015 | All rights reserved

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