Connectivity and Congestion on European Road Corridors

Europe is increasingly moving towards a network economy, in which physical flows of people and goods form the connecting elements. This means that European corridors — especially those between major metropolitan areas or centres of economic activity in Europe — are playing a critical role in the new, evolving map of Europe. At the same time it has to be recognized that traffic congestion on many European transport corridors is dramatically increasing, while also the environmental implications and the poor safety conditions cause unacceptable social costs. Conventional transport policy is apparently unable to keep up with Europe’s growing demand for mobility. New transport technologies are hence increasingly regarded as necessary instruments for ensuring sustainable mobility.