In a move to curb greenhouse gas emissions and reduce road fatalities, the European Commission unveiled a plan on Monday that could drastically alter the driving habits of Europeans.
According to a report on The Independent, the plan would phase out conventionally fuelled cars from cities, reducing their use by 50 per cent by 2030 and banning them altogether from urban centres by 2050. The goal of this ambitious plan is to reduce CO2 emissions by 60 per cent, but also to reduce road fatalities to zero.
Commuting, travelling and freight transport in these areas would shift to rail and waterborne transport. The Commission proposes that by 2050, most trips of 300 km or more should be by rail.
The European Twowheel Retailers’ Association (ETRA) supports the proposal, but says the plan overlooks the benefits of two-wheelers. According to the ETRA website, “Promoting soft modes of transport such as walking and cycling and clean motorised transport such as electric scooters and motorbikes can help achieve the objective of phasing out conventionally-fuelled cars in cities by 2050, since these do not require the roll-out of new infrastructure.”
You can read the European Commission’s White Paper proposal here.
I have so many questions I could ask, but I just don’t even want to go there …