Gunnar Boye Olesen, Copenhagen Environment and Energy Office

The transport sector is the sector with the fastest growth in environmental pollution, e.g. CO2-emission. While the official Danish energy plan, Energy Action Plan, 2000, expects decreasing energy consumption and less pollution, then the official transport action plan expects increasing energy consumption for transport and increasing emission of some pollutants /1/.

Options in the Cities

The worst local environmental problems due to traffic exist in the cities. Here at least 80% of air pollution at street level comes from traffic pollution, and nearly half of the dwellings are bothered by noise. Also in the cities there are most options to reduce the harmful traffic effects.

Most important is to move passengers from cars to public transport and bikes. If public transport is faster and cheaper than motoring, then most people choose public transport. Improvements in public transport are, e.g. additional and faster rail lines and buses, as far as possible with separate bus lanes. Improvements for bikers include bike lanes at all busyroads, and bike routes through the cities. Motoring in cities can be made more expensive by parking toll, and toll on driving into or through city areas. This kind of taxation does not make it more expensive to drive cars outside cities, where good public transport systems do not exist.

Urban planning is another important element in reducing harmful effects due to city transport. The planning must reduce the transport demand as much as possible, and allow everybody to use public transport and bikes.

The plans must ensure that it is possible for everybody to live in biking distance form their job. Dwellings must be placed within biking distance from a station, and large shopping centres and workplaces within walking distance.

A number of other things effect traffic, e.g. abolition of transport deduction would make it more attractive to live close to ones job, and thereby pollute less.

Copenhagen Environment and Energy Office has together with a number of environmental and traffic organizations made a traffic action plan for Copenhagen following the guidelines above /3/. By following the plan, pollution and energy consumption from traffic can be halved in 10 years, and at the same time more space is provided on existing roads in Copenhagen. More road space is due to the fact that bus passengers take up much less space than private car drivers.

It is interesting that it is possible to reduce environmental impact from traffic that much, just by changing the price relation between individual and public transport, and invest the profit in public transport. Unfortunately the proposal has run into strong opposition from the car and asphalt business that feel their markets threatened; from the highways directorate which is against spending tax revenue from motoring on public transport; and from FDM, that is against any new tax on cars whatever the effects are. As long as these circles has the power that kind of proposals will barely come through.

Options for Longer Distances

For long-distance passenger transport trains must be given higher priority than cars and planes, if there is a wish to reduce environmental pollution. Like in the cities, price, speed, and comfort are decisive, when choosing means of transport. Furthermore there must not be long waits when changing trains, and there must be connection between long-distance and local traffic. Especially international train transport needs to be improved. Today there are good possibilities to make fast trains competitive to cars and planes on distances shorter than 500 km.

Besides it shall be considered to halt growth in transport. E.g. an environmental tax could be introduced on holiday trips, with tax-rate related to travel distance.

About goods higher priority must be given to train and ship, than to lorry and plane. Also goods transport is chosen by price and speed, plus guaranteed delivery in time. At rail it is about introducing more efficient goods transport, e.g. by reducing the time consuming shunt switching, and establishing terminals where goods can be reloaded quickly between road and rail.

It is important that lorries pay for their real environmental costs and road wear; today they only pay part of the expenses. Part of the expected growth in environmental pollution from traffic, is due to foreseen increased goods transport, e.g. caused by the EC internal market. But we would not get this growth in goods at all, if the transport price raised, e.g. to the real price inclusive environmental costs. Then local production will be more profitable than long-distance transport.

Unfortunately the above mentioned car lobby until now succeeded in having higher priority given to motorways and bridges, than to public transport. The majority of the Danish population is against highways and bridges financed by taxpayers money and on their risk. But as long as this majority is not willing to indicate their standpoint stronger than now, we are not likely to see changes in the traffic situation.

Options in the Country

In the country, where people are living more dispersed, a more flexible public transport system is needed, e.g. with tale-buses that only run when there is a demand. There should also be used smaller and more energy efficient buses. It is important to keep a basic public transport service, which makes it possible to travel without having a car.

There will be some areas where people can not do without cars. It is therefore important that people can use cars in the country, and then shift to public transport in cities, and when they travel over longer distances. There must be good possibilities for changing between cars and public transport, for example by driving to the nearest station, park the car, and continue by public transport.

Local Solutions

Together with the general solutions there arc a number of possibilities for active citizens to make their own local area less pestered by traffic. Roads can be turned into calm roads (max 30 km/h), play-stay roads (max 15 km/h), or pedestrian/bike/ bus roads. Road area can also be seized for parking, or other more useful purposes.

In some municipalities active citizens have good chances to get subsidies from the municipality for traffic improvements, if they have secured wide local support for their suggestions. In this time of privatization it will in some cases be necessary that the landowners take over the road, to have the changes. In this way they also get responsibility for the future maintenance. For example the municipality can pay part of the expenses for the change.

These local solutions can be made without an environmentally vulnerable general traffic plan, but it will be more difficult, amongst other because of lack of space due to many cars.

Technical Solutions

There are a number of possibilities of introducing more efficient vehicles, both in public transport, and for the remaining car transport. These can be promoted by taxes which favour the most efficient vehicles, by efficiency standards, and by inspection of older vehicles, so they do not get more petrol drinking during time.

It is also possible to use more renewable energy in the transport sector. In public transport electricity can be used for trains and trolley buses. Cars can run on bio fuels, or be substituted by electric cars. Though electric cars have a low efficiency, due to the heavy batteries that have to be carried, and their 10-15% loss. Tax exemption of bio fuels can help.

A new Transport Policy is Needed

As mentioned, a totally new transport policy is needed, if we want to solve the environmental problems related to transport. Today there is a row of obstacles to get a reduction of environmental pollution in the transport sector.

In the following some of the barriers and solutions suggested by OVE are mentioned /4/:

* in cities private cars have been favoured above more resource efficient trains, light-rails, and bikes. Future investments in the transport sector ought to be spent on constructing faster rails and light-rails, and improving safety for bikers.

* bus and train fares, tax systems, and toll on driving and parking cars, shall make rails, light-rails, and buses more economic favourable than private cars.

* flying has been favoured above trains. By investing in high-speed trains, transport by train can get a comeback. High-speed trains must be energy efficient, and must not have severe environmental impact.

* while motorists normally have a strong lobby organization, then public transport passengers normally have no or only a weak organization. Popular organizations and public transport companies should encourage public transport passengers to organize themselves.

* urban planning often neglects consumption of resources connected to commuting and other necessary city traffic. Urban planning should favour shortest possible commuting, and ensure that as many as possible are able to use public transport.

Literature

1. Trafikhandlingsplanen (Traffic Action Plan). Danish Ministry of Transport, 1990.

2. Energi- og Trafikplanlogning (Energy and Transport Planning), Kaj Jorgensen. Physical Laboratory 3, Technical University of Denmark, 1991.

3. Bedre Bytrafik (Improved City Traffic). Published by Trafik- og Miljosamarbejdet i Kobenhavn (Traffic and Environment Coalition in Copenhagen), 1989.

4. OVE's handlingsplan for Vedvarende Energi i Danmark (OVE's Action Plan on Renewable Energy in Denmark), 1992.

5. E;F's Gronbog for trafik (EC Green Book on Traffic). The EC-Commission 1992.

Note:

1. Danish Motoring Association