SUSTAINABLE MOBILITY IN EUROPE AND THE ROLE OF THE AUTOMOBILE: A CENTRAL INQUIRY

The aim of the inquiry is to study the current response in Europe to the problems of road transport, particularly the problems of increasing car use. The basic point of departure is the new Common Transport Policy (CTP) of the EU as of December 1992. Written documents containing strategies for the transformation of existing transport systems are interpreted and subjected to critical analysis focusing on the future role of the automobile in the transport systems. The report find that the present situation of road transport in Europe is a result of interaction failure rather than of market failure or government failure. The reason for this is lack of agreement in the perceptions of problems, goals, measures and their implementation. A way out of this dilemma is indicated; intensified controversies about the perceptions could create opportunities for new forms of interaction. (A)