Are we there yet? A comparison of transport in Europe:
Phase 1
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Executive summary
This report is a revision of the European Best Practice 2006 Update Final Report which was
submitted to the Commission for Integrated Transport in April 2006. The revision was
requested in light of a new release of data (2005) from one of the main sources used in the
study, Eurostat's EU Energy & Transport in Figures. CfIT requested Atkins to update a
number of key figures and tables presented in the April 2006 report, using the newly
released data. The results of this update, together with a commentary on findings, have
been integrated within this report. Table 1.1 in the Introduction shows where changes have
been made to the April version of the report to produce the current version.
The UK government's 1998 White Paper marked a new commitment to integrated and
sustainable transport in the UK. Government spend on transport increased from
approximately £5 billion in 1997/98 to £7 billion by 2001/02 and rose to nearly £9 billion by
2002/03.
This update of the Commission for Integrated Transport's 2001 report on European Best
Practice provides an opportunity to understand what progress was made in the early years
following the 1998 White Paper. New data sets make it possible to examine changes at a
national level typically for the period to 2002. For cities, the data is available up to 2001
only. However, a shift to a more integrated approach to transport at a local level was
emerging in many of our cities during the latter part of the 1990s and hence this update
provides some indication of the progress of a selection of UK cities relative to other cities
elsewhere in Europe.
Inevitably difficulties with obtaining reliable data and reconciling unexplained differences
require the data analysis to be treated with caution. Five years on it is disappointing that
data sets for benchmarking of transport outcomes both in the UK and across Europe are not
more advanced and more readily available to policy makers.
Increased car ownership and mobility
Continued economic growth across Europe has seen increases in car ownership and the
amount people travel. Car ownership (cars per thousand population) has increased by
9 percent across the EU15 and by 11 percent in the UK over the period 1998 to 2002.
Whilst this increase in the UK is higher than countries such as Germany, France and Italy,
the overall level of car ownership in the UK remains below these countries.
Walking and cycling in the UK is still low compared to most other countries in the EU15. A
one percent increase in walking levels per capita over the period 1995 to 2000 is notably
lower than in France (a 4 percent increase). Cycling per capita has decreased in all
countries over the same period with the 2 percent decrease in the UK typical of that seen in
many countries across Europe.
Economic and transport convergence
Policies aimed at reducing the disparity between member states have contributed to the
greatest increases in economic growth, car ownership and travel occurring in those countries
below the EU average in terms of gross domestic product.
These countries have also seen the greatest increase in new transport infrastructure
investment.
Similarly the New Member States have experienced above average increases in car
ownership, investment in roads and, in most cases, car use, with a decline in their
dependence on public transport.
Reducing car dependence
The UK continues to have the greatest reliance on car relative to public transport use with a
car mode share of 85 percent. This reflects a level of travel by car broadly equivalent to the
European average but a lower use of public transport.
Despite a continued increase in car ownership, public transport use has increased faster
than car use due to an increase in rail travel. There is therefore the prospect that we are
starting to see greater genuine choice of mode being exercised in the UK.
Only four other countries are showing a similar pattern of public transport use increasing
faster than car use. Other countries, particularly those with faster rates of economic
development are showing much higher rates of growth in car compared to public transport
use.
In 2001 about half of all trips in London were by car with about 20 percent by public transport
and just under 30 percent by walk and cycle. Car and powered two wheeler mode shares in
Barcelona, Paris and Berlin remain slightly lower. In Manchester and Glasgow, however, car
mode share in 2001 is over 65 percent and higher than in comparable cities such as Lyon,
Copenhagen, Munich and Vienna.
There is some evidence that we are starting to decouple the growth in travel demand from
economic growth. In the EU15 only the UK, Ireland, Netherlands and Luxembourg have
achieved a rate of growth in car travel less than GDP growth over the period 1998 to 2002.
The relative cost of public transport use
The UK continues to capture a much greater proportion of public transport operating costs
from users than other European countries and cities.
Partly as a consequence, the cost of public transport use remains higher in the UK. A
monthly public transport pass in London is twice that in Paris, Barcelona and Madrid. The
cost of making a trip by car compared to public transport is typically double in UK cities
whilst for other European cities, lower public transport user costs means the costs of
travelling by car is typically over three times and potentially ten times the cost of using public
transport.
The cost of motoring in the UK is higher with fuel prices higher in the UK than in all other
EU15 countries other than Portugal. Furthermore, in the 7 years to 2002 fuel prices in the
UK have increased by more than any other EU15 country. Parking costs in London are
typically two to three times that in other comparable cities. Manchester and Newcastle tend
to be higher than average and Glasgow broadly in line with comparable cities.
