Skip to main content

Helping tackle congestion and sustainability in European traffic

The European Parliament has accepted that powered two-wheelers will play a significant role in sustainable mobility, helping reduce both traffic congestion and pollution. The European Parliament adopted Wim van de Camp’s “Report on the implementation of the 2011 White Paper on Transport: taking stock and the way forward towards sustainable mobility”. In the report motorcycles are seen as part of the solution to solving the problems in urban transport. Powered two wheelers can help tackle congestion and park
September 10, 2015 Read time: 3 mins
RSSThe European Parliament has accepted that powered two-wheelers will play a significant role in sustainable mobility, helping reduce both traffic congestion and pollution. The European Parliament adopted Wim van de Camp’s “Report on the implementation of the 2011 White Paper on Transport: taking stock and the way forward towards sustainable mobility”. In the report motorcycles are seen as part of the solution to solving the problems in urban transport. Powered two wheelers can help tackle congestion and parking problems as well as providing a solution for small logistics. The report also states that the specific design and afferent benefits of these vehicles should be adequately taken into account and reflected in EU transport legislation and guidelines.

In Van de Camp’s report the implementation of the White Paper on Transport, launched by the European Commission in 2011, is evaluated and recommendations are given for the next years. Although this report has no legislative characteristics itself it is the base of many regulations on the wide area of transport. Motorcycles are seen as a way to solve the problems in urban transport by tackling congestion and parking problems as well as providing a solution for small logistics. The report also states that the specific design and afferent benefits of these vehicles should be adequately taken into account and reflected in EU transport legislation and guidelines.

Accepting the report means that the use of motorcycles should be stimulated and facilitated in European cities. This also means that motorcycles and other powered two-wheelers should be considered when new roads are designed but also in the maintenance and design of existing roads. The European Parliament also calls for actions to reduce crashes involving vulnerable road users, in particular users of two-wheeled vehicles (powered and unpowered), pedestrians in urban environments and older drivers. The European Parliament also calls for roads to be designed, monitored and maintained in the same way as the roads that are part of the TEN-T network. In practice this should deliver better design and better maintenance of the road network across the whole of Europe.

FEMA’s General Secretary reacted: “This is the first time that the European Parliament recognizes the importance of motorcycles for transport. We have been saying for a long time, that motorcycles are part of the solution for urban congestion. environment and parking problems. The use of motorcycles should be stimulated and facilitated. In cities like Rome and Paris there would be enormous problems if anybody who now uses a motorcycle or scooter would go by public transport or, even worse, by car. Therefore we are very glad with the report from Wim van de Camp and the adoption of it by the European Parliament and we hope, that the European Commission will do something with it and take adequate action.”

Related Content

  • EU missing target of halving road deaths by 2020, says ETSC
    April 12, 2018
    Halving the number of deaths on Europe’s roads by 2020 is not likely to be achieved, according to the European Transport Safety Council. The 28 members of the European Union reduced the number of road deaths by 20% from 2010-2017, far less than the 38% cut needed to stay on course to meet the 2020 target. The European Commission has just published data showing that deaths on EU roads fell by only 2% last year, following a similar decrease in 2016 and a 1% increase in 2015. “For four years in a row, the
  • Initiative to Include Road Safety in Sustainable Development Goals
    September 15, 2015
    Road safety is a key issue for sustainable development targets. During the Rio+20 Conference in 2012, it was agreed by member States to launch a process to develop a set of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), to build on the Millennium Development Goals and converge with the post-2015 development agenda. Over the past six months, IRF Geneva has undertaken a sustained campaign to ensure that road safety is included in the SDGs. As part of this, Kiran K Kapila, chairman, IRF Geneva, has reached out, amon
  • ERF Position Paper calls for more road markings to boost road safety
    December 13, 2013
    The European Union Road Federation (ERF) has today launched a Position Paper that makes the case for a more widespread use of road markings on Europe’s roads as a means of increasing road safety and reducing the socio-economic impact of accidents. Entitled ‘Marking the way towards a safer future’, the ERF is calling on EU Member States to establish intervention and maintenance policies to guarantee that road markings on Europe’s road remain visible for road users and, at same time, optimise the interaction
  • Road transport must evolve in line with users’ needs
    February 7, 2012
    At its annual plenary meeting held on 25 May 2010, during the 16th IRF World Meeting in Lisbon, the European Road Federation (ERF) elected a new President in the person of Jacobo Díaz Pineda.