2. Making a plan

Clip introducing the European Transport 2050 plan which aims to set out a roadmap of transport improvements for Europe all the way out to the year 2050.

We recommend sketching out a short plan on paper of how you are going to approach answering the question for yourself. For example, write down the main methods of transport and the places they happen.

• Road: Cars, lorries, roads
• Air: Aircraft, airports
• Rail : Passenger trains, freight trains, railway network, stations
• Sea: Cargo ships, shipping lanes, ports.

Now list the problems each one of them face. Many share the same problems.

Road:

• Traffic congestion
• Road accidents
• Noise
• Greenhouse gases
• Pollution
• Recycling

Air:

• Handling enough aircraft at airports (capacity)
• Security
• Air safety
• Noise
• Greenhouse gases
• Air traffic control

Rail:

• Capacity of network
• Speed of network
• Working across countries
• Handling freight efficiently
• Safety

Sea:

• Tracking ships and their cargo
• Oil pollution
• Sea traffic control
• Security
• Port cargo handling
• Greenhouse gases.

Now think about the technologies that are going to help with some of these issues. Obviously you cannot write about every topic - it is just too big. So pick out a few for your exam answer.

The next few pages describe some of the technologies for your notes