Europäische Union INTERNATIONAL Internationales Verkehrswesen (75) 1 | 2023 39 Photo: Alexandre Lallemand / Unsplash New Mobility Patterns Study Insights into passenger mobility and urban logistics I n December 2022 the European Commission published the results of a broad study on new mobility patterns, unveiling the mobility choices of citizens across the EU, and how the urban logistics sector is developing in 16 cities. The survey showed that, on average in 2021, EU citizens travelled 27 km per day, for an average duration of 80 minutes. The predominant means of transport was the car, which was used for almost half of all trips. Excluding trips made by car, walking is the most popular way of moving around in most of the EU, with the Netherlands as a notable exception, where cycling is more popular. New mobility forms are gaining traction: ride-hailing (23%) and ride-sharing (12%) are attracting the most users, however they are generally used on an occasional basis. The results of the survey were influenced by the Covid-19 pandemic, which affected travel behaviour and restricted travel options. Indeed, 64% of respondents found that the pandemic affected their mobility. The targeted survey on urban logistics found that companies offering urban deliveries are more likely to own light goods vehicles (57%) than heavy goods vehicles (27%), with the remaining 16% owning both types of vehicle. Diesel-powered vehicles are popular across Europe, with the exception of a few cities. In Barcelona, 8% of light goods vehicles are hybrid diesel vehicles, while 53% are fully electric in Stockholm. This shows how local policies have enabled a shift to cleaner vehicles. Electric vehicles are mostly used for last-mile deliveries and smaller freight volumes, and deliveries by bike or powered two-wheelers have a very limited market share. According to the survey, companies planning to lower their emissions in logistics rely mainly on using collaborative transport and logistic centres, purchasing newer or alternative fuel vehicles or performing night-time deliveries. https: / / transport.ec.europa.eu/ transportthemes/ sustainable-transport/ sustainabletransport-studies_en New shipping fuel standards Reduce sulphur oxides in the Mediterranean by 80% T he European Commission welcomes the agreement reached by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to step up protection of the Mediterranean, with a considerable tightening of the rules on exhaust gases from ships. This designation of the Mediterranean Sea as an Emission Control Area for sulphur oxides (SECA) will eventually cut emissions of these gases by almost 80% and will also cut emissions of harmful fine dust (PM2.5) by almost a quarter, with large benefits for human health and the environment. Sulphur oxides are exhaust gases from ship engines that burn marine fuel containing sulphur. As well as harming human health, they also cause acidification of water and soil. The designation of the Mediterranean as an emission control area means that as of 1 May 2025, ships will be required to use marine fuel with reduced sulphur content. The permissible sulphur content of marine fuels will fall from the current limit of 0.5% to 0.1%. This drop should prevent at least 1,000 premature deaths per year and reduce new cases of child asthma by 2,000 every year. Estimates point to around 300,000 premature deaths each year that are attributable to air pollution in the EU, a situation the Commission is addressing through a major revision of its air quality legislation, as part of the Zero Pollution Action Plan. https: / / environment.ec.europa.eu/ news/ new-shipping-fuel-standards-reduce-sulp h u r a i r p o l l u t a n t s m e d i t e r r a nean-80-2022-12-16_en EU mobility update Selected mobility studies, guidelines, and new regulations in Europe INTERNATIONAL Europäische Union Internationales Verkehrswesen (75) 1 | 2023 40 New EU rules on dedicated airspace for drones enter into force E U rules establishing a dedicated airspace for drones known as the U-space became applicable, allowing operators to provide a wider range of services. The U-space creates conditions for both drones and manned aircraft to operate safely and will allow the industry to continue scaling up the market for the drone industry and services. The new rules shall notably help carry out more complex and longer-distance operations, particularly in low-level and densely operated airspace, and when out of sight of the remote pilot. Such operations can cover vital services, for instance the transport of medical samples, assistance to first responders at an emergency scene, but also remote infrastructure inspections. The Commission adopted the legal framework for this unmanned traffic management system in April 2021. It is a concept unique to Europe, having been first developed in 2016, demonstrating EU leadership in this field. The next steps will involve Member States designating their U-space areas and service providers as well as work on information exchange and navigation performance standards. These technological developments will gradually support the full implementation of the U-space by 2030, as envisioned by the Drone Strategy 2.0, and could lead to innovative air mobility services such as fully automated passenger transport services. Commissioner for Transport Adina Vălean said: “As demonstrated in our recently adopted Drone Strategy 2.0, drones are a clear part of the future transport and logistics landscape. There is vast potential when it comes to future cargo and delivery services, as well as other innovative applications, including drone flights with passengers on board.” https: / / transport.ec.europa.eu/ news/ neweu-rules-dedicated-airspace-drones-enterforce-2023-01-26_en New guidelines to assess safety of road infrastructure O n 16 January 2023, the European Commission put out guidelines on methodology for network-wide road safety assessments. Although not mandatory, these guidelines aim to help public authorities in EU Member States to carry out the safety assessments of their road networks as required under the Road Infrastructure Safety Management (RISM) directive. The guidance documents comprises a framework addressing both a reactive (accident based) and a proactive (feature based) safety assessment, covering issues such as the lane width, road curvature, design of junctions, roadside layout and potential conflicts between motorised vehicles and vulnerable road users. It also suggests a methodology for a common safety rating system for classification of the existing road network which should allow to rate each road section according to a 5-level scale. This would enable authorities to identify priorities for future actions and investment to address road safety concerns. In accordance with the RISM directive, Member States must carry out the first network-wide road safety assessment of Motorways and Primary roads by 2024, and regularly thereafter. https: / / road-safety.transport.ec.europa.eu/ document/ download/ 93e39cd2-9e71-4ee0- 8a8e-4de4fddaf068_en? filename=NWA- Handbook7.pdf Trans-European transport network Council paves way for greener, smarter and more resilient transport in Europe T he European Council agreed to enable the EU to push ahead with building a sustainable and smart trans-European transport network (TEN-T) that connects 430 major cities with ports, airports and railway terminals. The proposal will also strengthen transport connections with Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova to increase the capacity of the ‘Solidarity LanesSearch for available translations of the preceding’, used for imports and exports between both countries and the EU. The Commission’s proposal to revise the current TEN-T Regulation strengthens infrastructure requirements in view of achieving more efficient and sustainable transport services and of shifting passengers and freight towards more sustainable modes of transports. To this end, the revised Regulation requires, for example, that TEN-T passenger lines allow trains to travel at 160 km/ h or faster by 2040. It calls for more transhipment terminals, improved handling capacity at freight terminals, reduced waiting times at rail border crossings, and longer trains to shift more freight onto cleaner transport modes. All 430 major cities along the TEN-T network will have to develop Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans to promote zeroemission mobility, and to increase and improve public transport. Provisions to make the TEN-T more resilient to the effects of climate change are also included. And the Commission proposal reinforces the governance of TEN-T to assure the timely completion of the network - by 2030 for the core network, 2040 for the extended core network, and 2050 for the wider, comprehensive network. The agreement will form the basis of discussions between the Commission, the Council and the European Parliament. The Parliament is set to finalise its position at the beginning of next year, clearing the way to conclude the co-decision process and adopt the new TEN-T Regulation at the end of 2023. The new Regulation should be operational from 2024. https: / / transport.ec.europa.eu/ news/ transe urope a n-tra n s port-networkc ouncilagreement-paves-way-greener-smarterand-more-resilient-2022-12-05_en