The Committee on Transport and Tourism adopted the own-initiative report by Karima DELLI (Greens/EFA, FR) on sustainable urban mobility, in response to the Commission communication on the same issue.
Estimates suggest that by 2050 up to 82 % of EU citizens will live in urban areas. The expected significant increase in urban population confronts urban centres with societal, quality of life and sustainable development challenges, which will require holistic planning measures.
In this regard, the report made the following recommendations:
Giving space and infrastructure back to all citizens and improving accessibility: Members encouraged the authorities in the Member States to:
Members are convinced that the provision of information to, and the consultation of, EU citizens, retailers, freight transport operators and other stakeholders involved in urban mobility are crucial in order to make planning, development, and decision-making more transparent. This information should be publicly and easily accessible. Moreover, they pointed out that it is desirable to foster cooperation among the relevant actors and between cities at EU level with a view to sharing sustainable mobility solutions.
Taking into account the need to reduce the negative impact on the environment of oil dependency in the EU transport system, the ESI funds should be systematically used for the development and implementation of comprehensive, integrated Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans (SUMPs).
Improving the environment, quality of life and health: the report encouraged the competent authorities to take preventive measures, in accordance with the precautionary and proportionality principles, to improve air quality in towns and cities and to guarantee that pollutant concentrations do not exceed the levels set in the World Health Organization guidelines. To that end, it supported local setting-up of low-emission zones.
Pointing out that there is a need for a holistic approach to air pollution in European cities, Members called on the Commission to put forward effective measures that enable the Member States to comply with the Ambient Air Quality Directive (2008/50/EC), notably:
The Commission should assess how society is likely to be affected by new forms of mobility based on the sharing-economy model, including ride-sharing.
At national level, Member States should pursue the concept of a ‘shareable city’, where mobility and transport are concerned. They are invited to:
Saving energy and protecting the climate: Members considered that energy efficiency and the use of low-carbon and renewable energy sources are key to achieving sustainable urban mobility.
Member States are encouraged to support the goals of the Transport White Paper of halving the number of 'conventionally fuelled' cars in urban transport by 2030 and of phasing them out in cities by 2050.
Research policy aimed at smart mobility approaches: the Commission is asked to prioritise the development of innovative applications and new technologies enabling road users to take a more proactive role as developers and data producers in the transport system, in order to contribute to platforms for mobility services. They support the Horizon 2020 priorities regarding societal challenges for smart, green and integrated transport and urban mobility, as well as the development of 'Mobility-as-a-Service' (Maas) initiatives across Europe.
The Commission is invited to develop policies to encourage the freight industry to green its fleet and to encourage local authorities to provide support and/or incentives to operators to make urban freight transport more sustainable.
As regards the safety management, Member States and local authorities to use all modern solutions, including advanced intelligent traffic management, to provide safety for all road users, including pedestrians. European cities are urged to exchange best practices regarding this issue.
Minimising external costs and making better-quality investments: the report stressed that cost-benefit assessments of investments should be directed to maximising external societal benefits and minimising external costs arising from, for example, climate change, accidents, health, noise, air pollution and spatial use.
Members recalled the 'use of revenues’ principle with regard to road charging, and called for a proportion of revenue from the use of road infrastructure (road charging and/or Eurovignette) to be dedicated to improving sustainable urban mobility. They insisted on the need to make use of the new possibility of financing urban projects within the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) in urban nodes.
Integrating networks of efficient mobility systems and fostering cooperation: Members called on the Member States to promote multi-level governance to foster cooperation between regional, national and European authorities in the development of policies, including in the design, implementation and monitoring of urban policies that have a clear impact on urban areas.
The Commission and the Member States are invited to: (i) establish a Sustainable Mobility Network of best-practice examples of spatial planning and space use; (ii) encourage cities to participate in the Smart Cities and Communities European Innovation Partnership; (iii) launch public-awareness campaigns to promote mobility.