SWOMM » Sustainable transport

SWOMM 2011 – Railways, Mountains and Environment

SaraM — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 10:00:28 +0000

Photo: Andrea Bianchini

Tuesday 13^th December 2011

Ministry for Infrastructures and Transport of Italy

The Scientific Workshop on Mountain Mobility and Transport

The seventh Scientific Workshop on Mountain Mobility and Transport (SWOMM) will take place on 13 December in Rome, at the Ministry for Infrastructures and Transport, EUR Headquarters (Viale dell’Arte N. 16). SWOMM 2011 is promoted by the Italian Ministries for the Environment and Transport and organized with the support of EURAC and the Mountain Partnership Secretariat.

The event is organized within the framework of Transalpine Transport Architects (TRANSITECTS), the project co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund, through the “Alpine Space” Programme. With a partnership of sixteen public and private bodies from Austria, France, Germany, Italy and Slovenia, TRANSITECTS is aiming at favouring intermodal solutions for the passage of freight traffics from road to rail, by improving the accessibility, the logistics and the existing infrastructures within the alpine area.

Over the alpine arch, due to the presence of steep slopes and narrow road corridors, the polluting emissions produced by vehicles for passenger and freight traffics are considerable, particularly in the valleys, and they cause damages to the vulnerable alpine ecosystems and the local population. The issue of alpine traffic overcomes the national borders and the EU countries are oriented towards the transfer, where possible, of transports from road to rail.

Inspired by the themes of the TRANSITECTS project, the SWOMM 2011 is aiming at examining the topic of rail transport in mountain areas and in particular in the Alps, by making reference not only to the freight but also to the passenger movements. The speakers, including managing directors of railway companies and experts coming from research centers as well as from administrations involved in the management of traffic flows and railways infrastructures in mountain regions, will meet to discuss and share their knowledge and experiences on the theme.

The SWOMM represents since 2005 an international occasion of exchange on themes related to transport in mountain areas. As every year, the event is organized in December to mark the celebration of the International Mountain Day (11 December) designated by the United Nations General Assembly.

The registration is compulsory for all attending participants.

Please fill in this registration form by 12 December at 12 a.m..

Furthermore, we kindly ask you to bring a valid identity document.

The MIT headquarters are close to the Metro Station EUR-Fermi (map). To get there by metro from Termini Station please take the B line towards the direction Laurentina.

Contacts:

SWOMM SCIENTIFIC SECRETARIAT

info@swomm.info

Agenda_SWOMM 2011_EN – (Final)

Programma_SWOMM 2011_IT – (Final)

Denmark for zero-emissions mobility

EleonoraC — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 12:20:18 +0000

Denmark is promoting the transition from conventional to electric mobility, thanks to an industrial agreement between Renault and the company Better Place.

Better Place is a company specialized in solving problems such as battery life and charging times. This kind of troubles posed by electric mobility harasses the drivers, even those who are more supportive of zero-emissions mobility.

Better Place has opened in these days the first service station in Europe, where you can quickly replace the battery of an electric car with another one fully charged. The station is in Gladsaxe, near Copenhagen, and it’s the first of the 20 stations that will arise in the whole Country during the next nine months, in collaboration with DONG Energy and over 45 municipalities.

The station is completely automated: during the few minutes required to change the battery with a mechanical arm, the driver can remain inside his car. The first test was performed with a Renault car, the electric one that Renault will commercialize by next autumn. Better Place explains that this technology of rapid replacement will eliminate the problem of autonomy, because the electric car can travel greater distances than those allowed by a single charge: about 160 km for Renault models coming to the market.

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Private money for public transport services in Shenzhen: New Deal in infrastructure finance in China?

RaffaeleV — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 11:58:33 +0000

The city of Shenzhen, one month before the beginning of the XXVI Universiade Games, took advantage of this event to expand its urban underground with 16 kilometres and 10 stations more. Shenzhen followed the examples of what done by Beijing for the Olympic Summer Games in 2008 and by Shanghai for the 2010 EXPO. However, in implementing such a project, the city followed an approach which is rather new for the country.

After having substantially neglected urban mobility issues for a long time when urban sprawl extended, a massive construction of new light railway and underground systems happened in more than 30 Chinese cities, with a growth of 50 percent in the number of subway carriages in China in the last year. In almost all the cases, the works are financed by government subsidies. Fares are generally cheap (starting from 2 yuan, corresponding to 0,31 dollars) and the services are clean and efficient. Nevertheless, from the economic point of view, none of the Chinese metro networks is profitable, highlighting losses of several millions of yuan.

