Overview
Since 2002, the European Road Transport Research Advisory Council (ERTRAC) has been an open forum for all relevant stakeholders in road transport research. The SAFIER project provided common agreements on scenarios for the sectors urban mobility, long-distant transport, road transport safety, environment and energy, global competitiveness, and enabling technologies.
SAFIER built strategies for implementing a step change in the road transport sector (and more widely within the transport and energy sectors) by providing objective, consensus-based plans for the European Technology Platform ERTRAC.
ERTRAC's crucial contribution towards establishment of the European Research Area and achieving the Lisbon goals (addressing key economic, technological, environmental and societal challenges for road transport) would be continued. SAFIER supported the development of transport specific innovations that would provide step changes into efficiency and cleanness in the next 20 years and beyond.
SAFIER led to a radical change in the R&D stimulation of breakthrough transport technologies and concepts. All relevant parties involved considered new approaches and models for implementing radically new solutions (both in technology and ways of thinking) that would overcome the key challenges and in particular would address the impact on, and of, climate change and overcoming energy dependence.
Topics like urban mobility and long distance transport were discussed in an integrated way together with other transport modes. Industry and public authorities used the outputs of SAFIER to shape their R&D strategies to prioritise on areas of consensus and to coordinate research activities.
The SAFIER project demonstrated to decision makers that action is possible when it comes to addressing the climatic, energy, mobility, safety, and global competitiveness challenges facing Europe.
Funding
Results
The SAFIER Project Working Groups came to the following conclusions regarding the four strategic research priorities set out by ERTRAC:
1) Energy and Environment:
The SAFIER Project concluded that environmental pollution will decrease due to improvements in transport technology and consumer awareness. Increase in fuel efficiency, choice of fuel, as well as non-technological improvements to vehicles and infrastructrure will also lead to more energy efficient transport. Economic growth will therefore depend on a more complex and diversified transport system which should also contain elements for early detection and mitigation of barriers against the introduction of new technology.
2) Urban Mobility:
With respect to urban mobility the SAFIER Project concluded that current patterns of urban mobility will change due to technological innovation. Personal mobility will be affected by a greater choice in transport vehicles and the development of better information systems. At the same time, personal mobility will be limited by financial and spatial constraints, which will be dealt with by public authorities introducing demand management schemes such as targeted pricing policies. The need for collective transport will increase due to demographic changes in populations, which again will make it necessary to increase expenses for collective transport. At the same time, technological innovation will facilitate the access to public transport as well as increase comfort and efficiency levels.
3) Long-Distance Freight Transport:
The long-distance freight transport system will in the future be better integrated. Changes in ways of handling external costs as well as changes in handling logistics, will have a positive effect on the capacity, flexibility and efficiency of this type of transport. At the same time, it will be affected by changing trading patterns, and Europe will in the future turn more towards its neighbours in the east for trade. The infrastructure of these neighbours is worse than that of current major European trading partners. Consequently, a lot of investment will be needed to improve the infrastructure of the trading routes with eastern trading partners. Within Europe, the main way of conducting this type of transport will in the future still be by road. New construction materials for building roads as well as improved cooperation between States and new techniques for traffic management, will be necessary for the European long-dist
Innovation aspects
The assessment of how new transport system technologies and improvements will change our approach towards transport in the future.
Policy implications
There will be a need for EU Member States to voluntarily adopt new policies allowing for the development of new vehicles, infrastructure and technology.
Different types of policies (e.g. environmental policies, urban development policies, land use policies) will become more integrated.
Due to spatial and financial constraints on the possibility for growth in urban mobility, EU Member States will have to introduce demand management schemes.
Policy developments on the internalisation of external costs will affect freight transport considerations.
After 2030, new pan-European strategies will need to be introduced regarding long-distance freight transport.
Strategy targets
1. An efficient and integrated mobility service: Development of new strategies for a better integrated Single European Transport Area, as well as strategies for improving road transport safety.
2. Innovating for the future, technology and behaviour: Development of policy recommendations paving the way for new technology to change the behaviour patterns of actors in the transport system.
3. Modern infrastructure and smart funding: Foreseeing the development of better integrated infrastructure and information systems, as well as an increase in private funding of infrastructure related projects.