Report on. Sustainable urban mobility in the Mediterranean

Transcription

1 5th plenary session Tangiers, 24 February 2014 Report on Sustainable urban mobility in the Mediterranean The Committee of the Regions is the EU's assembly of regional and local representatives ARLEM secretariat - Rue Belliard/Belliardstraat Bruxelles/Brussel BELGIQUE/BELGIË Tel Fax arlem-secretariat@cor.europa.eu EN

2 - 1 - This report has been drawn up by Karim Bennour, the President of the People's Assembly of Algiers province (DZ), and was adopted at the 5th ARLEM plenary session, held in Tangiers on 24 February 2014.

3 - 2 - Introduction During their first meeting in Marrakesh in December 2005, the Euro-Mediterranean transport ministers announced their intention to create a Euro-Mediterranean transport network. The Joint Declaration issued at the inaugural Summit of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) held in Paris on 13 July 2008, included transport and urbanisation amongst the areas for cooperation. At the UfM's first Ministerial Conference on Sustainable Urban Development, held in Strasbourg in November 2011, the ministers stressed the importance of ensuring balanced and sustainable planning and development for cities and regions and prioritising a sustainable development approach. They called on the authorities of each UfM Member State to rely more on local and regional authorities for the preparation, adoption and implementation of a comprehensive and integrated sustainable urban and spatial development strategy 1. Indeed, as the UN Secretary-General's High Level Panel responsible for the Post-2015 development programme has observed, given current urbanisation rates and scenarios, "the battle for sustainable development will be won or lost in our cities". In order to combat climate change, the Panel has also advocated a shift towards the development of more sustainable transport infrastructures. As far as transport is concerned, the projects that have hitherto received UfM backing include not only major infrastructure projects - such as the Jordan rail network and the completion of the central section of the trans-maghreb motorway - and the LOGISMED logistics training activities, but also the Urban Projects Finance Initiative (UPFI), which aims to identify a number of transport-related sustainable urban development projects that could qualify for backing and funding from the UfM and be implemented in the short term. In the Ministerial Declaration from the UfM's first Ministerial Conference on Transport, held in Brussels on 14 November 2013, urban transport was identified as one of the five areas where Euro- Mediterranean cooperation would be appropriate. It was this ministerial conference that laid the groundwork for this ARLEM report. The purpose of this report is to identify the fundamental characteristics of mobility in the countries of the Mediterranean, to draw attention to the challenges involved in developing sustainable mobility in the southern and eastern Mediterranean countries in particular, to highlight key aspects of the possible initiatives and, lastly, to issue recommendations for local and regional assemblies, the UfM and the European Union with a view to reversing what seems to be a pronounced emerging tendency to think in terms of non-sustainable forms of mobility in the countries within the region. 1 In its work on urban development, ARLEM has highlighted the challenges facing local and regional authorities as a result of the inadequacy of the transport network and increasing car use (ARLEM Report on Urban Development in the Countries of the Mediterranean Basin, rapporteur: Khalid Al-Hnaifat, Mayor of Grand Tafilah, Jordan, adopted at ARLEM's 2nd plenary session, held in Agadir on 29 January 2011, CdR 62/2011). Pursuant to the Statement of Intent between ARLEM and the UfM secretariat, signed at the ARLEM plenary session on 18 February 2013, urban development is included as one of the areas for cooperation.