Shezhen is experimenting a new way: the new Metro line 4 (costed some 6 billion yuan) is the first Chinese rail route fully funded by a private company, Hong Kong’s MTR Corporation, under the build-operate-transfer model. MTR tries to reply what it did in 1975 in Hong Kong, by proposing a financial model that blends railway operation with property development.

The rail operator is understood to be in talks with the authorities for the right to develop its 30-hectare depot at the Longhua station. According to MTR documents, 8 ha of the depot are reserved for property development: property prices in Longhua would have the potential to rise 60-70 percent in the next 5 years, to 40 thousands yuan per sqm, owing to the area’s improved accessibility. Moreover, the MTR will collect lease and advertising income from the 100 shops and 900 advertising boxes at the 15 stations on the route.

MTR has been granted a 30-year franchise for Line 4. This line, occupies the network’s most central location and provides interchanges for all lines and it will also link up with the future high-speed railway to Guangzhou and Hong Kong’s East Rail at Futian.

In any case, “government subsidies are expected to remain a major mode of financing public transport services on the mainland, but if the rail-plus-property model proves to be sustainable, the government will consider adopting it for other rail projects,” said one rail expert.

Next years to come will show whether this model may offer a more market-oriented alternative to general government subsidies and public investments in the building of new urban metro lines, creating opportunities for private investors to join this business and a more profitable future for the community.

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European towns to go on foot

EleonoraC — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 12:27:10 +0000

Many European cities are creating car-unfriendly environments, for instance by increasing the costs for driving. Another way to tilt the drivers towards more environmental-friendly transport means is that of hampering them to park. In fact, while there is always room for new shopping malls and apartment buildings in cities like Vienna, Barcelona and London, the number of parking spaces are being restricted, and the on-street parking is vanishing.

In the last few years, even former car capitals like Munich have evolved into “walkers’ paradises”. Pedestrians and trams are given priority treatment in Zurich: red lights have been added in close proximity on roads into town, and pedestrian underpasses have been removed. Operators in the city’s ever expanding tram system can turn traffic lights in their favor as they approach, forcing cars to halt.

Europe’s cities generally have stronger incentives to act: public transportation is better in Europe than in the United States, and gas often costs more, over 8 dollars a gallon. What’s more, the need for a cut in the emissions from transport is being seriously taken into consideration.

However, it is not easy to get people out of their cars. While the first step is that of providing efficient public transport, the strategy, which is proving to pay off, is that of making harder and more costly to park.

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The role of transport for urban liveability and economic growth

admin — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 09:15:30 +0000

The proceedings from the SWOMM 2009 and the Urban Mobility Report have been launched on the occasion of the XI^th Alpine Conference of the Alpine Convention, held on 8-9 March 2011 in Brdo, SLOVENIA.

The two publications focus on urban mobility in sensitive natural areas, providing suggestions on innovative means and policies to lower the environmental impact of road traffic. Having ambitious and effective transport projects is one of the key factors which define the urban liveability, says a survey carried out by the Economist Intelligence Unit in 2010 for the preparation of Report on urban liveability commissioned by Philips. When asked to nominate the first thing they would address if they were in charge of their city, most of the respondents (61%) picked transport and roads – above healthcare, the environment or any other issue.

The SWOMM 2009 and the Urban Mobility Report intends to contribute to the debate by investigating the theme of mountain mobility and transport, in particular with reference to alpine cities. The SWOMM 2009 publication is intended to present the main findings of the 2009 session of the Scientific Workshop on Mountain Mobility and Transport (SWOMM), where major experts from private and public sectors addressed in particular the theme of sustainable mobility in mountain towns. The event was organized by the Italian Ministry for the Environment, Land and Sea in agreement with the Liguria Region, UNCEM Piemonte, the Mountain Partnership Secretariat and the Alpine Convention on 11 December 2009 in Genoa (Italy). The volume also includes a final section dedicated to the SWOMM Side Event organized by the Italian Ministry for the Environment, Land and Sea and the Mountain Partnership Secretariat (FAO) on 12 May 2010 at the 18^th Session of the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD).

The Report Alpine Urban Mobility has been prepared by the Sub Group “Alpine Urban Mobility”, that was constituted within the Working Group “Transport” (WTG) of the Alpine Convention. The Report deals with the urban mobility system in alpine towns, and it delves into policies and solutions adopted for the mobility management, such as ITS in public transport . On the basis of the works conducted, the Sub Group “Alpine Urban Mobility” finally suggests a set of recommendations on how to improve the urban mobility in the Alpine towns.

The two publications will be soon available on line and printed copy may be required. In the meantime, in order to approach the issue of Urban liveability and economic growth, we invite you to have a look to the because.philips.com/”>above mentioned Report prepared by the Economist Intelligence Unit. The Report was set up to discover the most important elements in urban liveability, and to provide the policymakers with suggestions on long-term visions and resources for making cities better places to live and work.

