By Oreola Ivanova As economic growth and a tendency to copy the West transform the urban areas of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), policy makers are working to prevent one of the more negative trends this process has brought about: an increase in wasteful, less environmentally friendly modes of transport. Factors like the growth in the ownership of private cars and a tendency toward urban sprawl, which increases the geographic size of commercial areas, have brought more traffic congestion and air pollution to the region. (See stories on Pages 14-17.) Naturally, another effect of this trend is a drop in public transit use. Between 1990 and 1995, use of public transit in most CEE countries plunged 15 to 25 percent. Since 1995, the trend has slowed, but in most countries in the region, public transit use continues to decline at an annual rate of 1-3 percent. This loss is especially bad news because CEE countries have well-developed mass transit - a legacy from the pre-1989 era when car ownership was less common - which should be preserved. The drop in the region's paying passengers, and CEE government efforts to cut transport subsidies, make transit maintenance more difficult. But if policy makers can find the funds for upkeep, and resist the urge to let the role of public transit diminish, the cities of the region could actually "leap-frog" past Western cities, where officials now struggle to improve the "modal split" between types of transportation. Without urgent action, public transit use will drop even more. Europe-wide, policy makers have demonstrated an awareness of the problem. In recent years, sustainable transport support is mentioned as a priority in nearly all environment ministers' declarations within the "Environment for Europe," and European Union accession processes. Sustainable transport is also mentioned as a promising area for sectoral integration and sustainable development in the Sixth Environmental Action Programme of the European Commission, the EU Strategy for Sustainable Development and other key strategic documents. And the countries of the region are also making efforts to address the situation. Despite budgetary constraints, CEE countries have begun replacing the mass transit fleet, modernising public transport systems and extending metro lines, all of which help encourage environmentally sustainable transport. Some of the big cities in the region have also developed and adopted sustainable urban transport policies. If policy makers are going to steer funds toward environmentally friendly transit, they must generate more public support for sustainable transport concepts and find solutions to the related problems of operational losses and growing investment needs. The Regional Environmental Center for Central and Eastern Europe (REC) has worked for several years on projects to help CEE policy makers address transport. Under the Sofia Initiative on Local Air Quality, experts from several countries in the region, working for the REC, prepared studies on the issues of fuel quality, vehicle emissions and the state of the CEE vehicle fleet. The REC has also assisted in pilot projects on strategic environmental assessment of transport plans and policies in Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia. In addition, the REC has been involved in studies on taxation of energy and transport, efforts to promote the use of information technology in the transport sector, a dialogue with businesses on sustainable mobility and giving grants to non-governmental organisations involved in the issue. At a March meeting organised by the REC, representatives of the ministries of transport, health and environment from countries throughout the region met with NGOs and recommended priorities for future transport policy. (See story, Page 10.) The REC is currently working with public transport companies around the region to find ways to encourage environmentally and financially sustainable mass transit. Oreola Ivanova is head of environmental policy programs at the Regional Environmental Center for Central and Eastern Europe.

Ready for Scrap? A bus used for public transportation in rural Albania. Despite budgetary constraints, CEE countries have begun replacing the mass transit fleet.