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A shared future - balanced development

12. Transport

To achieve sustainable development in the field of transport, the Government primarily intends to decouple growth in the impacts of transport on the environment and health from economic growth. Health, environmental and safety considerations must be integrated into transport policy. The Government's long-term benchmarks call for the transport sector to make its fair contribution to reducing national emissions of greenhouse gases and to ensuring that air pollution from traffic constitutes no health hazard to the population. Traffic noise must be reduced to a level which ensures that nobody is exposed to significant negative health impacts. Transport must be safe for everybody. The negative impact of the transport system on the natural habitats of animals and plants must be curbed.

The transport system must ensure that the population has access to work, shops, public services and leisure-time activities, and all citizens must be ensured efficient mobility through public and private transport solutions. Denmark must offer trade and industry excellent transport links to the surrounding world, and traffic congestion should only occur during peak periods. High traffic flow should be ensured for public and private transport, including cycle and pedestrian traffic.

The public expects to have safe, flexible and swift access to workplaces, shops, recreational activities and holidays. An efficient, modern transport system offering high traffic flow is necessary to provide the mobility required for meeting these demands. Accessibility and efficient mobility are welfare benefits that must also be secured and developed for future generations through Denmark's transport policy.

At the same time, traffic in a modern society has several negative consequences for human health and the environment that reduce the overall welfare of society. Concerns for public health, the environment and the future of successive generations thus determine the framework of a modern transport system. This does not entail restrictions in accessibility and mobility but means that forms of transport must be found that create less traffic, fewer accidents and less pollution, and housing as well as enterprises should be sited in places where the least possible motorised traffic is necessary.  For the past decade, an integrated transport policy has also embraced environmental considerations, at both EU level and in Denmark, and this must continue. Denmark has set a range of objectives covering such issues as CO₂ emissions, noise, and air pollution from transport. Activities in relation to these objectives will be further developed on the basis of new knowledge concerning the interaction of transport with the environment and health. At the same time, a broader perspective is required towards international cooperation and cooperation with other sectors, regional and local authorities and other central players - to find long-term solutions to the challenges facing the transport sector.

Many transport problems and their solutions are closely linked with international developments, which means that Denmark cannot implement the necessary initiatives through national instruments alone.The development of new technologies and international transport taxes are just two examples. At the same time, opportunities for sustainable transport can only be realised through considering transport issues with other sector policies. This is especially true for industrial policy, economic policy, localisation policy, and fiscal policy.

We need to be aware of these prerequisites since most transport ultimately serves purposes other than traffic as such. Considering environmental and macro-economic factors, the various measures should also be used where they will be of greatest benefit.

Danish and international experience indicates that technological progress is often the most efficient way of developing a more environmentally friendly transport sector. In its work to enhance sustainable transport, the Government has therefore accorded high priority to promoting technological development. However, technological development cannot solve all of the problems in the transport sector. Therefore, technological development will be integrated into a broad strategy together with physical planning, information and dialogue on transport habits, combined with market-oriented instruments and other elements.

In 1987, the UN World Commission published the report "Our Common Future". In 1990, the Government at that time adopted a Transport Action Plan for the environment and development which addressed the new challenges. Since then, Denmark has prepared a number of strategies and action plans for sustainable transport, and these have given rise to great public debate. In addition, several concrete initiatives have been launched with the aim of increasing sustainability in the transport sector. At EU level, Denmark contributed to shaping the EU Transport Council's 1999 strategy for integrating environmental concerns and sustainable development into Community transport policy.

In Denmark, the transport sector's health and environmental impact from air pollution and accidents has fallen since the Rio Conference. This is particularly due to targeted efforts for better motor technology, fuel quality, and road safety. In the EU, agreements with the automobile industry and steadily more stringent standards for vehicle emissions of pollutants have resulted in considerable progress in this area.

Denmark's system of taxes to encourage the choice of less polluting vehicles and fuels has been quite successful. Differential taxes on lead and sulphur containing fuels have contributed to the transition to cleaner fuels that took place during the 1980s and 1990s.The system of taxes has also been used to promote the use of more energyefficient vehicles. One example of this is the conversion of the vehicle excise duty into the "green owner tax" on passenger cars. Moreover, electric cars are exempt from vehicle registration tax and, similarly, the most energy-efficient car models are subject to a lower vehicle registration tax.