SWOMM 2010 – Transport and Environment in Mountain Areas (swomm.info)

A. LEUXE – The real costs of transports in Alpine corridors (swomm.info)

The World’s Least Liveable Cities (huffingtonpost.com)

World’s Most Liveable Cities: 2011 Economist Intelligence Unit Report (PHOTOS) (huffingtonpost.com)

Sustainable mobility among mountain municipalities, “Rosengartenbus” – 28 February 2011, h. 20:30, Vigo di Fassa (Italy)

FredD — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 14:38:21 +0000

Transdolomites is organizing a meeting to be held on 28 February 2011 at 20:30 p.m., in the Municipality building of Vigo di Fassa Rosengartenbus” – 28 February 2011, h. 20:30, Vigo di Fassa (Italy). The meeting focuses on the new initiative “Rosengartenbus”, aiming at developing a sustainable mobility network linking together some small municipalities in the Bolzano province, namely Vigo, Pozza, Pera di Fassa e Tires.

The main point of the “Rosengartenbus” initiative is that an efficient transport for these municipalities should not endanger the environment and should be tailored to the needs of the local community.

Citizens and all interested stakeholder are invited to attend the meeting, where institutional representatives will explain the plan more in detail. Future infrastructure developments will be discussed, also with respect to opportunities to fund this project through EU programmes and grants.

Electric vehicles will also be on exhibition at the Conference venue. The scheduled programme of the event and further information including an Italian press release are available on the Transdolomites website.

Transdolomites.eu

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“Klimamobility” – 22 – 24 September 2011, Bolzano (Italy)

FedericoM — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 15:38:12 +0000

A new event dedicated to sustainable mobility will open its doors on next 22 – 24 September 2011, in the Alpine city of Bolzano (Italy), while growing interest is spreading worldwide towards initiatives for a more eco-friendly transport economy.

The “Klimamobility” eco-vehicles showroom will be organized at the Bolzano Fair – which is strongly involved since 2005 in building a carbon-alternative energetic culture – with the support of several partners including the Bolzano Province and some local institutes devoted to technological innovation and environmental research. It will be held in parallel to “Klimaenergy”, the event dedicated to renewable energies for commercial and public use that is taking place for the third year.

“Klimamobility” will host the exposition of two, three and four-wheeled EVs, tools and machineries for charging means, accessories and components for EVs as well as drive systems and everything revolves around the future of sustainable mobility. Furthermore, the event aims at embracing the largest possible number of existing contacts in the sector by providing information to the public on service and repair of eco-vehicles and foresees the presence of universities, consulting firms, research institutes and travel operators by sustainable vehicles.

In that occasion, current issues related to sustainable and electric mobility will be discussed in an international meeting, especially focusing on infrastructures for recharging vehicles. In this context, the Bolzano Fair - the director Mr. Reinhold Marsoner explains – “ by combining Klimamobility and Klimaenergy aims at becoming a 360° platform for renewable energies in integrated systems and for sustainable mobility, where entrepreneurs, public officials and managers, specialized dealers, car rentals but also banks, financial services and R&D institutes shall meet for a prominent update in this field”.

Related articles:

http://www.repubblica.it/motori/ecoauto/2010/12/16/news/motori_klimamobility-10232760/

http://www.ecocaronline.it/20101228/alla-fiera-di-bolzano-klimamobility-il-nuovo-salone-sulla-mobilita-sostenibile/

http://www.aefi.it/Aefi/site/it/news/dettaglio-news?id=1873

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The real costs of transports in alpine corridors: towards an Economic evaluation?

SaraM — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 10:56:19 +0000

Mr. Leuxe, from the French Ministry of Ecology,presented at the SWOMM 2010 some analysis and considerations regarding the external costs of transport in the Alps and explained to the public how to assess their value.

The information and figures offered by Leuxe were developed both during the works conducted from 2003 to 2007 by the Sub-Group Costs of the Working Group of Transport of the Alpine Convention (see the Report The True Costs of Transport on the Transalpine Corridors) than from those carried out by the French Ministry of Ecology, within the context of the so-called environmental policy framework “Grenelle de l’Environnement”.

Mr. Leuxe highlighted some difficulties on the way for the evaluation of the external costs of transport, as different methodologies are often used by each Alpine country, where also infrastructures and tariffs systems may be much dissimilar.

Following an in-depth economic investigation, Mr. Leuxe stated that the users should be given with the freedom of choosing modes of transportation in the Alps, but the price of externalities have to be assessed and included in the tariff system, which will lead to more suitable individual decisions and, as a consequence, to scenarios which could reveal to be more effective both for the environment and for the society. Economic regulation could also address quantities and typologies of the emissions produced by transport, for example two new measures have been proposed in France: the carbon-tax and the Eco-tax for the heavy vehicles circulating out of the motorways.

