Closing Gaps in the Passenger Transport Policy Framework

Numerous gaps and overlaps characterise the policy frameworks on emissions from passenger transport in Hungary, Lithuania, Poland, and Romania. This makes them ineffective and inefficient. The frameworks fail to adequately address the environmental and health-related costs of carbon-intensive modes of transport. Thus, they are not able to promote solutions that could contribute to cutting emissions and improving citizens’ quality of life. Furthermore, the frameworks do not adequately include other sectors such as urban planning, digitalisation or employment.

To achieve its goal, the project first conducted a comprehensive transport policy mapping for each of the selected countries using a Transport Emissions Disaggregation Tool (TEDi Tool). This allowed to quantify the impact of different drivers on emissions and to identify which measures contribute to emissions reductions while increasing low-carbon mobility options. On the basis of this assessment, the project provided recommendations on improving the policy frameworks. In doing so, it also relied on best practice examples from other countries, regions, and cities and adapted them to local circumstances. Furthermore, the project identified interlinkages with other policy areas, using inter-sectoral cooperation to support the transformation towards a net-zero passenger transport. Policy measures have to ensure participation of all stakeholders if they are to be accepted and considered relevant by society – therefore, the project made sure to involve local decision makers, mobility providers as well as representatives of civil society, academia, and industry into each step of the project.

• Interactive Transport Emissions Disaggregation Tool (TEDiT): The tool published as part of the project shows the main drivers of emissions in the mobility sector in the project countries for the first time. It enables the creation of emission reduction scenarios for the years 2030 and 2050. Emission reduction measures can be integrated into the scenarios as influencing factors. TEDiT is available in four languages and is already being used for environmental education in Hungary. 
• Exchange of expertise on sustainable passenger transport: The project provided an important impetus by initiating a broad discussion on solutions for sustainable passenger transport in all project countries. Around 400 stakeholders worked together in eight workshops, four seminars, two conferences and 27 bilateral meetings - including 148 government representatives, 39 representatives of non-governmental organisations and 14 scientists. This intensive exchange resulted in concrete solutions for reducing transport emissions, which brought together different perspectives and laid the foundation for further measures in politics and administration. 
• Proposals for measures: As part of the project, country-specific packages of measures were developed to address policy gaps in passenger transport. The results are documented in four national short reports and a city report summarising possible measures to reduce transport emissions in ten cities. Due to their good readability and high practical relevance, these reports now serve as important sources of information and decision-making aids for political actors, administrations and interest groups planning concrete steps to reduce emissions in passenger transport.