Road traffic an health (2007)

Smog alert

One of the most widespread technological inventions is the car. In the past years, the impact of using cars has become extremely noticeable. The word ‘smog alert’ has become a very popular newcomer in the Dutch vocabulary. We now know that the smaller the dust particles are, the more damage they cause. But there is more: traffic-jams, road victims, carbon emissions and climate change, use of energy... All those consequences, directly or indirectly, also affect our health. Therefore, politicians more and more think of measures to moderate the negative health impact of our transport pattern. The European regulation is becoming increasingly stringent and Flanders — one of the most crowded parts of Europe, as far as car and freight transport is concerned — has already big difficulties to meet the European standards and directions. In the future, a more stringent policy will become an absolute necessity for Flanders, in order to meet the standards.

But which combination of lines of policy do we need? What would be a good balance between efficiency and viability? Can we also expect a positive outcome of pursuing a more stringent mobility and transport policy? viWTA – Society and technology found this questions interesting enough to start its project ‘Car and health’ in 2007.

Preliminary study

In a first stage of the project, the research group Transport and Mobility Leuven (connected with the KULeuven), together with the medical faculty of the KULeuven, carried out a comprehensive preliminary study. A status quaestionis was made, based upon a literature search and interviews with a series of experts, of the available scientific knowledge and the pursued policy.

From the preliminary study, it appeared that the issue ‘Car and health’ should not be restricted to the motorized road transport of people and goods. A sharp delimitation is untenable. When comparing private and public transport, one cannot leave out the train. And for a good assessment, it is essential to confront goods carriage with railroad transport and inland shipping. The health impact is not only about exhaust fumes but also about fine dust, for instance, that is not coming out of the exhaust pipe. Or about the effects of physical effort and the lack of physical exercise, road accidents, ... The preliminary study has also investigated the positive impact of a climate policy that focuses on the reduction of carbon emissions.

Twelve possible policy measures

The preliminary study delivered the basis for a workshop with organizations and experts that are engaged in issues such as mobility, the use of cars, environment, health,… (BBL, Febiac, several public administrations,…). Their answers have allowed us to draw up a list of twelve possible policy measures, each with its advantages and disadvantages.

But this brings us of course to a delicate consideration. How much importance do we have to attach to those advantages and disadvantages? Do the measures proposed emphasize the correct aspects? Do they give enough consideration to what the citizens think? Are they taking things too far or on the contrary not far enough?

And how does the Flemish citizens think about it?

These are important questions and the only way to answer them is to ask the citizens themselves, not by conducting an umpteenth survey or by sending out a questionnaire once more and subsequently producing some charts and a report. viWTA purposefully preferred an approach that allows for a large group of 300 people to be engaged in the debate on the health aspects of motorized transport, to quietly think things over, to exchange ideas, weigh up pros and cons and formulate new ideas and lines of thinking,…  As a methodology they have chosen the citizen convention, based upon the ‘21st Century Townhall Meeting’ that is often used in the United States.

What’s most essential about this approach is the fact that small groups of participants, supported and empowered by an experienced facilitator, think and discuss about predefined topics (the above-mentioned policy measures). Regularly, the output of the discussions is collected and turned into proposals for the whole audience to take a vote on. A report was put together at the end of the day, which gave a summary of the collective work that had been done.

The result of a hard day’s work

Mid April 2007, viWTA invited 500 Flemish citizens to participate in a one day Flemish Citizen Convention, entitled ‘Car and Health’. The convention took place on Saturday May 24, from 9.30 am till 9.30 pm and 224 people effectively participated in the event. At the end of the Citizen Convention ‘Car and Health’, the report with the final conclusions was solemnly presented to Mistress Marleen Vanderpoorten, President of the Flemish parliament.