Mr. Leuxe also exposed some French works in the field of economic valuation of biodiversity. Ecosystems may have a relevant value that needs to be assessed and preserved. They have a value themselves or as they provide human beings and society with important services. They could be services of supply (nutrition, fresh water, bioenergy, etc.), culture (aesthetics, spiritual, educational, etc.) and regulation (climate, hydrology, illnesses, etc.). Wouldn’t we pay up to 200 Euros for mantaining the pleasure of a walk in the forest or 90 Euros per year for preserving the high quality of fresh water, if we knew that we could lose these goods?

Mr. Leuxe concluded that, on the basis of the above mentioned analysis, making an estimate of the environmental and socio-economic impact of different transport infrastructures is possible, and this should inspire effective policies leading in the long run to more sustainable collective scenarios, which are of considerably important if we want to meet the goal of a 20% cut of emissions, as established by the European Council in 2007.

La tarification est donc en devenir mais les gains à en retirer en termes de lutte contre les externalités sont considérables. (Emile Quinet)

For further information his presentation is available online at the following link:

http://www.swomm.info/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/SWOMM-2010-A-Leuxe-Co%C3%BBts-transp-Alpes-Co%C3%BBts-externes-Perspectives1.pdf

TRANSDOLOMITES 2010 Conference – Railways & Environment – 21 October 2010

admin — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 13:48:14 +0000

A Conference entitled “Railways & Environment: an encounter of success” will be organized by the Transdolomites Association on Thursday 21 October 2010 at the Aula Magna of the Scuole medie in Moena.

The title aims at pointing out the increased public awareness of that cars have limits and that there is a need need for a re-qualification of the mobility system. It is now clear that a more efficient system should be able of providing road users with a wider public transport offer which would integrate the use of private cars.

Within this context, the general revaluation of the railways within the last decades, as in the cases of Trento-Malè-Marilleva and the Merano-Malles railways, has fostered the idea that the train might represent a solution to the mobility problem and it would result in an improvement of the tourist offer within the Cembra, Fiemme e Fassa Valleys. In this context, during the 2009 Transdolomites has analyzed the feasibility of a railway in the Avisio Valleys, to be linked to the national railway.

The Thursday conference aims at providing the local communities with information on how the existing railways have been optimally integrated with the environment and the landscapes. Speakers from research institutions and private sector will discuss technical solutions and criteria to be used while building a railway in order to reduce its impact on the environment and landscapes, new technologies for saving energy and for controlling the noises emissions of trains will also be presented. Improving services for the customer was recognized as a necessary step in order to have more and more people using the railways.

The programme of the Conference is available in the association website.
For further information, please send an email to the contact person Massimo Girardi (girardi.massimo@brennercom.net).

Associazione Transdolomites
Strada Ruf de Ruacia, 15
I – 38036 Pozza di Fassa (TN)
Tel. +39.0462.763247
Fax +39.0462.764780
info@transdolomites.eu

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Workshop on Safe and Healthy Walking and Cycling In Urban Areas 30 September – 1 October 2010 Batumi, Georgia

FredD — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 07:27:25 +0000

A workshop on safe and healthy walking and cycling in urban areas will be held on 30 September – 1 October 2010 in Batumi, Georgia, organized under the Transport, Health and Environment Pan-European Programme (THE PEP) Staffete in cooperation with the Ministry of Labour, Health and Social Affairs, the Ministry of Environment Protection and Natural Resources, the Ministry of Regional Development and Infrastructure of Georgia and the city of Batumi.

The event will include roundtable discussions aiming at identifying challenges and needs, in order to promote innovative policies for planning, financing, infrastructure development and regulations to support walking and cycling as increasingly viable and attractive modes of urban mobility.

It will be also possible to join a cycling and walking rally together with other governmental officials, sportsmen and activists as well as the launch of the first Walking school Bus in the ciry, which is running thanks to a very sustainable fuel…The Workshop will be conducted in English and Russian with simultaneous translation. More information is available in the website.

THE PEP, established in 2002, and serviced by the joint secretariat of the UNECE and WHO/Europe, offers a platform for countries to share information and know-how and benefit from each other’s experience with regard to transport, health and environment policies. THE PEP contributes to a greener economy, by addressing the following goals: contributing to sustainable economic development and stimulating job creation through investment in environment and health-friendly transport, managing sustainable mobility and promoting a more efficient transport system, reducing emissions of transport-related greenhouse gases, air pollutants and noise, promoting policies and actions conducive to healthy and safe modes of transport.

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