Credit: European Parliament

Stricter CO2 emission targets, more cycling: The Transport & Tourism Committee (TRAN) of the European Parliament has strengthened on a number of issues the Commission White Paper on Transport in its vote this week. In particular, some good news for cycling: the TRAN Committee wants to include EuroVelo into the Trans-European Network for Transport.

“EuroVelo, the European long-distance cycle route network, should be included in the TEN-T network”, a majority of the TRAN Committee voted yesterday. “We are extremely glad with this support from the European Parliament”, says ECF Secretary General Bernhard Ensink. “To include EuroVelo into TEN-T would be a major step forward in meeting our target of completing EuroVelo by 2020”. EuroVelo consists of 14 routes totaling some 70.000 kms, criss-crossing the entire continent. The TRAN vote still has to be confirmed by the Parliament plenary in December. The dossier will then be going back to the European Commission who is in charge of presenting legislative proposals.

 What else did the TRAN vote achieve? 

The TRAN vote has also strengthened the Commission’s White Paper on transport on a number of other issues:

It asks the Commission to submit proposals by 2013 to develop initiatives that promote walking and cycling especially in cities with the aim of doubling the number of users.  While the Parliament missed the opportunity to set a clear deadline for achieving this target, the Commission White Paper had failed to set one altogether. ECF proposes to double the number of cyclists by 2020. In starter cycling cities, i.e. cities with a low cycling modal share, safe infrastructure is a prerequisite if wider parts of the population are to  take up cycling.

Regarding road safety, the Parliament confirms the target of halving road fatalities by 2020, with special consideration to “vulnerable” road users and requests the Commission to “indicate the result expected from concrete proposals in terms of accidents reduction”. In the ECF Road Safety Charter we have set a number of issues authorities should embrace, including traffic calming and safer cars and lorries.

Other points made by the TRAN committee include: 

• Requesting the Commission to present by 2014 a proposal to provide for the internalisation of external costs of all modes of transport of freight and passenger transport. To include cycling in this overall framework has been a longstanding demand by ECF as it will demonstrate that cycling is a very cost-efficient mode of transport, compared to other modes. Every km cycled instead of driven by car saves the economy almost 1 Euro in indirect costs.
• Requesting the Commission to present a proposal where “support for projects is made conditional upon the submission by local authorities of sustainable urban and built-up area mobility plans for efficient passenger and goods logistics chains, which contribute to a reduction in traffic volumes, accidents, atmospheric pollution and noise…” Giving towns and cities incentives to present Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans are a good way in increasing cycling.
• Pushing for higher cuts in CO2 emissions within the transport sector. Using 1990 as a baseline, the TRAN committee wants a 20% reduction CO2 emissions by 2020. The Commission had aimed for the same reduction target, but using 2008 as a baseline. However, CO2 emissions from transport increased between 1990 and 2008 by some 35 %, eliminating to a large extent progress made in other sectors (housing, farming, industry).

Doubling cycling by 2020 can help the EU meet between 11-25% of this CO2 target, depending on which mode of transport the bicycle is substitutes.

The TRAN Committee's missed opportunity...

The main flaw of the TRAN Committee vote is that it failed to set clear percentages when allocating EU transport infrastructure money. Business as usual – almost 50 % is spent on motorized transport, only 0.7 % on cycling – is not an option if the Committee is to take its own policy on CO2 emission reduction target serious. ECF had suggested earmarking 15 % of EU co-funding in transport for walking and cycling.

We also regret that the TRAN Committee didn’t take up our suggestion to request the Commission to present a strategy on walking and cycling.

For more detailed information on current EU Transport Policy, read ECF Position: White Paper on Transport

About the Author

Looking for insight into current EU policy developments? Fabian Kuster is a Policy Officer at ECF and is regularly following EU Developments and Legislation, liaising with key stakeholders and drafting key position papers on transport and bicycle related issues. He has wealth of experience in and around the EU institutions, and is an expert in the EU policy field of bicycles.