The White Paper on Transport’s promotion of Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS), improved driving behaviour and better urban planning has been welcomed by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). However, the consumer body is warning that car drivers need certainty on future costs and infrastructure before committing to new technologies.

The European Parliament's Transport Committee is voting on the White Paper today (22 November 2011).

“Consumer support for new vehicle technologies has to be encouraged. Any threat of new mobility restrictions and higher costs down the line risks losing that support”, said Jacob Bangsgaard, Director General of the FIA Brussels office, which represents 100 Motoring and Touring Clubs and some 36 million motorists across Europe, as well as the Middle East and Africa.

“New technologies like electric vehicles will only be a success if we tackle the barriers to consumer uptake such as the need for a standardised recharging infrastructure and an improved mobility system”, according to Mr Bangsgaard.

As a step in the right direction towards promoting sustainable mobility, the FIA welcomes the report’s focus on better understanding users’ behaviour as a means of improving transport efficiency. “One of the main drivers of improved efficiency will be the application of information technology to mobility. In this framework, it will be crucial to test and facilitate users’ acceptance and concerns regarding data security, standards, liability and reliability,” said Mr Bangsgaard.

On the White Paper’s provision for compulsory Urban Mobility Plans, he added, “Better planning and infrastructural measures, as well as the full application of new Intelligent Transport Systems, should be used to alleviate traffic problems in cities, not additional charges or restrictions”.

Notes to the Editor:

The FIA Brussels Office

The FIA Brussels Office represents 100 Touring and Motoring Clubs in the European Union, as well as Africa and the Middle East, which total more than 36 million members. The FIA represents the interest of these members as motorists, public transport users, pedestrians and tourists.

The FIA’s primary goal is to secure a mobility that is safe, affordable, sustainable and efficient. With these aims in mind the work focuses on Road Safety, Consumer Protection, Environmental Protection, and the promotion of Sustainable Motoring.

2011 White Paper on Transport

On 28 March 2011, the European Commission adopted a new White Paper on Transport - the ‘Roadmap to a Single European Transport Area – Towards a competitive and resource efficient transport system’. The proposal is scheduled to be voted on by the European Parliament (EP) Transport Committee on 22 November 2011 before a vote in the EP Plenary Assembly on 13 December 2011. The responsible rapporteur for the report is Belgian MEP, Mr Grosch Mathieu (EPP).

The White Paper aims for a transformation in Europe's current transport system. By 2050, key goals include:

• No more conventionally-fuelled cars in cities.

• 40% use of sustainable low carbon fuels in aviation; at least 40% cut in shipping emissions.

• A 50% shift of medium distance intercity passenger and freight journeys from road to rail and waterborne transport.

• All of which will contribute to a 60% cut in transport emissions by the middle of the century.

More Information

For more information please contact Niall Carty, Communications Manager, FIA Region I: ncarty@fia.com (Tel: 0032 2 282 0812 or 0032 486 650 216).