The Federal Republic of Germany has a highly developed, well structured road infrastructure. As a result of the continuous growth in demand and a rise in prosperity, Germany's traffic infrastructure facilities have in thepast been almost completely upgraded and extended. New requirements, suchas those relating to environmental protection, have always been integrated into the development of planning methods and procedures at an early stage. In recent years, the observation of the three key principles of sustainability in the transport sector - economy, ecology, and social balance - has become a vital element in the continued development of the country's road infrastructure. This is why the Federal Government is pursuing an 'integrated transport policy' that seeks to guarantee future mobility. With a view to optimising the entire transport system, this policy brings togethermeasures relating not only to the design and funding of the transport infrastructure, but also to all other policy sectors, e.g. price and innovation policy. This integrated transport policy is subject to the principles of sustainability. The Federal Republic is a transit country situated in the middle of Europe and as such, the realisation has been growing that above all supraregional networks, but also local road networks, have increasingly been becoming part of global supply chains for goods and services since the accession of Eastern European countries to the EU. As an exporting nation, international supply chains are very important for Germany. Societycannot close its eyes to the fact that because of Germany's location in Europe, road freight transport in Germany is expected to rise by 58 per cent between 1997 and 2015. This increase in road freight transport must be addressed in a socially compatible and environmentally friendly manner. At the same time, however, current and future social developments in Germany must be taken into account in the planning process. In this way, the effects of a foreseeable demographic change result in the necessity to adapt the guidelines for planning, construction, and operation of road infrastructure, which must react to phenomena such as the exodus from sub-regions andthe polarisation of society in terms of age and social structures. Today,sustainability requirements in network and road design are being met by avariety of new methods, procedures, tools, and measures. The restructuring of the existing network is just as much a part of the strategies to adapt the transport infrastructure to changed requirements as a reinforced safety philosophy. An integrated approach to spatial, urban, and transport planning and a multimodal transport network design that makes the most of opportunities to co-ordinate and link individual subsections of the transport networks serves to optimise transport services. The road safety audit has established itself as a successful quality assurance tool for both new-build and upgrading projects. Any identified safety deficiencies are used to adjust plans in a targeted manner in order to meet the needs of more vulnerable road users such as children and elderly people. Necessary operational adjustments result from the associated necessities to make more efficient use of capacity throughout the entire transport infrastructure system and to optimise traffic flow by means of integration effects. For the covering abstract see ITRD E139491.
Abstract