Climate Alliance
Transport
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Most European local authorities are confronted with increasing problems of congestion and pollution due to the steady growth in urban motorised traffic. And traffic is the still dramatically increasing contributor to climate change. So, the need for solutions in this field of activity is particularly pressing!
Sustainable transport strategies aim at reconciling citizen’s mobility needs with quality of life and environment. They require the distinct political will of local decision makers to bring about a change. Targets to reduce individual motorised transport, concerted strategies for the implementation of measures, and encouraging examples for other stakeholders pave the way for sustainable mobility policies. Sustainable mobility includes the concept of cooperative planning, as measures are most effective if targeted towards specific groups of citizens and their corresponding requirements. And it is about creating incentives for citizens to choose more sustainable means of transport such as walking, cycling and public transport.
The SMILE project provides recommendations and best-practice for urban sustainable mobility: www.smile-europe.org
For additional information, please consult the resources section of this website.
Beyond the core sectors in terms of CO2 emissions, municipal climate protection is presently expanding to other fields, too, that are sources of greenhouse gases. Since many local authorities are owners of substantial forestry and agricultural areas, they can influence how these areas are managed. Waste management, which is in most countries a municipal task, is increasingly viewed under climate change aspects as well. Moreover, municipalities can influence private consumers and businesses in many ways.
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Many European local authorities control local public transport companies that operate underground railways (in big cities), trams (in big and medium-sized cities), and buses.
An energy-efficiency strategy like that used in the energy sector, which in transportation would target the fuel consumption of individual vehicles, is not possible for local authorities as they have barely any influence on purchase decisions outside their own fleet and virtually no influence on manufacturers.
The key factors in local transport policy are demand for mobility (where the strategic aim is traffic avoidance) and the means of transport (where it is a shift to public transport, cycling and walking).
In addition to their role in long-term urban planning, it is local authorities that impose restrictive measures stemming car use while providing low-cost and attractive alternatives. Measures to cut motorised traffic rarely achieve consensus. Implementing a "push and pull" strategy in spite of this fact entails winning acceptance and providing the necessary funding for public transport. This is one of the greatest challenges of local climate protection, not least because this area is more often seen from the short-term perspective of reducing traffic jams.
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