Countries' perspectives on SOER 2015 - Transport cross-country comparison

Ireland

Smarter Travel is the transport policy for Ireland that sets out how the vision of a sustainable travel and transport system can be achieved. The Smarter Travel programme doesn't just set out a vision for better travel choices but also provides funding to provide information and improve facilities for cyclists, walkers and public transport users to develop ways to get Irish people to shift to smarter, more sustainable modes of travelling and to reduce reliance on the private car.

• Link to national indicator 1
• Link to national indicator 2
• Link to national indicator 3
• Other important link (e.g. national SOE website/report)

Italy

The indicator underlines a sharp reduction of passenger transport in Italy (about -12% between 2005 and 2012, fig.1). Italy has the highest reduction in Europe, moreover only 8 countries are reducing transport, while all the other 25 listed are increasing.

The above data reflect correctly national statistics, however half of this sharp reduction is due to a methodological update of the statistic regarding occupancy rates of private cars and does not reflect entirely the real change in transport trends. In the same period the estimate of total v- km run by cars and/or all passenger vehicles is decreasing only by about 6% and passengers transported by other modes of transport (excluding cars) are decreasing by about 2.6%.

The above findings do not change the measures outlined in the "prospects" part of the indicator, however it underline the need to be more cautious in cross country comparisons of data that are homogeneous only in recent years.

Netherlands

In the Netherlands the use of more sustainable transport modes of transport like bicycling is common practice. As a result good statistical data on non-motorized modes of transport is readily available. According to KiM Netherlands Institute for Transport Policy Analysis total mobility in (passenger) kilometres declined slightly from 185 in 2005 to 184.5 billion kilometres in 2012. In 2012 half of all trips in the Netherlands were undertaken by car, a quarter by bicycle, one in five by foot, and one in twenty via public transport. In passenger kilometres the share of non-motorized modes of transport is of course less, as it concerns mainly short trips. Of the total number of kilometres travelled in 2012 the car accounts for nearly three-quarters, public transport for 13 percent, and bicycles for 8 percent. Between 2005 and 2012, the reduction in number of kilometres travelled by car amounted to no more than 2%. As a result the modal split also changed slightly. Both public transport and non-motorized modes of transport increased by 1 percent in the 2005 – 2012 timeframe.

• Link to national indicator 1