| Author (Person) | Carstens, Karen |
|---|---|
| Series Title | European Voice |
| Series Details | Vol.9, No.36, 30.10.03, p26 |
| Publication Date | 30/10/2003 |
| Content Type | News |
|
By Karen Carstens Date: 30/10/03 A GLOBAL public transport group is “astonished”.that the European Commission's road safety plans include no reference to public transport. In a recent position paper, the International Association of Public Transport (UITP) said it is on average five to ten times safer to travel by public as opposed to private transport. Moreover, “it is some 20 to 25 times safer in Europe to travel by rail than road, making public transport and rail significantly safer than the private car”, UITP stated. “If it is to achieve its targets, the Road Safety Action Programme clearly must include a modal shift to public transport as one of its key objectives,”.said Roberto Cavalieri, president of UITP's EU committee. “Such an objective would not need to be hugely expensive,”.he added. “The Commission estimates the annual costs of road accidents at €160 billion. This is more than three times the total turnover of the road passenger transport industry. “Any small savings in accident costs could therefore provide funding for significant public transport improvements.” The association also demanded that road safety should not be considered in isolation but as “part of an overall approach to sustainable development”. UITP represents some 2,500 members from around 80 countries, including public transport authorities and operators, policymakers, scientific institutes and the public transport supply and service industry. Commission spokesman Gilles Gantelet retorted that “public transport is a huge, important sector, but we were not speaking about that [in the plans]”. “It's not up to us to decide what kinds of transport choices people make,”.he added. The International Association of Public Transport (UITP) issued a position paper in October 2003 which argues that it is on average five to ten times safer to travel by public as opposed to private transport and that the European Commission's Road Safety Action Programme should include as one of its objectives a shift to public transport. |
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| Subject Categories | Mobility and Transport |
