Decision Support Tools - Thematic Research Summary - Transport ...

• Harmonisation at the technical, institutional and regulatory levels can significantlyhelp to reduce implementation costs, and should be forcefully pursued.• Technology is crucial to many of the CIVITAS policy fields, but is often expensive.• CIVITAS I has shown that human and social capital can be more important thanfinancial resources.4.5 Sub-theme 4: Benchmarking in transport4.5.1 BackgroundResearch reported in the former Thematic Research Summary on DSTs (EXTR@Web,2006) assessed how performance measures and benchmarking can support thedevelopment and implementation of the various elements of a European sustainabletransport policy by means of practical pilot studies. Research here also investigated therole of benchmarking in the development and implementation of sustainable transportpolicies.4.5.2 Research objectivesPotential sources of economic development for the countries of the Mediterranean areaare their natural resources and their historic and cultural heritage. Unfortunately, theirtransport systems are inadequate. In order to improve the efficiency and effectiveness ofthe transport systems of the tourist areas of the Mediterranean countries, research hasevaluated the possibility of transferring to those countries transport measures successfullyimplemented in European cities. In this respect, a research objective has been the need toto carry out a benchmarking exercise involving Mediterranean Countries and EU cities inorder to assess the current condition of their transport systems and identify possibilities forimproving them (EMERET, 2002).Research has also carried out a benchmarking exercise to assess how cycling isconsidered in urban planning processes. Research here was motivated by the fact that toachieve a larger use of bicycles in European cities and encourage their use as a dailytransport mode, it is crucial that cycling becomes an integral part of urban planning policies(SpiCycles, 2006).Thematic Research Summary: “Decision Support Tools” Page: 52 of 74Transport Research Knowledge Centre