• EU Actions for Urban Mobility

    Response to the public consultation of the European Commission on a new Action Plan on Urban Mobility.

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    Measures to encourage the provision of good quality, environmentally-friendly (fuel- efficient, low-emissions, quiet) collective transport, and to encourage walking and cycling as viable alternatives to private vehicles, should be central aims of EU action on urban passenger transport.

    Increasing transport efficiency and thus reducing traffic volumes and reducing emissions from the urban delivery fleet should be the main aims of urban freight measures.

    T&E believes that the integration of urban transport in EU sectoral policies has not yet been effective. The urban dimension must be more clearly reflected in environment policy, energy policy, state aid, financing and loans, health policy, regional development policy and taxation policy.

    T&E also believes that the EU should commit to prioritising financial resources for the most environmentally sustainable transport modes and thus encourage Member States to allocate funds (including Cohesion Policy Funds) based on appropriate ex- ante assessment of total social and environmental impacts. This should include a requirement that an appropriate proportion of total EU transport funding is allocated to sustainable urban transport projects.

    EU transport funding should be available for schemes aimed at introducing demand management schemes to cities: research, expertise exchange, system design and set-up costs could be supported from a European level. The EU should also support procurement of low-emission, fuel-efficient and quiet vehicles in public fleets.

    Training and guidance is needed for decision makers on the inclusion of environmental sustainability aspects in funding applications, transport planning and urban planning. The EU guidance on Sustainable Urban Transport Planning is an excellent starting point which should be further developed. The EU should continue to support exchange of best practice, including mentoring, twinning and other capacity-building programmes between cities and regions.