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'Public transport cannot solve problem in isolation' - Sander Scheurwater, Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors

Sir,
Concerning MEP Gyula Hegyi: 'Making EU cities sustainable', I agree that urban transport can have negative effects. Pollution, congestion, safety and urban traffic looking for parking places are some of them. Public transport is part of the answer, but it cannot be looked upon in isolation. For it to work, people must want to take public transport, and at the same time must not want to take the alternative, private transport. It's a buzzword, but what is needed is a holistic approach.

After the successes in London and other cities in Europe, congestion charging is being looked at with great interest across the EU. Congestion charging is a way of ensuring that those using valuable and congested road space make a financial contribution. However, there is no single template for charging that can be applied in all urban situations. Instead, schemes must be tailored to meet the needs of the particular urban context, as Hegyi suggests with Budapest and its bridges.

Another way of encouraging public transport use is the development of Transport Development Areas (TDAs). In short, developing TDAs are all about creating higher-density development around transport nodes. There are benefits in higher-density, high-quality, mixed-use development around transport links. In other words, we take advantage of what is already there.

A holistic debate on sustainable communities is needed. Yes, transport is crucial. Yes, the environment is very crucial, but even the best transport-accessible and environmentally friendly area is not viable if people do not want to live there.
Sander Scheurwater
Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS)
Brussels

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