GB No. 3(22)/96

TRANSPORT POLICY IN POLAND

In October 1994, the Ministry of Transport and Maritime Economy in Poland prepared a document entitled "Transport Policy". It is "an action aimed at transforming transportation into a system in line with the requirements of a market economy and the new conditions for economic cooperation in Europe". NGO's were not given this document for review through official channels.

The degree of agreement between the "Transport Policy" document and principles of sustainable development is unsatisfactory. "Transport Policy", in shaping the future structure of the transportation system does not take into account:

• critical loads on the environment by transportation;
• external costs of transportation;
• conditions resulting from land-use intensity, energy intensity, and the accident rate in transportation;
• the necessity to reduce the need for travel mileage (restrictions on demand for transportation, especially by car), and
• spatial policy conditions (development of the settlement network).

Apart from the weakness in not following the concept of sustainable development of transport, there was also some methodological incorrectness. First, the program of building the highways network was developed and approved, then the act about its realization was adopted. And only after that was the concept of transport policy accepted by the government. Consequently, the program of motorways network construction in Poland has imposed its solutions to governmental transportation policy, and has obstructed the adoption of new solutions.

ALTERNATIVE

It is vital that an alternative transportation policy, implementing the principles of sustainable development, is prepared for three reasons. Firstly, because of non-conformance to the principles of sustainable development. Secondly, significant conditions are not being taken into account. Thirdly, no other options for development of a transport system in Poland were developed.

The Institute for Sustainable Development in Warsaw (Poland) has started the work of the idea of an "Alternative Transport Policy in Poland", which is based on sustainable development criteria. The goal of this project is to provide the complete scenario for developing a pro-ecological transport system in Poland.

The objectives are as follows:

• reduce the need for travel
• reduce the absolute levels of car use and road freight
• favor less energy-hungry modes of transportation for both passenger travel and freight
• reduce vehicular emissions at their source (i.e. make engines cleaner and more efficient)
• encourage a change in the vehicle stock to reflect the goals of energy saving and lower toxic emissions
• improve the utilization of vehicles (i.e. increase car occupancy and the average load carried by goods vehicles)
• improve the safety of pedestrians, bicycles and all road users
• improve the attractiveness of cities and particularly their central areas for residents, workers, shoppers, travelers and visitors.

The work on the "Alternative Transport Policy in Poland" shall be executed by a team of authors and consultants, headed by Mr. Andrzej Rudnicki, Director of the Institute of Roads, Railroads and Bridges of the Cracov University and Chairman of the Transportation Commission of the Polish Ecological Club. Representatives of various interest groups shall be invited to critically examine the proposals. Their views shall be included in the published report.

The final version of the "Alternative Transport Policy" and the English translation will be printed at the beginning of the next year. The report will be the subject of a campaign being developed by the Polish Ecological Club as well as other environmental organizations.

IMPLEMENT ALTERNATIVES

What are the real possibilities of implementing our alternative solutions and convince the Polish government to use our report as a basis for the state transport policy?

It should be said, that the hope that it will succeed is very poor. The pro-motorization attitude of successive Polish governments has brought in negative effects. This threatens Poland with a repetition of errors committed by the countries of Western Europe, but in accelerated form.

Influential Western groups (governments, corporations, financial institutions) are forcing us into a trap of traditional transportation policy to their desire to export solutions maintaining their economies, especially in the realm of fuel and motorization. It is easy to notice that many Polish politicians are susceptible to the propaganda of Western financial and industrial circles.

Wojciech Baturo
Institure for Sustainable Development
Lowicka 31
Warszawa 02-502
Poland
tel. 48 22 646-05-10
e-mail: ine@ikp.atm.com.pl
reprinted from POLICY MATTERS, no.2
October 1996