Inadequate coordination of policy
Current transport policy and its associated legislation are ill-equipped to deal with changing demands and developments in society. People do more different things in a day than before. At the same time, mobility services, e-bikes and car sharing present new opportunities for people to reach their destination – making accessibility demands increasingly diverse. Current transport policy, by contrast, is geared to supplying infrastructure and focuses on individual transport modes (e.g. train, tram, bus, taxi, car or bicycle). Each mode has its own regulations, financing and fiscal arrangements. The Rli feels that a more integrated approach is needed. To keep our cities accessible in the future, the Rli recommends transforming the confusing mix of taxes, duties and subsidies into a clear framework that puts accessibility first.
Inadequate cooperation between authorities
Public authorities tend to view problems from the perspective of their own legally defined responsibilities, for example as the roads authority, public licensing authority or planning authority. As a result, more attention is paid to improving road and rail infrastructure and to public transport concessions than to planning to make services and urban functions as accessible as possible. The Rli feels that accessibility in urban regions will necessitate more cooperation and more collective investment by the national government, provinces and municipalities.
More attention for spatial solutions
Better accessibility means not only improving mobility, but also making well-considered planning decisions on where we live, work, shop, etc. Not enough attention is being paid to this.
New legislation necessary
The Rli argues for a policy that first and foremost seeks to deliver accessibility, enabling people to undertake as many activities as possible within an acceptable travel time. Progress is already being made to this end within the current legal framework. The Rli argues that not only should this work be continued and intensified, but that a new law be drawn up that integrates the different sectors and transport modes and puts people first. This will enable policy and financial decision-making to strike a better balance between spatial planning and mobility solutions and also allow for the inclusion of new developments (e.g. technological innovations). Part of the new law should be an ‘accessibility check’: when making spatial planning decisions, this check would assess what the best spatial and/or mobility solution would be on the basis of clear accessibility objectives.
Editorial note
The advisory report ‘Faster and Closer: Opportunities for improving accessibility in urban regions’ is available via http://en.rli.nl/.
To give your response or obtain further information, please contact Folmer de Haan, f.w.dehaan@rli.nl or on +31 (0)6 4615 2496 To request an interview with a board member, please contact Miep Eisner (public relations), miep.eisner@rli.nl, +31 (0)6 15369339.