Commission publishes guidelines on restoring transport post-lockdown

The European Commission has today announced new guidance on restoring transport and connectivity across Europe in the wake of COVID-19.

The guidelines, available here, set out a proposed strategy for restoring transport services in the coming months as Member States recover from the outbreak of the coronavirus. This comes alongside additional guidelines and a recommendation to help EU countries gradually lift travel restrictions.

The Tourism and Transport Package includes:

• A chapeau communication on tourism and transport in 2020 and beyond
• A common approach to lifting restrictions of free movement at EU internal borders
• A common framework to support the gradual re-establishment of transport whilst ensuring safety
• A recommendation to make travel vouchers an alternative to financial reimbursement
• Common criteria and principles for gradually and safely restoring tourism activities

The 'Guidelines on the progressive restoration of transport services and connectivity' set out extensive guidance on how transport can recover in the coming months ahead.

The guidelines set out specific guidance for urban mobility, including:

Public transport

• To prepare for times when passenger numbers increase, measures should be put in place to ensure the highest safety for passengers, such as safe physical distancing, isolating drivers from passengers, increasing operational frequency to allow for safe distancing, and automated door operations.
• Measures should be clearly communicated to passengers to facilitate their smooth implementation, reassure citizens and maintain their confidence in public transport (e.g. communications campaigns)
• Many of the measures that might be required have effects that go beyond the remit of public transport and should be developed in cooperation with health authorities and other stakeholders

Shared mobility

• Shared mobility companies should take various measures to protect drivers and passengers from infection
• Rental vehicles should be thoroughly disinfected after each use, and vehicles used for car-sharing should be disinfected at least once on every day of use
• There should be increased disinfection of station-based services (e.g. shared bicycles)
• E-scooter and e-bike rental companies should disinfect scooters and bikes at least with each battery change

Active travel

• Urban areas could consider temporary enlargements of pavements and increased space for active mobility options
• Reducing speed limits of vehicles in increased active mobility areas could be considered

Sharing of best practices

• Sharing of best practices, ideas and innovations should continue to further develop cooperation and knowledge
  sharing
• The Commission will also gather mobility stakeholders mobility to draw lessons and gather experiences gained so far, and identify opportunities for more sustainable mobility in the EU in line with the European Green Deal

The guidelines also note that whilst focusing on restoring transport services and connectivity is vital, it is important to look
forwards to a "sustainable and smart recovery of the EU transport sector" so that this sector can remain globally competitive and can be a key part of the EU economy and citizens' lives. The guidelines state that lessons learnt from this crisis will be taken into consideration in the upcoming Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy in 2020.

You can read the guidelines in full here. For information on the full package announced today, see here.

This comes following POLIS' joint letter to the European Commission last week, which stressed the need for more support for integrated and sustainable urban mobility as the EU plans its exit strategy for COVID-19.