4 Mobility in the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean - the current state of play Urban mobility is a cross-cutting issue and one that is particularly difficult to address in that it goes far beyond the parameters of managing the organisation of urban transport systems. A number of different factors need to be taken into account when looking at urban mobility, including: how the urban space is structured, the distribution of housing and other activities, how people live, how they travel and, lastly, the transport system itself (for example, what is available, the quality of the service, costs and prices). The northern and southern shores of the Mediterranean have a number of dynamics in common when it comes to urban mobility. Both are experiencing urban sprawl, metropolisation, urban congestion, a reliance on fossil fuels and pollution. However, there are also significant differences between them. In the North of the Mediterranean, although there is still considerable room for progress when it comes to achieving sustainable urban mobility, a process of change has begun and things are evolving in a positive direction, thanks, in particular, to improvements in urban planning, the development of public transport and support for sustainable practices (such as "soft" modes of transport and car-sharing). Conversely, in the southern and eastern Mediterranean, the situation is delicate, in the sense that (from a sustainable development perspective) it is characterised overall by major problems in relation to mobility and urban transport. As a consequence, this report will focus on mobility in the countries in the South and East of the Mediterranean. The current situation in the region has been analysed in a number of works 2. In addition to these sources, the rapporteur has also drawn on the responses to a questionnaire sent out to ARLEM members References include: Codatu/World Bank "Urban Transport in the Mediterranean Region: Guidance and Recommendations". - Regional Seminar on Urban Transport in the Mediterranean Region. Skhirat, Morocco, January 22-23, 2008; The Blue Plan: "A sustainable future for the Mediterranean: The Blue Plan's Environment and Development Outlook" Sections on Transport and Cities. Regional activity centre of the Mediterranean Action Plan (MAP) of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). Sophia Antipolis, July 2006; Boubakour, Farès : "Les grandes orientations des schémas de transport terrestres au Maghreb : va-t-on vers des transports écologiquement viables?" [General guidelines for land transport plans in the Maghreb are we moving towards ecologically viable transport?]. Contribution to "The Blue Plan's Environment and Development Outlook". Regional activity centre of the Mediterranean Action Plan (MAP) of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). Sophia Antipolis, The following local authorities contributed to the drawing-up of this report: - Antakya Municipality (Turkey) - La Bastidonne Municipality (France) - Gaziantep Metropolitan Municipality (Turkey) - Giza Governorate (Egypt) - Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (Turkey) - Kebili Governorate (Tunisia) - Tizi Rached Municipality (Algeria) - Tulkarm Municipality (Palestine)

5 - 4 - The overall findings are as follows: The urbanisation rate in the Mediterranean countries, which stood at 64% in 2000, is set to rise to 72% by This high level of urbanisation and urban sprawl, concentrated along the coastline (due to its draw as a tourist destination) is leading to constant increases in demand for travel, both of people and goods, and this is happening against a background of inadequate urban planning controls. Populations (and the number of motorised vehicles) are growing at rates where urban infrastructure investments are unable to keep pace 5. This expansion in mobility has been largely based on small-scale transport and privately-owned vehicles. This is leading to network congestion which is, in turn, contributing to high economic costs (loss of time) and environmental and social costs (including health, impact on climate change, traffic accidents). Although there are some high-quality public transport systems (including the Algiers metro, the extension of the Cairo metro, the Tunis light metro and the many tram projects across the region), overall, the countries in the southern and eastern Mediterranean suffer from a lack of high-quality public transport: "In most Mediterranean cities, urban public transport does not provide satisfactory transport conditions in terms of comfort, regularity of service and safety. [...]: Thus, public transport still has a negative image" 6. Growing urban pollution caused by overuse of fossil fuels is having a very damaging impact on the environment and resulting in substantial and detrimental external effects, particularly in major cities. In particular, the sound and air pollution resulting from road traffic is having a devastating effect on public health and quality of life in cities. There is a pronounced general trend towards administrative centralisation and problems with governance and financing. More broadly, there are difficulties with the organisation of the urban transport market, which is frequently characterised by the absence of a (single) organisational authority. Although local and regional authorities are closest to the grassroots and would be in a good position to manage the shift to more sustainable urban mobility, they often have neither the administrative competences nor the human and financial resources that would enable them to do so Coudert, Elisabeth: Une approche régionale de la population et de l urbanisation en Méditerranée, rétrospective et projections à 2025 [A regional approach to population and urbanisation in the Mediterranean: retrospective and outlook to 2025]. In: Jean- Paul Carrière (ed.): "Villes et projets urbains en Méditerranée" [Cities and urban projects in the Mediterranean]. Presses universitaires François-Rabelais, 2002, p UN Habitat: Planning and Design for Sustainable Urban Mobility: Policy directions. Global Report on Human Settlements Nairobi Houpin, Sylvain: "Urban mobility and sustainable development in the Mediterranean: Regional diagnostic outlook" Blue Plan, Paper 9 Regional activity centre of the Mediterranean Action Plan (MAP) of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). Sophia Antipolis. Nice, November (03/12/2013).

