4.2. Better mobility, less congestion, more safety and security

Relevant European transport policy goals aim to optimise performance and efficiency in the face of growing demands for mobility, to make Europe the safest region for aviation, railways and waterborne transport and to move towards the target of zero fatalities in road transport by 2050 and of halving the road casualties by 2020. By 2030,30 % of road freight transport over 300 kilometres should shift to rail and waterborne transport. A seamless, accessible, affordable, user-oriented and efficient pan-European transport of people and goods, also internalising external costs, requires a new European multimodal transport management, information and payment system, as well as efficient interfaces between long distance and urban mobility networks. A better European transport system will contribute to a more efficient use of transport, improve the quality of life of citizens and support a healthier environment. Research and innovation will make important contributions to these ambitious policy goals through activities in the following specific activities: This can be achieved by implementing an intelligent, multi-modal and fully intermodal 'door-to-door' transport system and by avoiding unnecessary use of transport. This means promoting greater integration between transport modes, the optimisation of transportation chains and better integrated transport operations and services. Such innovative solutions will also facilitate accessibility and passenger choices, including for the ageing population and vulnerable users, and provide opportunities to reduce congestion by improving incident management and the development of traffic optimisation schemes. This can be achieved through the development, demonstration and widespread use of intelligent transport applications and management systems. This entails planning demand analysis and management, information and payment systems that are interoperable Europe-wide, and the full integration of information flows, management systems, infrastructure networks and mobility services into a new common multi-modal framework based on open platforms. This will also ensure flexibility and rapid responses to crisis events and extreme weather conditions by reconfiguring travel and haulage across modes. New positioning, navigation and timing applications, made possible through the Galileo and the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS) satellite navigation systems, will be instrumental in achieving this objective. Innovative air traffic management technologies will contribute to a step-change in safety and efficiency with rapidly increasing demand, to achieve improved punctuality, to reduce time spent in travel-related procedures at airports and to achieve resilience in the air transport system. The implementation and further development of the 'Single European Sky' will be supported with research and innovation activities providing solutions for increased automation and autonomy in air traffic management and aircraft operation and control, better integration of air and ground components, and novel solutions for the efficient and seamless handling of passengers and freight throughout the transport system. For waterborne transport, improved and integrated planning and management technologies will contribute to the emergence of a 'Blue Belt' in the seas around Europe, improving port operations, and to a suitable framework for inland waterways. For rail and road, the optimisation of network management and interoperability will improve the efficient use of infrastructure and make cross-border operations easier. Comprehensive cooperative road traffic management and information systems will be developed, relying on vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communication. This can reduce pressure on the transport system and the environment and improve safety and freight capacity. The activities can, for example, combine high performance and low environmental impact vehicles with smart, secure on-board and infrastructure-based systems. This should be based on an integrated logistics approach in the field of transport. Activities will also support the development of the e-Freight vision of a paperless freight transport process, where electronic information flows, services and payments are linked to physical freight flows across transport modes. This will be achieved by addressing aspects inherent to the organisation, management and monitoring of performance and risk of transport systems and by focusing on the design, manufacturing and operations of aircraft, vehicles, vessels, infrastructures and terminals. The focus will be on passive and active safety, preventive safety and enhanced automation and training processes to reduce the risk and impact of human errors. To better anticipate, assess and mitigate the impact of weather, natural hazards and other crisis situations, special tools and techniques will be devised. Activities will also focus on the integration of security aspects in the planning and management of passenger and freight flows, on the conception of aircraft, vehicles and vessels, on traffic and system management and on the design of transport infrastructures and of freight and passenger terminals. Intelligent transport and connectivity applications may also provide useful tools for enhanced security. Activities will also focus on improving the safety of all road users, especially those at greatest risk, particularly in urban areas.

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Source: EUR-Lex (Cellar) · retrieved 2026-11-04 · Text as adopted (Official Journal); later amendments are not incorporated in this text.