Title: Beyond best-practices: Closing the gaps in the passenger transport policy framework
Funder: European Climate Initiative (EUKI), dependant on the German Ministry for Environment (BMUB) and the German Development Agency (GIZ); Lead: Climate Analytics, Germany
Value: EUR 130,000
Timeframe: 2020 – 2023
The main output of this project, whose lead is Climate Analytics, will consist of the Transport Emissions Disaggregation Tool (TEDiT) in partner countries: Romania, Lithuania, Hungary and Poland. The tool will be the basis for a comprehensive assessment of the passenger transport sector in the selected countries. One version reflecting the specific data for each of the countries will be prepared. In addition, a generic version of the tool with dummy but changeable numbers will be published to allow stakeholders from other countries to use it for their policy assessment.
The project will contribute to climate protection in the form of a significant reduction in emissions from passenger transport while at the same time increasing citizens’ access to mobility and quality of life. These impacts will be the result of the following developments that will be facilitated by project outcomes:
- The policy framework affecting passenger transport in the selected countries will be more effective and efficient as a result of closing the policy gaps and decreasing policy overlaps;
- Policy decisions resulting in shifting investment from high to low intensive modes of transport combined with internalization of the costs of emissions intensive modes of transport, will instigate shift from individual car ownership towards railway, zero emissions buses, cycling and walking,
- By facilitating interconnections between different modes of low carbon transport will increase mobility especially in rural areas;
- Air and noise pollution will decrease due to decreased role of combustion-powered vehicles;
- Availability of public space in the cities will increase as a result of shift away from individual car transport.
The co-benefits of the measures aiming at emissions reduction, such as increasing mobility options, improved air quality, accessibility of public space, and financial benefits offer the potential to decrease the opposition to the changes, thus weakening path dependency. Increasing acceptance resulting from the co-benefits will trigger a virtuous cycle that will accelerate change in the four countries and ten cities targeted in the project.
Due to the similarities with the neighbouring countries and high levels of mobility between the selected countries and other countries of the region the recommendations will also be applicable to the other countries of the region, thus enhancing the project’s impact on emissions reduction beyond the countries targeted in the project.
