The EU wants to cut carbon emissions by more than half There should be no petrol or diesel cars in city centres by 2050, the European Commission has proposed.
Transport Commissioner Siim Kallas also set out plans to shift half of “middle distance journeys” from road to rail, and to cut shipping emissions by 40%.
He said: “Freedom to travel is a basic right for our citizens. Curbing mobility is not an option. Nor is business is usual.”
The proposal would cut carbon emissions by 60% and reduce dependence on oil.
Outlining plans for a “Single European Transport Area”, the Commission said there needed to be a “profound shift” in travel patterns to reduce reliance on oil and to lower emissions.
By 2050, it wants the majority of people taking a journey of more than approximately 186 miles to use the train, rather than a car.
Mr Kallas said this move, plus the phasing out of petrol or diesel cars in city centres, need not inconvenience people.
“The widely-held belief that you need to cut mobility to fight climate change is simply not true,” he said.
“We can break the transport system’s dependence on oil without sacrificing its efficiency and compromising mobility.”
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