The aim of the SPREAD Action group is to study and demonstrate the Trans-European Road Network (TERN) project may serve the purpose of a economic and social cohesion, by contributing to achieving a better overall balance in the development prospects of all central and peripheral European areas, and is thus a prime requisite for sustainable development of the European economy and for a smooth integration process across that part of the world. The discussions held in 1993 in the Action Group led to the conclusion that this demonstration must proceed in four major steps: a) in matters of transport infrastructure planning, territorial aspects (regional policy and spatial development) and network usage aspects (nature and level of traffic) are closely connected; b) therefore the long term utility (integrated profitability) of the TERN project can only be assessed through a battery of range servicing criteria; c) but in view of the uncertainties associated with long term projections, a set of alternative, more or less "spread" scenarios is necessary, the degree of "spread" being expressed in a simple time index: the "anticipation factor"; and d) finally, a rough estimate of the short and medium term financial costs of alternative SPREAD policies can be attempted by assessing and comparing the losses of revenue (direct or fictitious) associated with the different anticipation factors.
Abstract