Pointers towards sustainable mobility
We formulated the objectives ofour transport policy in 1997 in the Programme
portrait of the National ScienceFoundation's "Transport and Environment"
research programme (NRP 41): - the protection of human health and our natural resources
- the conservation of the social achievements of mobility
- an economical use of public funds
- coordination with European transport policy
Today we can say that the "think-tank" has fulfilled our expectations ofmaking a scientific contribution towards sustainable transport policy. Ithas shown how our demands for mobility can be satisfied efficiently and ina more environmentally friendly way through appropriate organisational andtechnical measures.
In addition, several NRP 41 studies show us why, in many cases, purely technical solutions are inadequate: in our ecosystem and in our confined geographical space we often come up against borders that do not allow a further extension of the infrastructure and additional traffic. In the future, if we wish to design our mobility along sustainable lines, we will reach these limits at an even earlier stage. We must therefore start to engage in a social dialogue about perspectives on and the purpose of our mobility, in order to develop fair, acceptable and well-founded criteria and methods for distributing this scarce resource.
Two key terms, investigated by NRP 41 in numerous examples, are the polluter-pays principle and true costs. These principles are essentially uncontested, but their application is more controversial. Research cannot save us from having to decide whether we want to introduce a measure or not. Road pricing inconurbations, Swissmetro and combined mobility are some buzzwords that willoccupy us in the coming years, and for which NRP 41 provides some foundations.Although science shows us possible ways forward, it does not make our decisionsfor us.
Transport policy cannot get by without compromises, and I know that these are particularly frustrating for researchers, who then feel their signposts have been ignored. The NRP 41 expert group and the Programme's management did not want simply to accept this. They have striven to make their scientific reports better known to specialists in the administration and business, as well as to a broader population - through conferences, press work, patient discussions in transport committees, and in Synthesis Reports. The present brochure further documents the success of these efforts: as a short and understandable summary of the most important results of NRP 41 it contributes to research moving out of the ivory tower in order to influence political decisions.
I hope that this effort pays off, that it fosters acceptance for the research and its results, that NRP 41 makes its mark on policy, and that it accompanies us for some time yet on the path to sustainable mobility.
Moritz Leuenberger,
President of the Confederation
Head of the Federal Department of Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications
The National Research Programme "Transport and Environment, InteractionsSwitzerland/Europe" (NRP 41) aimed to become a think-tank for sustainabletransport policy. It was launched by the Federal Council at the end of 1995,to improve the scientific basis on which Switzerland's traffic problems mightbe solved, taking into particular account our growing interconnection withEurope, ecological limits, and economic and social needs.
NRP 41 was based on 54 research projects. It was divided into six thematic modules, covering a great diversity of topics, from new forms of mobility in passenger transport, through economic instruments, to the analysis ofnew technologies such as Swissmetro.
The Swiss National Science Foundation funded this programme with CHF 10 million. Interested partners (Federal Offices, cantons, cities, transport companies) also supported many projects to the tune of about CHF 1.8 million. More than 100 transport specialists accompanied the project in twenty support groups.
The result is about 100 reports, volumes of materials and conference proceedings, seven Synthesis Reports, a Global Synthesis and finally, summarising about 16,000 pages of text: the present popular version.