Acceptance does not happen by chance:
ingredients for a successful transport recipe
Projects & Reports
Propositions
Federal transport policy enjoys a high level of acceptance within the voting population. Direct democracy has proved itself superior to the political systems of Germany or the Netherlands in this area. Nevertheless, new models of cooperation are needed for the future.
Compared to other political fields, administrative bodies' transportation policies have been extraordinarily successful with voters. Over the last two decades the population has rejected the Federal Council's and the Parliament's proposals in just 2 of 27 referenda (the coordinated transport policy and the Alpine initiative). The NRP 41 also found above-average success rates in 102 transport policy polls in individual cantons. The level of support from the Federal Council, from political parties, and from relevant associations is the most important success factor. The skilful combination of main and subordinate objectives, and the "pre-determination" of issues by opinion forming, is also important. Regional differences in the level of public acceptance are also greatly influenced by opinions on subjects such as Europe, the environment, and personal freedom.
The general principles of Federal transport policy, supported by the population and the authorities, favour increasing the attractiveness of public transport - as long as it is economically feasible, regionally balanced and is supported by European policy - and are against restrictions on private road transport. The instruments of direct democracy have proved themselves, as stringent and sustainable solutions can usually be found. A comparison with Germany and the Netherlands shows that other interesting models might also be applicable to Switzerland: agreements between the government and industry, as in the Netherlands, for example, could also be feasible.D12/D13
The path to a socially acceptable mobility policy that adheres to the conditions of sustainability also requires an examination of the quality of the political process. One important element is a systematic evaluation of traffic policy measures. The costs, benefits and further impacts of transport projects are generally assessed in advance. Systematic subsequent assessments, so-called ex-post evaluations, of the outcomes of policy measures are much rarer. Not only are such evaluations required by the new Federal Constitution, in force since 1 January 2000, they are also important for the optimisation and transparency of measures. In the future, important measures for transport policies should undergo systematic subsequent evaluation. The transport department's Secretariat General should coordinate these activities in cooperation with a strategy group. The federal offices should commission independent institutes to carry out individual evaluations.D14
| S8 | Repères pour une mobilité durable; Synthèse
du PNR 41 "Transport et environnement", aspects politiques, scientifiques
et mise en œuvre (Global Synthesis: the views of policy, science and
implementation) |
| D12 | Akzeptanz der schweizerischen Verkehrs- politik bei Volksabstimmungen
und im Vollzug (Acceptability in votes) |
| D13 |
Akzeptanz einer nachhaltigen Verkehrs- politik im politischen
Prozess (Acceptability: the political process) |
| D14 |
Evaluationskonzept für die schweizeri- sche Verkehrspolitik
(Evaluation of transport policy measures) |
| M18 |
Perspectives pour la législature en politique des
transports (The transport policy agenda for the coming years) |
| T1 |
La CGST a 20 ans (20 years of the Integral Concept for Transport;
Conference 27.11.1997) |
In order to pinpoint their impact and allow for improvements and learning processes, the independent evaluation of transport policies should be institutionalised and carried out systematically.
Increase the benefit of applied research through coordination
Even after NRP 41 is wound up, numerous aspects of applied transport research should continue to be closely coordinated and placed at the service of a sustainable transport policy.
Network research more closely
Transport research in Switzerland should network more, at a national and especially an international level (particularly with EU research, which is gaining in importance). A concentration of resources could be necessary.
Reinforce the debate on sustainable transport
The implementation of a sustainable transport policy requires a basic social consensus, which in many areas does not yet exist, and which must be actively encouraged by reinforcing dialogue. The government could take the initiative here.
Reinforce public acceptance through new models of participation
Acceptance of sustainable transport policy measures must be improved at all stages: when formulating policy, in making decisions and in enforcement. For example, new models that include the principal players (e.g. panels, agreements, etc.) could be increasingly used without watering down the enforcement of clear decisions.