2011年-世界发展银行全球_Poland_Transport_Policy_Note___Toward_a_Sustainable_Land_Transport_Sector_165页_3mb

Summary of Poland's Transport Policy Note: Toward a Sustainable Land Transport Sector

Core Content

This report, titled Toward a Sustainable Land Transport Sector, provides an analysis of Poland's transport sector, focusing on road and railway infrastructure, safety, and environmental sustainability. It outlines the current challenges and opportunities for improving the sector's long-term sustainability and competitiveness, especially in the context of EU integration and financial constraints.

Main Viewpoints

• Transport Infrastructure Growth: Poland has made significant improvements in its road network due to substantial investments, but the quality remains below international standards.
• Economic and Social Impact: The transport sector contributes 12% to Poland’s total CO₂ emissions, with 92% coming from road transport. Road traffic injuries are a major social and economic burden, costing an estimated $10 billion annually.
• EU Integration and Funding: EU structural funds and grants have played a crucial role in supporting Poland's transport development. However, the country must provide counterpart funding, which may limit its ability to shift priorities toward long-term sustainability.
• Financial Sustainability Challenges: Current funding strategies for the road sector rely heavily on off-budget borrowing, which may not be sustainable. The low level of user charges and fuel taxes also limits the ability to fund maintenance and rehabilitation.
• Railway Sector Underperformance: Despite EU-mandated reforms, the railway sector is not competitive enough to shift traffic from roads. Poor infrastructure and inefficient financial arrangements contribute to its inability to attract freight and passenger traffic.
• Need for Modal Shift: To achieve sustainability, Poland must shift from road to rail transport. This requires improving rail competitiveness through investment, reforms, and pricing policies.
• Safety and Institutional Capacity: Institutional and governance capacity for road safety remains inadequate, limiting the effectiveness of safety measures. A comprehensive and sustainable approach to road safety is essential to meet EU and national targets.

Key Information

Road Sector

• Investment Trends: Road spending doubled from 2004–2007 and nearly doubled again from 2007–2010, driven by EU grants and capital spending.
• Current Challenges:
  • Low user charges and fuel taxes.
  • Insufficient maintenance funding.
  • Inadequate coordination between national and sub-national road authorities.
• Future Goals:
  • Increase road carrying capacity to 11.5 tons per axle on 2,500 km of roads by end-2011.
  • Improve road safety by reducing fatalities by 50% to meet national and EU targets.

Railway Sector

• Reforms and Limitations:
  • Infrastructure has been separated from operations, but this has not been sufficient to improve competitiveness.
  • Poor infrastructure and outdated systems (telecom, signaling, power supply, etc.) increase operating costs.
• Financial Issues:
  • PLK (railway infrastructure manager) relies heavily on track access charges, which negatively impact freight competitiveness.
  • Historic debt reimbursement consumes a large portion of Government funding for the rail sector.
• Recommendations:
  • Accelerate separation of PLK from PKP Group.
  • Eliminate infrastructure backlogs.
  • Review the scope of EU-funded investments for better absorption and modernization.

Road Transport Safety

• Safety Performance: Poland ranks among the worst in the EU for road safety, with road fatalities per 100,000 population reaching 14.7 in 2008, double the EU average.
• Need for Systematic Safety Measures:
  • Institutional strengthening for road safety management.
  • Implementation of safety interventions and regulations.
  • Improved enforcement of traffic laws and use of safety equipment.
  • Modernization of emergency medical services (EMS) and integration of data systems for better accident monitoring and response.

Environmental Sustainability

• GHG Emissions: Transport contributes 12% of Poland's CO₂ emissions, with 92% from road transport.
• Current Emission Trends: Under a business-as-usual scenario, transport emissions are projected to increase by 114% from 2000 to 2020.
• Policy Options to Reduce Emissions:
  • Promote fuel-efficient vehicles.
  • Improve road pricing and congestion pricing in urban areas.
  • Increase fuel taxes.
  • Encourage eco-driving.
  • Establish low-emission zones and no-motorized-transport zones.
  • Promote hybrid and electric vehicles.

Policy Options

Key Recommendations

• Road Sector:

  • Strengthen institutional coordination and apply modern asset management tools to the entire public road network.
  • Implement a comprehensive and predictable funding strategy for maintenance and safety.
  • Standardize motorway tolling and increase user charges to support financial sustainability.

• Rail Sector:

  • Improve institutional and financial arrangements to enhance rail competitiveness.
  • Develop a coherent pricing policy for track access and road user charges.
  • Modernize infrastructure and reduce maintenance backlogs.

• Safety and Environment:

  • Enhance institutional capacity for road safety management and implement a multi-sectoral approach.
  • Integrate data systems for better accident monitoring and response.
  • Promote policies to reduce vehicle use and emissions, such as eco-driving, congestion pricing, and low-emission zones.

Conclusion

Poland’s transport sector is at a critical juncture. While recent investments have improved road infrastructure, they have not addressed long-term sustainability, environmental impact, or road safety. The country must recalibrate its transport policy to achieve a balanced and sustainable approach, focusing on modal shift, institutional reform, and financial restructuring. The upcoming Transport Development Strategy until 2020 and the next EU structural fund cycle provide key opportunities to implement these changes.