Recommendations for transport research
Recommendations from a workshop held by the Commission on transport research and transport policy are now available. The workshop was organised in May to provide planning input for the Commission for transport research under the Fifth Framework Programme and concluded that such research has a valuable role to play in developing sustainable transport policies. The workshop was organised by DG XII (the Directorate-General for Science, Research and Development) and DG VII (Transport). It observed that European research programmes are increasingly oriented towards problem solving and the implementation of solutions. Therefore a strategy for an area like transport has to involve interactive research from other fields. The workshop discussed future research in the area of "Technology Strategy for Transport Energy Environment". Special emphasis was put on interactions between four of the proposed key actions in the Fifth Framework Programme - Climate Change, Quality of Life, Land Use and Transport Networks. Further research efforts should be made taking into account that transport must be seen as part of the general economy. Future demand for mobility should be analysed, assessing both the impacts and the costs of policy plans. Tools and methods for this work must be developed and enhanced, increasing their accuracy and reliability. Consistency and compatibility of tools and methods must be increased and data quality and availability must be improved, extending to additional impact research. Taking these factors together research can provide substantial and important input to sustainable transport policies. The full text version of the recommendations will soon be made available for downloading from the JOULE web site at the address below.
Countries
Bulgaria, Cyprus, Estonia, Hungary, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia