Road Infrastructure In Europe

Europe has a wealth of experience with motorway concessions and the issues associated with concession contracts and other infrastructure funding systems, toll charges and other parts to remuneration, and risk sharing between concession authorities and concession companies.

This book presents the results of the study "Infrastructure Capital, Maintenance and Road Damage Costs for Different Heavy Goods Vehicles in the EU" which was commissioned by the European Commission, DG VII. This study supported the preparation of the white book on transport infrastructure charging. The study an European consortium consisting of DIW (German has been conducted by Institute for Economic Research, project leader and responsible for the country reports for Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and Sweden), INFRAS (responsible for the country reports for Switzerland, Denmark, Portugal and Greece), Consultancy Dr. Herry (responsible for the country reports for Austria, Finland, France and Italy) and NERA (National Economic Research Associates, responsible for the country reports for the UK, Ireland and Spain). The project ran from November 1997 to March 1998 and was monitored by a steering committee with representatives of the EU-member states. This book is dealing with the calculation of costs for road infrastructure and congestion and the allocation of these costs to vehicle types. It focuses on heavy goods vehicles. This is a topic of high relevance for transport policy both on the national and the EU-Ievel with a long tradition of political and scientific debate. The study contains a comprehensive methodological comparison of existing models for calculating road capital values and capital costs and for allocating infrastructure costs to vehicle types.

Today we can hardly imagine life in Europe without roads and theautomobiles that move people and goods around. In fact, the vastmajority of movement in Europe takes place on the road. Travelersuse the car to explore parts of the continent on their holidays,and goods travel large distances to reach consumers. Indeed, thetwentieth century has deservedly been characteried as the centuryof the car. The situation looked very different around 1900.People crossing national borders by car encountered multiplehurdles on their way. Technically, they imported their vehicleinto a neighboring country and had to pay astronomic importduties. Often they needed to pass a driving test in each countrythey visited. Early on, automobile and touring clubs sought tomake life easier for traveling motorists.International negotiations tackled the problems arising fromdiffering regulations. The resulting volume describes everythingfrom the standardied traffic signs that saved human lives on theroad to the Europabus taking tourists from Stockholm to Romein the 1950s. Driving Europe offers a highly original portrait of aEurope built on roads in the course of the twentieth century.

The authors present a new database of minimum distance road routes connecting 138 cities in 27 countries across Europe and Central Asia. They use it to show that improved road network quality is robustly associated with higher intraregional trade flows. Gravity model simulations suggest that an ambitious but feasible road upgrade could increase trade by 50 percent over baseline, exceeding the expected gains from tariff reductions or trade facilitation programs of comparable scope. Cross-country spillovers due to overland transit are important: total intraregional trade could be increased by 30 percent by upgrading roads in just three countries-Albania, Hungary, and Romania.

International Trade and Transportation Infrastructure Development: Experiences in North America and Europe examines the impact of trade agreements, such as the North American Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the European Union Customs Union, and their relationship to transportation systems and infrastructure in member countries. It analyzes historical trade by mode, evaluating modal shifts due to trade policy and disputes, and their implications for all involved nations. This book also examines both supply and demand trends, reviewing transportation processes, and the stakeholders involved. Capacity development, funding mechanisms, and operational characteristics of each mode are detailed in relation to the policies that influence them. The book reviews recent trends and the impact of disruptive technologies, as well as future potential regulatory changes, with relation to upcoming infrastructure plans, project funding, and operations. This book is an ideal reference for transportation practitioners involved in planning, feasibility studies, consultation and policy for international transportation systems or infrastructure. Academic researchers and graduate students in transportation planning, international relations, and trade will also find this book useful. Compiles in one source up-to-date insights on important public transport themes, issues, and debates Examines a wide range of public transport topics in the multidisciplinary fields of economics, policy, operations, and planning Bridges the gap between scientific research and policy implementation