Transport and Communications Group

NSC Conference on Sustainable transport, Aarhus 18 - 19 April 2002.

On 18 -19 April the NSC Environment and the Transport & Communications thematic groups jointly organised a conference on Sustainable transport in Aarhus region, Denmark. The conference was hosted by the County of Aarhus and co-sponsored by the NSC Executive Committee. The conference was attended by 97 people, representing Regional and Local councils, State agencies, Business organisations and industries, transport operators/companies, Ports, as well as Research institutions and universities. About 25 NSC member regions from all 8 member countries were represented, including about 30 regional and local politicians.

The main issue of the conference was to address what politicians and planners can do to promote and deliver sustainable transport in the North Sea region - raising the level of awareness and stimulating to debate on the issue. After welcome statements from Councillor Ms. Bente Nielsen on behalf of the organising hosts in Aarhus County, the NSC President Mr. Bent Hansen and from the Chair of the conference, Ms. Gunn Marit Helgesen, (see below), the conference heard keynote speeches from a representative of the EU Commission and from transport- and PR & media relations experts (excerpts below).

The Conference particularly intended to provide the participants with a tool box of best practice examples within various fields of sustainable transport which could hopefully be implemented in other North Sea regions than where the examples originate. For this purpose, the conference organised parallel sessions with the presentation of 30 best practice examples within the following fields:

• Alternative Fuels
• Public Transport
• Behavioural Change
• Goods
• Transport planning

A summary of the best practice examples from each session, as well as an excerpt from the corresponding debate [to be uploaded] can be downloaded from a special section of the NSC Home page.

In her opening speech, the Chair of the Conference and Vice President of the NSC, Ms Gunn Marit Helgesen, stated that the promotion of sustainability plays a central role in the work of the NSC and that this is reflected in the revised NSC strategy paper (from Vision to action), as well as in the sustainability document, the Porsgrunn Challenge. She also pointed out that sustainability is a cross-disciplinary theme which is particularly important to integrate into all fields of the NSC remit, such as business development, culture & tourism, education & research and fisheries. Ms. Helgesen made an argument for applying a broad definition of Sustainability, including both environmental, economical and social/welfare aspects. She went on saying that the great challenge facing us is how to develop a transport system which is able to promote economic and social welfare without depleting natural resources, destroying the environment or harming human health. In this respect, she was pleased to note that the EU White Paper on the Common Transport policy for 2010 is determined to adapt the common transport policy to the requirements of sustainable development. Ms. Helgesen also stressed the importance of political leadership and guidance in order to promote sustainable transport successfully in the regions. She concluded by stressing that the conference is only the first step towards more sustainable regions because the issue of promoting sustainability needs continuous and permanent effort - to which the NSC is committed to contribute (see also follow-up section below).

Excerpts from the keynote speeches

Mr. Annerberg started out to acknowledge the importance of the regions and the significance of conferences like this in the promotion of sustainable transport in Europe. He went on saying that the EU Commission is in need of good practical examples in sustainable transport and encouraged the NSC to make such examples available to the Commission.

The main points of Mr. Annerbergs speech can be summarised as follows:

• The transport system in Europe is not sustainable, and we are drifting further away from the goal if the current trends continue, especially with the continued growth of road- and air transport. With the coming enlargement of the EU these trends risk to be further strengthened.

• Major political initiatives on the EU level:

The EU Council in Gothenburg last summer pointed to the necessity of breaking the link between economic growth and the usual corresponding growth in transport. Transport has been identified as one of the main challenges in promoting sustainability.

1) EU White Paper on the Common transport policy 2010 - time to decide (September 2001)

The new White Paper advocates a qualitative change of direction in transport policy in order to ensure that measures to promote an environmentally friendly mix of transport services go hand in hand with the measures to open up the markets. The basic strategy is to increase investment in and to revitalise non-road modes of transport (rail and sea transport) in order to curb congestion and to promote sustainability.

There will be a partial revision of the Transeuropean Networks programme - TEN's in 2001 and a major overhaul in 2004. It was informed that the implementation of the TEN-T projects would be followed by an environment impact evaluation.

Mr. Annerberg mentioned that the EU has passed a directive on alternative fuels - reducing taxes on the less pollutive fuels (bio, natural gas and hydrogen). The EU is also working towards the European car industry in this respect.

The Commission is considering to introduce the same kind of measures on shipping emissions as already in place for land transport.