6 - 5 - Access to the urban collective transport network is also a problem, in view of the inadequate coverage of the road network and the prohibitive prices that bar disadvantaged groups, often concentrated in outlying areas, from accessing it. Investments in urban mobility tend to focus predominantly on motorised transport, whereas walking is still traditionally the most widely used means of getting from place to place in the cities in the South and East of the Mediterranean. 7 Similarly, the potential of cycling is not being fully utilised. The trends outlined above are to be found in many of the Mediterranean cities that responded to the questionnaire. This is a worrying situation and one that is structural. There would appear to be a vicious circle that is difficult to break. 2. Issues and opportunities: challenges associated with sustainable urban mobility in the Mediterranean If current trends in urban mobility in the South and East of the Mediterranean continue, the situation will become untenable. In view of this, what are the various issues involved from the perspective of sustainable development? And what are the major economic, social and environmental challenges facing cities and regions? 2.1 The economic challenge: ensuring that local and regional economies perform efficiently One of the major challenges is undoubtedly that of encouraging economic development in the countries within the region by promoting growth and jobs, so as to enable living standards to rise and help those affected by poverty to escape from it. This goal will only be achieved if steps are taken to facilitate transport and mobility. The challenge is to find ways of making local economies perform better or, in other words, to ensure economic growth whilst avoiding a mobility explosion and in this way minimise its negative impact, particularly on the environment (green growth). Urban transport is also a significant source of jobs 8. Maintaining the status quo is expensive: the economic losses connected with congested traffic networks are estimated at around 5% of GDP, rising considerably as car use increases. 2.2 The social challenge: combating poverty and exclusion From a socio-economic point of view, the region is affected by transport poverty, affecting in particular people on low incomes, women and vulnerable people (young people, the elderly and people with disabilities and/or reduced mobility). Combating poverty effectively by encouraging the 7 8 UNEP/MAP/Blue Plan: Towards a Euro-Mediterranean sustainable urban strategy (EMSUS) within the framework of the Union for the Mediterranean. Diagnosis of the Mediterranean cities situation Contribution to the urban working group of the Secretariat of the UfM. January UN Habitat, op.cit.

7 - 6 - inclusion of disadvantaged population groups in public transport networks and catering for people with special needs will be vital measures for stability and justice. Sustainable mobility is also about giving everyone access to the transport network under acceptable conditions in terms of time and prices. However, making this happen requires solidarity. A taxation system, either local or national depending on individual circumstances, would be necessary to guarantee subsidies and reduce the share of the ticket price paid by the users of public transport. 2.3 The environmental challenge: Preserving the environment and improving the living environment for city dwellers The issue here is preserving the environment whilst at the same time ensuring the mobility necessary for and generated by economic and social development. Given that transport is responsible for a quarter of the world's energy-related carbon dioxide emissions, this clearly links into the global environmental challenge of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. In 2050, global emissions of carbon dioxide from motor vehicles might have tripled in comparison with However, per passenger greenhouse gas emissions from bus, train and tram travel represent a twelfth of those generated by cars 9. From a public health perspective, the high number of individual motor vehicles has led to an increase in road accidents. The corollary of local sound and air pollution is a reduction in life expectancy and a deterioration of the quality of life in cities in general. Repeated long-term exposure to high levels of ozone and particulates can lead to a reduction in lung function and cause asthma and other respiratory diseases. Lastly, motorised forms of transport and lack of exercise lead to obesity, which already affects around a quarter of the population in the countries in the South and East of the Mediterranean 10. A relative awareness of the issues connected with sustainable urban mobility is (gradually) growing in the region. There is manifestly a will to change. Hence, the major challenges which local and regional authorities will need to address in the immediate future and in the years to come are now becoming clear. What makes these challenges particularly complex for local and regional authorities is that developing sustainable urban mobility requires successful coordination of urban planning, housing and transport policy. Yet, integrated transport/urban planning approaches remain few and far between and sources of funding are scarce UN Habitat, op.cit. "Obesity in Mediterranean countries", IEMed Mediterranean Yearbook 2013, p /Map%20A.6%20Obesity%20in%20Mediterranean%20Countries.pdf (12/11/2013).