According to national and international calculations, demand for transport will continue to rise for many years. Economic growth in society is expected to remain a central cause of growth in transport demand. Globalisation, urban growth, increasing car ownership and changed travel habits are other contributory factors.The increase in traffic volumes will result in higher emissions of greenhouse gases, crowding, consumption of resources, and more pressure on natural and residential areas. A broad strategy taking into account the various reasons for traffic growth and technological development will make it possible to limit environmental impacts from transport. In that manner, we can prevent traffic growth from undermining the Government's objectives for traffic flow, the environment and health concerns.
According to existing knowledge, the greatest traffic related health risk stems from accidents and air pollution, including fine particles from vehicles.
Excessive noise levels have also been shown to impact human health.

Objectives and activities in the future

CO₂. The transport sector must contribute to fulfilling Danish obligations to reduce CO₂ emissions by 21 per cent from 1990 to 2008-12.The Danish Government will consider possible measures to limit CO₂ emissions as a basis for stipulating benchmarks for the transport sector's CO₂ emissions up to the first budget period 2008-12 and in the longer term.This will halt the steady increase in CO₂ emissions from the transport sector.The transport sector's contribution to the total Danish climate efforts will be assessed in relation to where "the most cost-effective solution for society when achieving environmental objectives" can be achieved.The Danish Government has set up a committee to examine possibilities for effective solutions to reduce climate-gas emissions, including from transport.The Danish Government's longterm target for 2030 is reduction in transportsector CO₂ emissions by 25 percent, compared to 1988 levels.This ambitious target assumes that economic growth is decoupled from developments in CO₂ emissions from the transport sector.

Air pollution and the urban environment. A special effort has been made in urban areas to minimise the effects of traffic on city and town environments. By the year 2010, the Government aims to reduce emissions of nitrogen oxides and hydrocarbons by 60% compared to the 1988 level and to halve emissions of particles from urban traffic during the same period. Air pollution from traffic is a special problem for the urban environment and leads to health problems. Air pollution in the form of fine particles gives rise to particular problems.The Government will consider ways of promoting the retrofitting of effective particulate filters in lorries and buses.The technology for the installation of filters has yet to be fully developed for diesel-fuelled vans and passenger cars, which account for some 60 per cent of particulate emissions. However, some new car models are being marketed with filters.The Government will consider how market-oriented measures can promote the sale of these models. Diesel cars are more energy efficient than petrol-powered cars and, therefore, cause lower CO₂ emissions. On the other hand, diesel cars cause higher emissions of nitrogen oxides ( NOX), and particles. Municipalities can utilise the possibilities in the Road Traffic Act to strengthen local initiatives for a better urban environment. The Road Traffic Act provides examples of possible pilot projects involving environmental zones and other initiatives.

Road safety. The goal of the Danish Road Safety Commission's Action Plan for 2000 is to reduce road casualties (fatal and serious injuries) by 40% by the end of 2012.The Government intends to realise this goal through measures to constrain traffic speeds in particularly dangerous and exposed places, and encourage the wearing of seat belts, improvements in road design, marking and traffic development, as well as more information, and better training for road users.

Noise.Traffic is the most significant source of noise pollution in Denmark. In particular, noise from road traffic is today a widespread health and environmental problem, while noise pollution from railways has been limited considerably during the 1990s. Many people live in areas where noise from traffic exceeds what are considered acceptable health limits. It is estimated that today about 150,000 people live in dwellings heavily impacted by noise. Heavy noise impacts are those over 65 decibels, ie. 10 decibels more than the recommended limit value. There is also growing awareness in the EU of the environmental consequences of noise. In the spring 2002, the EU Environmental Noise Directive was adopted.The Directive contains requirements on noise mapping, preparation of national action plans, and public involvement for all EU countries.

In light of this, the Danish Government has set up a "Road Noise Group" to prepare a broadly based proposal for a road-noise strategy. This strategy will include information regarding the feasibility of achieving a significant reduction in the number of dwellings severely affected by road noise. This will be within the framework of the forthcoming Environmental Noise Directive. An important part of the Road Noise Strategy will be to implement a macro-economic assessment of the health consequences of road noise, and the measures that can be applied to reduce the number of heavily impacted dwellings.

Mobility and traffic flow. A number of longterm investments have been made with the aim of future expansion of the road network and publictransport systems. The plan is to boost the quality of public transport by investing in new highquality trains nationwide and in the Metro and the Circle Line in Copenhagen, and urban railways in Aarhus and Aalborg.The road traffic investments are earmarked for motorways and expressways with a view to creating a viable network of main roads which provide maximum road safety at minimum inconvenience to the population.The Government intends to create the financial foundation for further investment in roads and public transport, among other things with a view to establishing more appropriate traffic flows in the Greater Copenhagen area. Spatial planning initiatives will improve the traffic flow for pedestrians, cyclists and public transport.To ensure that the wisest decisions are made, the Government will continue to rely on environmental impact assessments when considering relevant Bills, including proposals for new infrastructures.

