Communication skills come to the aid of transport planning
Sustainable mobility is at the forefront of the European Union agenda. Member States and the Commission are working together for the development of an easily accessible transport system which is both economical and environmentally sound. Planning and policies rely on indicators of policy support and assessment. This involves the development of the proper tools for practitioners and policy makers to take sustainable mobility from theory to practice. The Transforum project aimed to make sure that these tools are not only scientifically consistent but transparent. The philosophy of the project was to move from the separate development of transport indicators, tools and assessment methods to a more complementary approach. Rather than being composed of traditional research, the project consists of open discussions designed to assess the most appropriate tools for transport policy support. This allows for an exchange of ideas between policy makers and analysts and transport modellers. Ironically, the interaction itself is the product. The outcomes of the meetings could be used by other projects, providing a well-needed benchmark for reviewing results. Concrete proof that the recipe works is the project Trans-tools, whose aims include an ambitious European network model for both passenger and freight. Trans-tools has used the forum meetings to discuss the modelling issues with policy-makers.