Overall using a car compared to public transport remains relatively cheap in the UK cities
when compared to cities elsewhere in Europe.
Progress on priority outcomes
Congestion
There remains little useful data on which to compare congestion levels at both a city and
national level. Whilst some cities (e.g. Copenhagen, Berlin and Paris) achieve higher road
speeds at similar or greater levels of traffic density (traffic flow per kilometre of road)
compared to UK cities, this in itself is not a reliable guide to congestion levels.
Demand management through parking charges (as noted above) appears to be more
advanced in UK cities, although further work will be necessary to determine how this
correlates with congestion levels and traffic densities.
Road safety
The UK continues (along with Sweden) to have the lowest exposure to fatalities. Over the
last four years the UK has reduced the fatality risk and exposure by 1 percent compared to
13 percent across Europe.
The greatest national reductions in fatalities tend to be in those countries with higher than
average rates of fatality, suggesting that other countries are being effective in introducing
best practice from other countries such as the UK. Exposure to road traffic fatalities in the
New Member States is nearly three times that for the EU15. Exposure to injury is also
higher.
The UK's exposure to injury accidents is above the European average and over the last four
years we have achieved only an 8 percent reduction compared with an average 14 percent
reduction across Europe.
Pedestrian fatalities in the UK, despite reducing by 11 percent between 1996 and 2003, are
now slightly above the EU15 average. Sweden and Denmark have made more progress
than the UK over recent years despite having lower levels to start with. Hence, there is
considerable merit in the UK looking to these countries for best practice.
Emissions
Over the period 1996 to 2003 the UK has seen a reduction NOx and NMVOC emissions.
This reduction has, in both cases, been greater than that achieved across Europe as a
whole.
However, CO2 is still rising in most countries including the UK. Whilst the UK increase is
less than the European average, Germany experienced a reduction.
Polluting emissions per capita from transport in London are lower than in all other
comparable cities included in the survey and nearly a third the level in Paris. Manchester
and Glasgow have lower levels than Lyons and Copenhagen but are higher than Vienna and
Budapest. Newcastle has lower levels than all other comparable cities surveyed including
Nantes, Marseilles and Stuttgart.
Accessibility and social inclusion
There is little comparative data available that enables the UK and cities to be compared with
other European countries and cities in terms of accessibility and social inclusion. All cities
appear to be making progress towards fully accessible public transport and free or
concessionary fares for the young, elderly and disabled.
In pursuit of best practice
The analysis of the latest data provides an update to the earlier European Best practice
research in terms of the comparison between transport determinants, outputs and outcomes.
The comparisons, in themselves do not however, provide evidence as to why countries and
cities are performing better or worse than others. The 2001 study, therefore, undertook case
studies in those cities showing the greatest promise in terms of delivery of integrated
transport. A similar exercise is necessary to explain some of the key differences exposed by
this latest research. Indeed the Commission has already undertaken research on world
cities through a case study approach and in parallel with this update is exploring areas of
interest.
The analysis undertaken in this latest research indicates that the UK and some of its major
cities are performing relatively well on safety and emissions. There is some evidence to
suggest that the UK has made some progress on halting an increasing dependence on car
use and decoupling traffic growth from economic productivity growth. It is unclear as to how
much this can be attributed to integrated transport policies, a general increase in funding
(note London has invested more in transport per capita in 2001 than other comparable cities,
whilst Manchester and Glasgow invested far less in public transport than comparable cities)
or indeed lessons learned from the earlier European Best Practice research.
Inevitably there are areas where the UK can still make ground on and/or learn from its
European counterparts:
- Continued reduced reliance on car use - learning from Sweden and the cities of Berlin,
Barcelona, Munich and Vienna;
- Increased reliance on walking and cycling - learning from Denmark and cities of Berlin,
Munich, Copenhagen and Graz;
- Funding of public transport - ascertaining to what extent the much greater level of
revenue support provided for urban public transport in cities such as Paris, Rome,
Stockholm, Vienna, Lyons, Nantes, Stuttgart and Brussels is as a result of stronger
regional and city-wide co-ordination and revenue raising powers;
- Reducing road traffic injuries as well as fatalities - learning from Netherlands, Ireland,
France and Denmark;
- Reducing pedestrian fatalities from road traffic accidents at a faster rate - learning from
Sweden, Denmark, Germany and France;
- Further investigation on comparative investment levels.
A separate commission is currently exploring these lines of research.
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