BRUSSELS, June 17 (UPI) -- A 10-year transportation plan to be released by the European Commission focuses on efficiency but contains few climate change-related measures, critics say.
The plan, to be released Wednesday, aims to better coordinate travel in Europe, making it more efficient and safer, but does not call for doubling or tripling rail capacity or strict vehicle emission standards as many had hoped, the EU Observer reported.
Critics said they were expecting a bolder commitment to rail expansion in an era when soaring emissions from cars are threatening to wipe out gains made from carbon reductions in the energy and manufacturing sectors.
"The most immediate priorities appear to be the better integration of the different modes of transport as a way to improve the overall efficiency of the system and the acceleration of the development and deployment of innovative technologies," the EU Commission says in the document.
"We need bold action now, not in 10 or 20 years' time," the Observer quoted the environmental group Transport and Environment as saying in a statement. "And yet there are solutions available: fuel efficiency standards for all types of vehicles, road charging schemes and CO2-linked taxation can all play a role."