8 Promoting sustainable urban mobility in the Mediterranean: Flagship ideas and measures to be taken In the face of these major challenges, there is a need for a strategy for resolving the current problems and moving towards sustainable urban mobility. This strategy could be structured around a limited number of flagship ideas and include the measures described below. 3.1 Flagship ideas An integrated approach to urban policies and spatial planning is vital in order to ensure that initiatives to tackle congestion and environmental pollution in metropolitan areas are not negated by policies on, for example, urban planning and housing provision 11. It will be necessary to prioritise an integrated urban planning/mobility approach, in which urbanisation is structured around collective transport provision and high-density areas are concentrated around major travel routes. Urbanisation and urban sprawl should be managed, amongst other things, by better planning and implementation of programmes, and the issues of accessibility and sustainable mobility should be integrated systematically into all new construction projects. Ultimately, when it comes to transport, what counts the most is not mobility as such, but ensuring that people can get to their destinations and access activities, services and goods. In other words, "accessibility lies at the core of achieving an urban form that is environmentally sustainable, socially equitable and inclusive" 12. This means that, rather than focusing solely on building and expanding transport infrastructures, important though this may be, the issue of equitable access needs to be put at the heart of policy and action. In general, more importance should be given to users when designing public policy 13. Low-income groups must be able to access health care, household goods, education establishments, workplaces and social activities at affordable prices. Here, a forward-looking, integrated policy could help to reduce the distances people need to travel, improve accessibility, bring people closer to the places they need to reach and reduce zoning, in order to reduce travel demand and give the entire urban population better access to destinations and services. The consequence of this would be to lessen the environmental, social and economic impact of urban mobility. A paradigm shift of this order would require a move towards, "compact, mixed-use communities that dramatically shorten trip distances and improve pedestrian and bicycling infrastructure" 14. All stakeholders (i.e. the different tiers of government, transport companies, transport operators, the private sector and civil society, including users) must be involved in the management and development of urban mobility systems. High-quality collective transport should be developed and promoted and the requisite sources of funding mobilised for investment in transport and mobility Opinion of the Committee of the Regions on the Action Plan on Urban Mobility (rapporteur: Albert Bore) - CdR 256/2009 fin. UN Habitat, op.cit., p. 27. Houpin, op.cit. UN Habitat, op.cit., p. 60.

9 - 8 - management. (Although collective transport generally needs to be subsidised, when the environmental and social costs are factored in, it is actually more efficient than private cars. Indeed consideration should be given to internalising these costs). The move towards high-quality, safe, affordable and extensive public transport 10 will need to be accompanied by a change in its image. Cars, and sometimes motorbikes, are currently symbols of success and there will therefore need to be a longterm change of mind-set. Policies for rationalising the use of private cars should be developed (depending on the specific circumstances, these could include promoting collective transport, information and awareness-raising, urban and fuel tax, promoting natural gas, renewable energies or hybrid solutions), together with innovative approaches for ensuring that funding for collective transport, the running of transport authorities and the necessary subsidies are sustainable in the long term. In parallel, human resources and expertise should be produced in the areas of mobility and transport management to encourage the modernisation of transport systems whilst promoting sustainable forms of mobility (such as carsharing, collective taxis, "soft" modes of transport and eco-driving). Particular emphasis should be placed on fostering non-motorised forms of transport, such as walking and cycling, for instance, by establishing pedestrian zones, zebra crossings and cycle paths and ensuring that these "soft" modes of transport are taken into account in a structural way in planning and construction. 3.2 Existing projects and measures to be taken Although Euro-Mediterranean cooperation in the transport field focuses primarily on the "big" questions of regulatory reform and convergence in the maritime, road and civil aviation sectors, amongst others, and on the establishment of the future Trans-Mediterranean Transport Network (TMT-T), which is to be connected with the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) 15, the urban mobility aspect is being incorporated and this is to be welcomed. In 2012, the EU launched the land transport project "Road, Rail, Urban Transport" (RRU) with the aim of complementing the EuroMed's transport programme in the land transport area. Promoting sustainable and efficient urban transport is one of the aims of this programme, which covers Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon and Palestine. Under the CIVITAS 2MOVE2 project, launched at the beginning of 2013, concrete measures for improving urban mobility have been co-developed by the cities of Stuttgart in Germany, Brno in the Czech Republic, Tel Aviv-Yaffo in Israel and Malaga in Spain. In addition to these extremely useful projects, what structural, practical, educational and economic projects ought to be undertaken in order to implement the strategy described above? Structural measures: If local authorities are to be involved in a new way and participate more extensively, this might necessitate a change in the division of powers between local and central government, in so far as 15 Declaration of the UfM Ministerial Conference on Transport, 14 November 2013.

