State-of-the-Art of Road Transport - EU
Effective transportation systems are essential to Europe’s prosperity, having significant impacts on economic growth, social development and the environment. The transport industry accounts for about 7% of European GDP and for around 5% of employment in the EU. Mobility of goods and persons is an essential component of the competitiveness of European industry and services. Mobility is also an essential citizen right.
Transport Growth
The growth of goods transport within the EU, at a rate of 2.8% per year, was broadly in line with economic growth, which was 2.3% on average in the period 1995-2004. Passenger transport grew at a lower rate of 1.9%. Overall, goods transport grew by 28% and passenger transport by 18% during the period 1995-2004, with transport by road growing by 35% and 17% respectively. The largest share of intra-EU transport is carried by road, which accounts for 44% of freight and around 85% of passenger transport.
In the EU, congestion costs amount to 50 billion € per year or 0.5 % of Community GDP, and by 2010 this figure could go up to 1% of EU GDP. The number of cars per thousand persons has increased from 232 in 1975 to 460 in 2002. The overall distance travelled by road vehicles has tripled in the last 30 years and, in the last decade, the volume of road freight grew by 35% contributing to 7 500 km or 10 % of the network being affected daily by traffic jams.
Concerning energy efficiency and emissions, in 2002 the transport sector consumed 338 million tonnes oil equivalent (MToe) representing 31% of the total energy consumption in the EU. Road transport consumed 281 MToe, or 83% of the energy consumed by the whole transport sector. Road transport CO2 emissions account for 835 million tonnes per year representing 85% of the total transport emissions. Investigations show that up to 50% of fuel consumption is caused by congested traffic situations and non optimal driving behaviour.
Of all transport problems, safety is the one with the most serious impact on the daily lives of citizens. It also has a high impact on most of the socio-economic indicators. With its White Paper 4 September 2001, the European Commission set the target to halve road fatalities by 2010. Although the situation has improved thanks to the road safety action programmes, there are still over 40.000 fatalities on the Euro 25 roads every year, with 1.4 million accidents with a cost of around 200 billion €/year representing 2% of the EU GDP.
Sources:
‘Keep Europe Moving – Sustainable mobility for our continent – Mid-term review of the European Comission’s 2001 Transport White Paper’, European Commission, Brussels, 22.06.2006
‘Raising Awareness of ICT for Smarter, Safer and Cleaner Vehicles’, European Commission, Brussels, 15.02.2006
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