Transport for Sustainable Development – The case of Inland Transport
International transport links are the most important facilitator of global trade and a prerequisite for economic development. Participation in global supply chains is essential for attracting foreign investment and enterprises as well as human capital. In many areas it is hampered by underdeveloped international transport links which undermine national and regional competitiveness. Foreign trade is especially important for small, land-locked and sea-locked economies, which are also dependent on hinterland and/or sea connections and border crossings. Emerging land- and sea-locked economies require particular attention, as their geography constrains trade and economic development. Inefficient border crossings reduce the efficiency of global trade, and are a particular challenge in parts of South-eastern Europe, the Caucasus, Central and East Asia, countries of the UNESCWA region and Africa. Affordability - Transport costs money and, thus, transport accessibility is controlled by the costs (and returns) of the passenger and freight transport services as well as by the sustainability of the investments associated with upgrading, planning and construction of new transportation infrastructure. Transport affordability refers to the financial ability of people and societies to access adequate transport services without compromising their ability to purchase other basic goods and services, such as food, housing, education and health. It can be assessed from several perspectives, e.g. the level of private motorization, the costs of owning, driving and parking private vehicles as well as the quality and cost of alternative transport modes such as public transport and cycling. High income inequalities are an issue present in all regions, and low income groups, which spend a high proportion of their income on transport, are especially dependant on the availability of affordable public transport. At the same time, in the present global economic climate, national and local government capacities to offer affordable public transport are diminished by a lack of availability of public funds. All available trends and projections relating to passenger and freight volumes suggest a strong future growth particularly in the non-OECD regions (see Chapter 2). The expected growth in freight and passenger transport will require planning and construction of new transportation infrastructure as well as the establishment of sustainable funding mechanisms for the transport sector. Efficient, safe and environmentally sustainable transport infrastructure is expensive and, despite recent improvements, transport networks in many regions still suffer from the under-investment of the previous decades. At the same time, infrastructure development is generally planned and financed within national budgets and under macro-economic constraints, and in competition with other needs such as education, health, housing or security. The 2008 financial crisis and its aftermath have increased pressures on national budgets and reduced public funding for transport infrastructure development, increasing the importance of private sector funding (as well as hybrid financing through public-private partnerships), and warranting more rigorous project feasibility assessment. Safety -Transport related injuries are a serious social, economic and development issue. Developing countries and economies in transition bear the majority of this burden so transport fatalities and injuries are a development issue that disproportionately affects the poor in low and middle-income countries. Globally, well over a million people are killed annually in road traffic accidents causing, in addition, to human loss and suffering, billions of dollars of associated costs which amounts, in some countries, to 1-3 per cent of GDP. Underreporting and insufficient global harmonization of statistics are obstacles to improving insight into transport safety challenges — the first step in efforts to develop solutions.
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