Road construction and economic growth from a Southern European perspective

Topics

• Mobility
• Regional value added

Abstract

Conventional economic growth stimulates further demand for transportation infrastructure, which provides the pretext for further infrastructure expansion. This is particularly true for the construction of new roads, the sector in which the larger increases in mobility occur and that will induce environmental impacts that will last for many decades. This vicious circle should be interrupted and a strong effort should be made in order to decouple economic development from transport growth. Is this target is to be achieved, all the strategic decisions involving different sectors (location of industries, urban planning, construction of new infrastructures) should pass through an environmental assessment impact including specifically the issue of the contribution to global warming. For peripheric regions the transport polcies should improve the possibility of a self centered development. Regarding the connections with the central areas a preference, when possible, should be given to the sea or rail transport.

Remarks

The paper was presented at the seminar Roads and Economy t - the link between road building and economic development organised by the European Federation for Transport and Environment, 8 December 2005 in Brussels