Tag: road transport

SPECIAL REPORT / A controversial proposal to end cross-border restrictions and length-restrictions for mega-trucks across the EU is looking increasing unlikely to see the light of day in the current European Commission.

The European Union has spent billions of euros to build roads in sub-Saharan Africa that are left to deteriorate because of poor maintenance, the European Court of Auditors said on Tuesday (15 January).

A well-functioning railway system is highly valuable to European citizens and economies. But the different signalling systems used in EU member states can hamper the process of integration, argues Danish Transport Minister Henrik Dam Kristensen.

The European Commission wants to make transport users pay for emissions, noise and other harm they cause as part of proposals laid down in a draft White Paper on Transport, seen by EurActiv.

Dutch drivers will be first in Europe to start paying according to the kilometres they drive rather than for owning a car, if a legislative proposal submitted to the lower house of the country's parliament on Friday (14 November) goes through.

Cycling is not only good for the health, but can also help tackle global challenges like climate change and oil dependency, specialists argued at the world 'Velo-City' conference in Brussels this week.

Amid accusations of failure to provide adequate trade-offs for the road freight industry, a European Commission proposal to charge trucks for the environmental damage they cause is attracting fierce criticism from politicians and industry.  

The Commission has decided to introduce Daytime Running Lights (DRLs) on all new vehicles from 2011 onwards in a bid to increase road safety using energy-efficient technology, it announced on 24 September.

Meeting in La Rochelle on 1-2 September for an informal session, EU transport ministers showed some reserve towards Commission proposals to charge truck drivers for the costs they impose in terms of congestion, noise and air pollution.

The European Parliament's Environment Committee yesterday (24 June) voted in favour of earlier implementation of plans making it mandatory for government authorities to ensure public transport fleets and other utility vehicles are clean and energy efficient.

EU countries would be allowed to charge heavy road users for the costs they incur on society, including congestion, air pollution and noise – something prohibited by EU law up till now – according to an early draft of a Commission proposal to revise its 'Eurovignette Directive'.

Restrictions on freight transport operations carried out within one member state by hauliers from another EU country (cabotage) must be fully lifted by 2014, Parliament's transport committee has voted. The move has outraged socialist MEPs, which fear it will exacerbate social and fiscal competition between member states.

As most member states fail to make any significant progress on reducing the number of road deaths and as Europe's congestion and pollution problems worsen, the Commission says that more should be done to exploit the potential benefits offered by integrating information and communication technologies into all vehicles.

Intelligent Transport Systems and Services have the potential to resolve many of Europe's mobility-related problems, ERTICO-ITS Europe Director for Development & Deployment Michael Nielsen tells EurActiv. But he stresses that EU and member state authorities have to work harder to provide the necessary incentives for the take-up of these life-saving technologies.

A majority of citizens believe that the use of less polluting vehicles and public transport should be promoted, but one in five would refuse to use their car less in exchange for better public transport, according to an EU opinion poll.

The Commission wants to adapt rules for haulage and coach services, hoping to minimise time and fuel waste caused by unclear cabotage rules and to stop transport "cowboys", who give the sector a negative image.

Environment Secretary David Miliband is expected to call on 5 March 2007 for the inclusion of road and rail transport in the next phase of the EU's emissions trading scheme for CO2 as the UK declares its intention to create a "post-oil economy".

MEPs voted by a large majority to support the introduction of a common driving licence to fight-off "driving-licence tourism" by alcohol, drug and speed offenders.

In an interview with EurActiv.com, European Transport Safety Council Executive Director Jörg Beckmann urges more political leadership to enforce existing road-safety measures, especially across borders, and to introduce "crucial" new technologies, in order to reduce the number of accidents on European roads.

The new EU transport policy risks undermining other commitments made on public health protection, energy and climate change, a group of environmental NGOs has warned.

By laying down common rules on how EU states may charge heavy goods vehicles for using the road network, the 'Eurovignette' directive aims to ensure road usage better reflects its true impact on society and the environment by introducing a "user pays" and a "polluter pays" principle. The aim is also to shift freight away from roads onto other less-polluting modes of transport such as rail and waterways.

The Parliament and the Council have agreed on draft legislation to strengthen legislation on working conditions ('social rules') for professional drivers.

The average new car in the EU-15 was releasing almost 12% less CO2 in 2003 than it did in 1995, according to a Commission report. But pressure is growing, especially from Berlin, to push automakers to make further cuts.

A ministerial agreement on the Eurovignette proposal to reduce road congestion and encourage alternative transport modes is being criticised for allowing member states too much flexibility on how to use the money.