7. Transport Impact on Environment

The support of the development of environmentally friendly transport systems reducing the consumption of non-renewable resources, restricting the emissions polluting the atmosphere, reducing the noise levels and having less land occupation claims and lower risks of water and soil contamination remains henceforth a transport policy priority. Substantive emphasise is being laid on the limitation of the greenhouse gases production affecting the global climate.

The total carbon dioxide emissions (the most important greenhouse gas) produced by the traffic are still rising. In 2001 the emission of this gas grew by 18% compared with 1985. The private car traffic takes a substantive share (44%) in this figure, the road haulage (30%) and, contrary to this, other (public) transport modes show a relatively small proportion (26% all in all). Similar division can be also observed as regards emissions of carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides and sulphur oxides even if they show a decline in terms of absolute values or specific values per volumes transported. With respect to a demographic downtrend in the Czech Republic the energy consumption in the transport sector per capita shows an upward tendency.

Accordingly, in order to improve the environment it is necessary to support the development of environmentally friendly modes. What is involved in the case of urban public transport is giving priority to the use of public mass transportation systems, the introduction of integrated transport systems along with the development of environmentally friendly means of transport, while at the same time repressing the individual car traffic.

Currently about 60% of the total noise pollution is caused by the noise from non-working environment and of this figure 78% - 85% is caused by the traffic. The impact of noise on population is well known (fatigue, lowering of the working activity, fall in the productivity, etc.).This issue is being tackled with new and existing transport equipment as well as with the development of means of transport.

A field of special and very important nature is the support of combined transport in the area of the haulage and integrated passenger transport systems. In this way the unfavourable development in the modal split may be reversed thus contributing to more economic and ecological approach to the transport.