Nature and landscape.The impact of transport on biodiversity and nature and the environment must be controlled. Public planning initiatives must essentially respect all protected areas and listed buildings and consider natural assets. Such initiatives should also preserve the character of large unspoilt landscapes, ensuring that they remain free of noise nuisances and fragmentation. It is important to safeguard wildlife, ensuring that animals can pass traffic systems, especially at stream valleys and dispersion corridors. In accordance with the Government's comments on the revised regional plans for 2001 (Regionplanrevision 2001), counties have identified large, undisturbed landscapes in their regional plans.

Waste. According to an EU directive, the recycling percentage for materials from scrap cars and vans must be increased to 85% by the year 2015.To achieve this percentage, the Government will require that end-of-life vehicles be processed so that their parts can be recycled.

Getting the prices right. The Danish Government supports the conclusion from the EU Council in Gothenburg in 2001 that transport prices should reflect the true cost of transport to society to a greater extent.Therefore, the Government will regularly consider whether a green market economy for transport can contribute to sustainable development.This will promote more equal competition between the different modes of transport.
The Danish Government will establish a committee, which will investigate the possibility of restructuring vehicle registration taxes to promote sales of environmentally friendly vehicles.The Government will research road-pricing programmes, which are being promoted in other countries, and analyse their potential effects in a Danish context.

Better transport choices and habits. Information on environmentally friendly choices of transport must be available so that people can make their own decisions. For passenger traffic, this means promoting the quality of public transport where an adequate basis exists through national and international competition. Likewise, cycling and walking are attractive alternatives. It includes utilising the car better, partly through the "park and ride" scheme, by promoting car-pooling databases, and by enterprise plans for safety and the environment. In freight transport, the emphasis will be on information on facilities for combined transport solutions involving more extensive use of rail and sea transport. Better dialogue between central government authorities and trade associations will also promote better logistics and environmental management. Other measures to promote environmentally friendly transport choices and habits include education, information, public debate, green procurement policies and relevant market-oriented instruments.

Research. Research is being undertaken into the central aspects of developments in transport and the measures that can steer transport options in the direction of sustainable development. Examples of the research are choice of type of transport, economic analyses for transport, and integrated analyses of economy, the environment, and road safety. Another area of research is the environmental effects of traffic, including the significance of particles.

International activities. At its meeting in Cardiff in 1998, the European Council decided, as a follow up to Treaty provisions, to integrate environmental considerations into all other sector policies. Consequently, at the 1999 Helsinki Council Meeting the EU transport ministers presented a strategy for incorporating environmental considerations into transport policy.The Government will follow up on the strategy proposed by the EU Transport Council and on the transport-related sections of the EU's work for sustainable transport including the conclusions made by Heads of State and Government at the European Council in Gothenburg in June 2001. Similarly, the Danish Government will apply the OECD guidelines for sustainable transport policy which were adopted as part of the OECD environment strategy for sustainable development in 2001. For instance, the Government will take steps to ensure that all modes of transport pay social costs, and to promote public transport as well as freight transport by rail, on waterways, and through combined transport solutions. More specifically, Denmark is working for intensified and fair competition in the railway sector throughout the EU, for an international or EU tax on aviation fuel, and for the promotion of high international environmental standards for vehicles and engine fuel. In September 2001, the European Commission adopted a White Paper on the EU's Common Transport Policy.The White Paper contains about 60 concrete initiatives and the Danish Government will seek to see that the initiatives generally promote sustainable development in the transport sector.

Since the development and production of new vehicle technologies largely take place outside Denmark, the Government wishes to conclude agreements through the EU on standards for new vehicles and fuel types.This approach has been successful to date, and the Government will work to promote EU regulations that, while flexible, are also binding to an extent that provides both incentives and opportunities for manufacturers and buyers to make environmentally friendly choices. For one thing, Denmark intends to support better common EU methods for calculating and documenting the environmental impact of vehicles and transport infrastructures.

Denmark intends to work actively in international forums other than the EU.The UN Economic Commission for Europe (ECE) is a relevant forum for road transport issues, while the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) are relevant for discussions concerning aviation and maritime issues.The World Health Organization (WHO) focuses on the direct and indirect effects of transport on health, while general issues relating to sustainable development are discussed as part of the UN's follow-up to the 1992 Rio Conference. Denmark is focusing its efforts to secure more binding and specific agreements in these and other international forums dealing with matters of international sustainable transport.

The Government will follow the EU objectives and guidelines for environmentally sustainable transport. Emphasis will be on the integration of environmental considerations into the transport sector to take account of new knowledge, and on assessing measures and the involvement of relevant players.

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