Encouraging the use of public transport: Essential to an effective Road Safety Action Programme

Brussels, October 29 -- - EU Committee of International Association of Public Transport (UITP) "astonished" that Commission's Communication on Road Safety includes no reference to public transport

In June this year the European Commission adopted a Communication on a European Road Safety Action Programme, which aims to halve the number of road accident victims in the EU by 2010 by "encouraging road users to improve their behaviour, making vehicles safer and improving road infrastructures."

In a recent position paper, the EU Committee of the International Association of Public Transport (UITP) reacted with astonishment to the fact that this Communication includes no reference to public transport.

According to UITP's 'Millennium Cities Database for Sustainable Transport', it is on average five to ten times safer to travel by public as opposed to private transport. 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.

"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," stated Roberto Cavalieri, President of UITP's EU Committee. "Such an objective would not need to be a hugely expensive. The European Commission itself estimates the annual costs of road accidents at EUR160 billion. This is over three times the total turnover of the road passenger transport industry," Mr Cavalieri continued. "Any small savings in accident costs could therefore provide funding for significant public transport improvements."

UITP's EU Committee also believes that road safety should not be considered in isolation. Instead it should form part of an overall approach to sustainable development, and should be linked up to health issues related to environmental pollution.

"The EU Committee is keen and willing to assist the Commission in developing an Action Programme in which a modal shift to public transport is key," concluded Mr Cavalieri.

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Contacts: Cara McLaughlin (Tel: +32 2 6636639; Fax: +32 2 6601072; cara.mclaughlin@uitp.com). Brigitte Ollier, Director of EuroTeam (Tel: +32 2 6636626; Fax: +32 2 6601072; brigitte.ollier@uitp.com).