The SEETAC Project: some considerations on a sustainable and efficient development of accessibility in the Region
Boris Zivec
When considering the vision and the strategy of the future EU,
past experiences might help us in understanding the importance of a
particular sphere of our common living. For us, the EU and our
common future, the competitiveness of our economies in the global
prospective are essential. While the transport system is a pre
condition for economical and social activities, the in-depth
consideration of its future is crucial.
Moreover, today the world is facing environmental constrains and
the scarcity of energy resources. It should be high time for
shaping a strategy for future sustainable transport systems, that
will face the dilemma on sustainability, considering that the
traditional fossil fuels are depleting.
In depth consideration of the related transport statistics might
lead us to cognition that the implementation of famous four
freedoms, resulted in an enormous transport services' growth within
the EU borders and beyond. Such interconnection is evidentially
bounded with the difference in quality and density of transport
infrastructure for particular mode on regional and on European
prospective. High quality transport system requires balanced
developed transport infrastructure that would meet the
compatibility and interoperability goals in the benefit of EU
economy and citizens. The EU Member States agreed on a successful
policy, on financial and organisational tools (TEN-T found,
Cohesion Fund, Marco Polo, etc) to guarantee internal cohesion, as
well as multi modality. By majority the result of those were in
line with the expectations, but there is still a long way to
go.
Today's picture of the transport infrastructure meeting the
above mentioned goals might be very heterogeneous. Varieties are
back grounded by the prioritisation of particular transport mode,
in particular through national or regional transport policies, or
by the level of commitment towards sustainability. Accepting such
attitude from the European Union prospective would, at the end,
lead towards results that would contradict the aims to be achieved
with the recognition of already mentioned four freedoms.
It is quite clear that the international or interregional
compatible and interoperable transport infrastructure is crucial
for strengthening the EU economy, as well as for citizens' advanced
mobility. There is an impression that, due to a possible lack of
knowledge on the developments, in particular on transport modes, a
great part of decision makers or even general public is
prioritising less prospective transport modes. For example the
railway system developed significantly the IT tools primarily on
the trans EU corridors (RNE Corridors), where the information in
real time on each international train is available, besides some
other customer friendly or even attractive IT tools. At the same
time, it is recognised that the railway system might be the less
dependent on fossil fuels and more environment friendly. However
the system suffers from the underdeveloped infrastructure in some
regions or on some transnational routes and this obstacle should be
solved through our common efforts.
There is a feeling that some stronger commitments (maybe even
binding) on behalf of the Member States or newcomers for the
development of the interregional or international transport
infrastructure on basic level of compatibility and
interoperability, should be required. This activities could be
supported through the common funds, such as the Cohesion Fund, that
should prioritize long term sustainable transport system to enhance
the multimodality or co-modality.
The transport infrastructure of trans-European importance,
connecting the EU with neighbouring countries is to be the highest
priority, while it presents the most vital part of our future
economy. The permanent consideration of the global economy and of
its development in a particular part of the globe, the
identification of possible future traffic flows, would be the
background for the development of such infrastructure adapted to
the future.
Today some areas are facing over congested advanced developed
transport infrastructure, while on the other hand, regions with
prospective future connections with neighbouring countries have
underdeveloped infrastructure. A more balanced development in this
field would be appreciated. That is why it is urgent to set up
rules for common financial tools to supporting the financing of
such connections to the nearest node, terminal, etc, in the
neighbouring country. Only transport infrastructure that would,
from the long term prospective, enable sustainable transport system
with particular focus on rational energy use might be recognised as
appropriate for co-financing. When in the nearest node or terminal,
the transhipment from other to above defined transport system is
essential, also the appropriate equipment would be recognised
appropriate for co-financing.
Facing the global trends and forecasts, the common financial and
other support tools, should be identified for strengthening the
seeking of a common European interest by two or group of countries
in developing the terminal, node, etc as well as related
connections of global importance for the European economy.
In the light of the today's climate change, we are more and more
aware of the energy resources' scarcity and the economical crises
gave us time for reconsidering and shaping future sustainable
transport systems that would prioritize also the rational use of
energy. That might be one the basis for EU economy future growth.
Unless we act immediately, it might happen that our successors, our
children, are to bear financial burden for the infrastructure which
in the worse situation even would not be of any use for them.
The definition of the TEN-T and its connections to neighbouring
countries, priority projects, financing tools, were the beginning.
Today's situation is pressing us to make go further on. Under the
pressure of time and with the stricter financial limits there is a
place for innovative solutions. The environmental conditions and
economies' survival is forcing us to seek for a reasonable
compromise for the benefit of our grand children and their
successors.
Considering all these issues, the sustainable transport system
that would ensure the rational use of energy, might only be
searched through the intermodality, when all the benefits and
deficiencies of each particular transport subsystem are evaluated
from all the above described focuses. Sustainability is considered
the key challenge of modern society. Moreover, it is a goal that
everybody wish to stream to but might never be achieved in a
perfect form. Economic, social and environmental part of
sustainability might never be implemented in such a harmonized form
that the common effect would be synergetic.
When speaking about the transport system and its externalities,
usually the sustainability of the complex transport system lags
behind. The sustainability of the complex transport system is meant
to stream to:
- Environmentally friendly transport system that includes:
- A minimum use of landscape,
- A minimum possible damage to the landscape caused
byinfrastructural construction works,
- An optimum fitting of the transport infrastructure in the
natural environment,
- The friendliest transport services with all measured
externalities and maximum charges for polluters.
- Socially accepted transport system that includes:
- The most attractive transport system with the users being the
population or the industry.
- Both of them like the appropriate quality and quantity of
transport services at a reasonable price. These three parameters
can never be harmonized to achieve the maximum demand. At any time
we should search for the optimum that could at least partially
satisfy the society or the service operator.
- Both of them like to have public transport infrastructure close
enough to be available at any time but not to be a burden for the
expected living standard.
- Transport system with the infrastructure in place that would
preserve the ideal natural landscape and the human heritage.
- Economically available transport system that would in general
require the coverage of all costs borne by the transport services;
- The complete construction costs of the transport infrastructure
should be reflected in the final price, which is reflected through
the infrastructure charging fee at the final stage,
- The prices of the transport services should include all costs,
as well as the production cost with a minimum profit and the
optimal evaluation of the externalities deriving from its
realization.
Recently, the rational use of energy became an important
requirement, just like sustainability. When speaking about the
rational use of energy everybody should be aware of the following
issues:
- The transport system is mostly driven by the fossil fuels,
causing therefore:
- The green house effect
- Possible Future political independence due to fossil fuels
dependency
- The modern transport system should be oriented towards the most
rational use of energy with the lowest environmental
pollution.
Undoubtedly, the South Eastern Europe, in which the SEETAC
project is being implemented, has a unique alignment, being a
peninsula crossed by inland waterways, which is already one
prerequisite for a rational and sustainable transport system. The
data collection should help us understand the present transport
infrastructure on the main axis. Through the SEETAC project we
should identify the important industrial and/or population centres
where the important logistics centres or terminals are to be
located in future. Such terminals should also be considered
reasonable at the crossroads of important axis or at the junctions
of different transport subsystems (road/rail, water/road/rail,
etc). In addition, the motorways of the Sea identified in the
region should be analyzed through the aspect of the sustainable
transport system in SEE.
When all the above hypotheses are summed up, supported by the
database and consequent and consistent argumentation, it should be
possible to identify sustainable transport system in the region
that would present also the logical continuation of the Trans
European Transport system of the European Union.