Driving research down the long road
Road transport is essential to everyday life for people, businesses and society as a whole. However, changes in how the sector operates are needed to manage rising environmental impacts, a shift in energy production and changing economics. Research and development of new technologies and systems can address these varied and often conflicting pressures but must be focused in the right direction if they are to succeed. Various aims have been set out at an EU level to transform the road sector, particularly to make it more efficient and clean. The EU-funded project 'Support action for implementation of ERTRAC's road transport research priorities' (SAFIER) supported the agreement of a long-term agenda for the research needed to bring about this step-change. Since 2002, the European Road Transport Research Advisory Council (ERTRAC) has been a forum for all stakeholders in road transport research. It has looked at how specific areas such as urban mobility and long-distance transport can contribute to broad challenges. There are now EU-level roadmaps for individual technology areas such as hybrid vehicles, electric vehicles, efficient freight corridors and integrated urban mobility. SAFIER supported ERTRAC in building consensus, developing research collaboration networks across Europe, and in establishing its strategic plan for the period up to and beyond 2030. The three-year project has helped to promote ERTRAC outcomes widely among transport sector players, as well as national and international policymakers. Ultimately, the project will help to deliver breakthrough technologies and new ways of thinking that will transform everyday mobility.
