T R A N S P O R T A T I O N
After decades of developing some of the most auto-dependent cultures in the world, many Western countries have taken a U-turn and are now doing everything possible to curb the use of the private vehicle, by supporting public transportation, promoting non-mechanized transport and regulating motor traffic. In many ways Central and Eastern European transportation systems, which rely to a great extent on public transit, are far more environmentally sustainable. But as CEE countries adopt Western democracy and free market economies they also face the temptation of the almighty automobile.
While no economy, indeed no country, could exist without transportation, opinions largely differ when it comes to the issue of the economic efficiency and environmental impact of the various means of carrying people and goods to their destinations. Still most governments in the region seem to be following a transport path which promotes increasing use of motorized private vehicles at the expense of transit and alternative transport modes.
This trend has lead to plans for vast networks of roadways throughout CEE. Slovakia has a motorway network of just over 200 km, which is far less than the Western European average, but the country's government has put the construction of motorways high on the agenda: by the year 2005, Slovakia should have a total of 600 km of motorways. The Czech Republic also has motorway construction projects in the pipeline. Within the next 10 years or so, the length of the road network is to go up to over 1050 km from the current 390 km.
But Slovakia and the Czech Republic are not the only countries which have ambitious road-development plans. In fact major trans-European motorways are being planned throughout the region.
Those who advocate the development of the road infrastructure argue that this would attract more foreign investors and capital even to the less developed regions of the country and give a boost to the economy. The European Federation for Transport and Environment argues, however, that there is hardly any evidence to prove that the construction of more roads will in itself result in economic growth and development in regions that are lagging behind. But what is certain, is that the development of road infrastructure will generate a bigger volume of traffic.
The biggest hindrance in replacing the truck fleet of the country with newer vehicles seems to be the lack of funds both on part of the teamsters and the Hungarian state. Peter Scharle, deputy undersecretary of state at KHVM says that road freight transportation is a self-financing sector, and truck owners fairly often do not have the financial resources to invest in new vehicles and continue their activities amid fierce competition. Scharle added, however, that the railway is facing serious difficulties and the Ministry for Transportation is not supporting either of these means of transportation one-sidedly.
Another problem is the financing of road-construction projects. Since the political and economic changes of 1989-1990, the subsequent Hungarian governments have favored giving private investors concession rights to build motorways which are to bring profits from the toll collected from motorists. The country's first toll motorway is the 42-km section between Gyor and Hegyeshalom of the M1 motorway. However, so far the motorway has not been popular at all. Hungarian motorists and even foreign truck drivers find the toll too high and continue to use the old highway which leads through towns such as Mosonmagyarovar, causing serious environmental problems including high noise and emission levels and frequent congestion in the town.
This system is not popular with Hungarian greens either. "We do not believe that the development of road infrastructure is the right thing to do," says Andras Lukacs of the NGO Air Action Group. "In Hungary, the goods-transportation requirement of the economy is 3-4 times as much as the West European average. Proper organization of things, flow of information and economic regulations could eliminate much of these transportation needs. While earlier road construction, the car and oil industries used to be the boosting sectors of the economy, they have now been replaced by information technology and brainware." However, the trend still seems to be in favor of road haulage. Experts forecast that in the next 20 years, the increase in the volume of freight transportation by road in the Central and East European countries as well as the former Soviet Union will exceed the West European growth rate of 40-70 percent.
The situation is not much better with personal automobiles. The number of cars in the CEE countries, it is rising at a rate between 6 and 10 percent a year, and in Poland, for example, there will be twice as many passenger cars in the year 2000 as there were in 1993. Due to the lack of a strong purchasing power, East Europeans also mostly buy used cars, many of them old models with high fuel-consumption and emission levels.
The Hungarian green movements definitely prefer rail transportation. "The railway is less expensive, so in the long run, it is worth developing and streamlining the rail network in the country," Jozsef Lajtmann of the Gyor-based NGO Reflex said. "Funds for such development projects could be allocated from the state budget. Concessions given to private investors would not be a good solution, since they would lead to even higher rail fares and transportation costs which are high enough even now."