2) The Sixth Environment Action Programme
of the European Community 2001-2010

The programme also identifies actions and responsibilities for the national, regional and local levels of governments,

The new programme identifies four priority areas:

• Climate Change
• Nature and Biodiversity
• Environment and Health
• Natural Resources and Waste

The following five key approaches have been identified:

• To ensure the implementation of existing environmental legislation;
• To integrate environmental concerns into all relevant policy areas;
• To work closely with business and consumers to identify solutions;
• To ensure better and more accessible information on the environment for citizens;
• To develop a more environmentally conscious attitude towards land use.

Mr. Annerberg stressed the importance of fiscal- and financial incentives when trying to influence the practice & behaviour of industries and transport companies. Infrastructure charging is also playing a vital role in this respect, but this issue is still regarded as a controversial instrument.

He also informed that the Commission is working to develop an impartial mechanism for monitoring the sustainability of transport - TERM.

He also pointed out that it is a major challenge to raise public awareness on the need to change transport behaviour in a more sustainable direction, and to obtain understanding for the fact that each individual contribution matters. Mr. Annerberg highlighted the annual car free day in all EU member states as a good example in this respect and said that the Commission is in permanent search for other suitable channels.

More info on EU policies and programmes in this field can be found at the Commission home pages, DG for Environment http://europa.eu.int/comm/dgs/environment/ and DG for Transport & Energy http://europa.eu.int/comm/dgs/energy_transport/

Mr. Nutt took the stated aim of the conference - what we as politicians and planners can do to promote and deliver sustainable transport - as a starting point for his presentation.

Mr. Nutt aimed to answer this question by:

• Exploring the motivation of the North Sea Commission (NSC) in pursuing the development of this policy agenda;
• by summarising the range of opportunities that exists to take forward policy intervention designed specifically to influence people's travel behaviour and travel choices; and
• by explaining how a set of projects might be taken forward as a NSC initiative to demonstrate how to promote and deliver sustainable transport.

Mr. Nutt emphasised the necessary conditions for bringing about travel behaviour change:

• there must be alternatives to use of the car for the particular trip and people must be aware of them;
• people must appreciate they have these travel choices and how to exercise that choice; and
• People need to know they will gain personal benefits from the travel habit change.

Policy interventions being explored in the UK context to Promote Travel Behaviour Change

• Workplace travel plans

A number of case studies show reductions in car-based travel to work of between 7 and 12%. A reduction from 66% to 55% single car occupancy trips to the site in the morning peak has been achieved through the plan and bus patronage has been increased by 75% in one year, following the introduction of good bus services between the work site and the local town/rail station.

• School travel plans and safer routes to schools

Aims to improve road safety and to increase the number of children walking and cycling and using public transport to and from school.

• Personalised journey planning

Personalised journey planning is a set of techniques or approaches that provide individualised analysis and/or advice to people, based on their journey making habits, with the aim of encouraging modal shift towards more sustainable forms of transport.

• Videoconferencing and Tele-Working

It is estimated that videoconferencing could reduce total longer distance business traffic mileage by up to 5% by 2015. Estimated potential to reduce car commuting traffic by up to 6% by 2015.

• Bus Quality Partnerships (BQPs)

BQPs have led to 10%+ increases in ridership in particular corridors when done well.

• Car Clubs

Experience in Germany and Switzerland show the potential to eliminate conventional car ownership and use by club members and show substantial reductions in car use by members.

The Strategy for Delivery, the Plan and Process

-There is a need to develop a strategy for policy intervention to promote travel behaviour change.

-Sensible to apply sets of different policy interventions; those of most relevance to the local condition, with some consideration as to their strategic significance and relative priority.

Conclusions

-It is clear that there is a wide range of possible policy interventions available to NSC member authorities within this policy area

-There is ample opportunity for the NSC to conduct useful projects to develop the general understanding of the value and scope of these many new techniques

How to Educate and Influence the General Public towards more sustainable transport behaviour", by Stephen Byfield

Stephen Byfield is Managing Director of PPS, the largest independent public affairs consultancy in UK. He is not a transport expert, but knows "something" about selling difficult messages to the public. All examples and findings come from the UK, unless otherwise said.

Two basic questions:
-How to get and keep political will ?
-Can education encourage modal shift (away from private cars towards more sustainable forms of transport) ?