10 - 9 - meeting the challenges of urbanisation with respect to pollution, transport and waste management is concerned. More specifically, there might be a need for changes in internal procedures or legislative powers, with a possible transfer of the corresponding financial powers 16. With a view to involving local authorities in this way, twinning programmes and networking between local and regional authorities in the Mediterranean would need to be put in place. These exchanges of experience would then stimulate urban development 17. ARLEM is currently working on a pilot project aimed at building the institutional capacities of local and regional authorities in the South and East of the Mediterranean, with a view to its approval by the UfM. This project, which will focus on urban development, is part of the work being carried out in this area by the UfM and the renewed emphasis on this policy priority, which is to be the subject of a ministerial conference in Practical measures: In many cities and regions across the EU, the process of drawing up sustainable urban mobility plans has proved to be an excellent basis for discussing and implementing concrete measures for improving mobility in urban areas. For this reason, at their conference on sustainable urban development in Strasbourg in 2011, the Euro-Mediterranean ministers called on "each UfM Member [...] to promote an integrated approach within the urban policy by developing urban mobility plans favouring collective and soft modes of transport and encouraging modal shifts" 18. It is time to take action to make this a reality. The management of public policies in this area needs to be prioritised and targeted. Accordingly, when it comes to public policies for controlling urban sprawl and encouraging a dynamic of urban renewal, priority must be given to action by the public sector, before consideration is given to supply-driven approaches. These public sector measures must be structured and coordinated. In addition, given that regional transport networks are to a large extent linked with national networks, consideration must also be given to the overall action taken by each country to support sustainable urban mobility through public policies. Furthermore, state aid is vital to remedy the disparities and inequalities that exist between cities and regions. The public authorities, in partnership with the private sector, need to be encouraged to develop innovative technologies in the transport sphere, based on alternative energies (electricity, solar power etc.) These internal changes fall within the scope of the sovereign powers of each state. ARLEM report on urban development, op.cit. Declaration of the First Ministerial Conference of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) on sustainable urban development Strasbourg, 10 November 2011.

11 Multi-modal networks should be established, covering conurbations in their entirety, and coordinated by a single authority, with each mode of transport fully integrated according to its comparative advantages 19. Within cities, multi-modality could be developed by, for example, creating park and ride areas or introducing parking tickets that could also be used as tickets on public transport. Possible alternatives to private cars, such as collective transport, walking or two-wheeled transport - bicycles, motorbikes and scooters - should be made more attractive, safer and more efficient. Alternatively or in addition to this, private car use could be optimised by encouraging car sharing, which would free up road space and increase the number of passengers per vehicle. The introduction of reserved lanes (e.g. bus lanes), and clear and easy access to information about routes and timetables could contribute significantly to making public transport a more attractive option. There need to be good links between existing high-capacity systems (metro, train, express buses) and efficient additional services, to make full use of capacity. Educational measures: Education and training campaigns would make the public more aware of their behaviour with regard to modes of travel and road use. To this end and in order to make awareness-raising more effective, the campaign should begin by targeting young people, to ensure that good habits are developed early on. Awareness-raising campaigns, for example in local authorities or companies, could also help to improve the image of public transport. Ecologically friendly attitudes to mobility could be promoted, for example "ecological driving" which would save fuel. This approach to driving should be encouraged by driving schools or as part of the training for professional drivers. Guaranteeing transparent information on the various existing urban development programmes, whether they stem from the public or the private sector. Economic measures: Reducing car dependency by developing a pragmatic approach aimed at selective regulation of car use. Here, various incentives could be considered, including an expansion of public transport, 19 Houpin op.cit.

12 fleet renewal, and adjustments to the road network, in conjunction with coercive measures, such as creating separate lanes for public transport, dissuasive parking policies or traffic restriction policies in the areas with the greatest density 20. Consideration could be given to ways of allocating adequate resources to collective transport (e.g. using land value gains connected with the new transport networks or revenues from advertising on urban infrastructure) when projects are designed. There should be balanced investment in all the various modes of transport. Even with relatively limited resources, a lot can be done to make soft modes of transport more attractive. From an economic point of view, informal minibus transport, which is widely used in many countries, is extremely advantageous and can be very flexible and efficient. 4. Recommendations Sustainable urban mobility represents a major challenge for our Mediterranean cities. In terms of the future outlook, efforts will need to be made on several fronts and appropriate strategies and action plans implemented in order to turn the strong emerging tendency towards non-sustainable development around successfully. Accordingly, ARLEM recommends that: urban mobility plans should be developed and implemented in all the UfM countries. The benefits of sustainable urban mobility plans have been recognised and there are now many such plans in EU cities which could be used as reference points and sources of inspiration for drawing up similar plans in the countries in the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean; more focus should be placed on urban transport in the next phase of the regional action plan for transport in the Mediterranean region, and matched by more substantial resources and resources; in view of the existing budgetary restrictions, a gradual approach should be adopted; Many costneutral or low-cost measures can already be put in place; priority should be given to investments in non-motorised modes of transport or affordable and acceptable public transport systems, which allow for equitable and sustainable use in the context of limited resources;. support should be provided for strengthening the institutional and budgetary capacities of regional and local authorities. ARLEM's pilot project, which is to be presented to the UfM to qualify for its support, is intended to contribute to this goal. 20 Houpin, op.cit.