However, Lukacs thinks that the development of the railway infrastructure should and could be financed from money coming from road transportation. "In Hungary foreign trucks are using the roads without paying any road tax," he said. "Besides, very often they have their tanks filled in other countries, where gasoline is cheaper than in Hungary, so they do not even pay the taxes contained in the price of fuel. This means that they are using Hungary's roads, polluting the air and causing damage to buildings without covering all this damage. However, in many countries part of the taxes collected from road carriers is used for the development and maintenance of the rail network." Other NGOs, including the Air Action Group favor a method called "combined transportation," where the truck or the container is put on rail. Yet, even within this system there are methods that are better than others. Carrying the truck itself by rail is not really a good solution, Lukacs says, since in this case the payload is about half of the total weight. This, in turn, requires more energy and is, therefore, enviro-hostile, he added.
Miklos Volgyi, deputy manager for freight transport at Hungarian State Railways (MAV), says that by the year 2000, combined transportation is expected to account for 10 percent of the company's total turnover of freight transportation. Also, MAV is planning to build 10 logistic centers at various hubs across the country to store, package and customs-clear goods. Despite such positive developments, studies on transportation issues in the East-Central European region note that combined transportation is still is in its infancy in these countries, and they have failed to come up with "feasible railway policies for the future."
Another consideration for carrying people and goods is shipping, especially on the Danube, which is not only the most important river in many CEE countries, but also one of the main waterways in Europe. According to Andras Fay, chairman and CEO of MAHART Hungarian Shipping Co., the capacity of the Danube equals that of a motorway with 4 lanes in either direction. However, Lajtmann thinks that a big problem is that the ex-COMECON countries are still using old, deep-draft boats and ships which are not suitable for river transportation. These vessels, Lajtmann said, should be replaced by flat barges. Besides, experts warn that the river needs water management to make it more suitable for shipping.
Although alternative transportation is gaining more and more ground in the advanced Western countries, environmentalists in CEE find there are confronted with a strong "road-lobby" with great influence over decisionmakers. While in most cases NGOs find it difficult to have their voice heard, there are some positive exceptions. Reflex, for example, organized in 1990 a protest over the east-west transit road leading through the town of Gyor, and their action was successful, and a new highway bypassing the city has been built. NGOs were also successful in forcing a weekend truck ban during the summer period, and feedback from the public on this measure has been highly positive. According to current plans, the truck ban will be re-introduced as of January 1 next year, but it requires the build-up of the necessary infrastructure, i.e. the establishment of truck terminals with appropriate sanitary and accommodation facilities.
In addition to short-sighted government transportation policies and powerful road lobbies, advocates of alternative transportation face an uphill battle with the policies of many international lending agencies and private investors. The World Bank, EBRD and the European Investment Bank are increasing the level of investment into road building and motor vehicle manufacturing in Eastern Europe. Meanwhile total funding for public transport has fallen and there is increasing pressure to hike user fees to recover costs.
While cost is certainly not the only reason, the increase in motorization has had dramatic effects on public transportation. The once-great systems of the region are deteriorating rapidly, due to cutbacks in capacity and significant drops in ridership. Since 1988, the number of trips taken on public transport in Eastern Germany has fallen 47%. Similar, although less dramatic trends can be seen throughout CEE, Hungary, for example, logged a 12% decline in readership in the last two years alone.
Although some level of motorization must be expected to accompany economic development, government agencies and international lending institutions should bear in mind the mistakes of the West and work to ensure that transport systems are sustainable. Consideration of energy requirements, environmental costs, effects on health and safety, as well as the effects on competing means of transport will undoubtedly give a clearer picture of the road ahead in transportation policy. It is critical, also, that this information be made available to the citizens most likely to be affected. Only when decisionmakers take into account the full costs of different modes of transport and the will of the people, will transportation policies manage to get on the high road to sustainability.