Political will
Democracy is the biggest "obstacle" to the delivery of public transport systems: Frequent elections make the politicians reluctant to introduce restrictive measures on private driving because they fear loosing their seats. However, the politicians also require public transport to be popular

But public transport is popular
-Environmental policies are generally welcomed by the public
-When asked in opinion polls, the public is pro public transport
-A UK Poll from 1998 showed that 71% in favour of congestion charging (road pricing)

So what's the problem?
In UK, the public sends conflicting messages: We all want better public transport, but at the same time we all want to drive our cars with cheap fuel, where and when we want

Most public transport is delivered locally
-UK central Government is passing the problem to the local authorities (where the politicians also have their seats to think of)

How can we deliver political will?
-Delivery of public transport solutions requires acceptance at the senior political level.
-Public transport planning is more a political, PR- and marketing related issue than technical. -Explain the benefits of public transport to the people
Mobilise support from "third parties" that will benefit from good public transport to outflank protest (e.g. against fuel prices, parking restrictions) from die-hard car users
-Use polling to tailor campaign to the popular mode and preferences.

Can education cause modal shift ?
-Stick & carrot is the only way
-Need the carrot (improved public transport services, good alternatives to private driving) in place before the stick is applied

Best work has been done outside the UK
-Community relations approach pioneered in Perth, Australia:
Secured 14% reduction in car journeys. Results have been sustained over time
-45 similar trials have been conducted in (Continental) Europe - only one failure

What's the secret to making it work?
-Requires face to face contact with the people
-Should target big traffic generators - schools, major employers etc
-Needs backing up with high profile local PR campaign

Is there a down side?
-Communications experts are expensive to hire!
-Difficult messages require marketing (costs & efforts)

Conclusion
-Education and influence are vital at two stages in the process.
-They support politicians looking to deliver public transport solutions
-Done properly they can result in sustained modal shift

Comments to: stephen.byfield@ppsgroup.co.uk

Trends & developments in container shipping
-The volume of container shipping has been increasing and will continue to do so
-This creates capacity problems in the biggest urban harbours with hinterland connections, as well as these harbours faces physical and environmental constraints in relation to the expansion capacity in
-Congestion on the major road- and rail networks in Europe also represents a bottleneck in this respect.
-Trend in direction of increased transhipment with offshore mega hubs

The assets of the Orkney Islands
-Strategic location on the shortest route between the US and Northern Europe. All main ports in Europe are within 600 miles.
-Natural deep-sea harbour with the necessary facilities to handle the biggest ships.
-Relatively fast entrance to the harbour
-The Orkneys already have gas- and oil port
-The Orkneys overcome the physical and environmental constraints faced by land-based ports

• Environmental advantages

Transhipments are more energy effective - avoiding empty running, reduces the TEU-milage and saves fuel. Also reduces need to allocate scarce land to port expansions. In the longer run, the concept could also reduce the need for road transport to land based ports.

• More effective transport - reduced congestion

A reduced need for road transport to land based ports would serve to reduce congestion on the roads as well as in major hubs.

• Cost-effectiveness

-Sea to sea transfers reduce the cost per TEU.
-Besides, small feeder ships pay lower port charges.

More information can be found at http://www.orkneycontainer.com/

Ms. Helgesen thanked for the excellent speeches and presentations heard at the conference and she said that the wide range of best practice examples impressed her. She said that the conference had made her much more optimistic concerning the prospects for sustainable transport. Ms. Helgesen stated that her vision of sustainability is when children can play safely on the streets in a city. - If the political will is there, we can change things to the better -, Ms. Helgesen said, but she also stressed that politicians need to make braver decisions. However in order to achieve this, politicians and planners have to inspire and challenge each other. - It is possible to change peoples behaviour, but it is essential that we present them with real choices between transport modes, then people will support you - she said. In conclusion, Ms. Helgesen encouraged the participants to take with them the inspiration and all the good ideas from the conference back home and start to implement them.

The NSC Transport & Communications and Environment thematic groups hope to develop a permanent Sustainable Transport programme as an Interreg IIIB-bid - in which recurring conferences of the Aarhus-type will be one important element. The other elements of a Sustainable transport programme will consist of

-best practice tool kit, based on examples like those presented at the Aarhus conference
-a mobile education and awareness campaign in the North Sea region (behavioural change)
-website development
-PR & media related work.

To have more information about this programme and/or to register an interest to participate, please contact Mr. Dennis Freeman, Aberdeenshire Council, mail: dennis.freeman@aberdeenshire.gov.uk