THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE FORGETTABLE -- OR LESSONS THE US CAN LEARN FROM EUROPEAN TRANSPORT POLICY

Abstract Transport policy has undergone considerable change over the past 30 years on both sides of the Atlantic. In many ways the US has led the way, and part of the impetus for change within Europe has been the result of demonstration effects from the US experiences. Nevertheless, the changes in Europe have not represented a mirror image of the reforms that have occurred in the USA. This suggests that there may be lessons from Europe that could be of interest on the western side of the Atlantic. Some of these lessons offer positive refinements or alternatives to what has been done in the USA (‘The Good’). An obvious example of this is the relative success of many cities in Europe in maintaining the vitality of their central areas though traffic restraint and public transport policies. The European lessons may not, of course, all be positive but may reflect paths that should be avoided rather than pursued (‘The Bad’). Subsidies for European airlines offer one example. This may prove to be a non-trivial issue at a time when there are undercurrents of pressure for some degree of reregulation of transport in the USA. Another form of policy experience is that which fades away into the distance as a possibility but has no real scope (‘The Forgettable’) — the forked tariff regime applied to international trucking in Europe is a case of this. The examples cited are simply illustrative, but given the globalization of economic activities that is occurring and the speed at which transport policy is continually developing, there is a case for exploring the insights that may be gained from considering the experiences of others.