Motorized road transport has increased rapidly in the European Region in the last decades. Forecasts for 2020 in the EU show a further rise in passenger and freight transport and similar trends are also expected in the eastern part of the European Region. There is an increasing awareness of the environmental and health effects of transport. The health risks posed suggest an increased urgency for action to reduce these effects and related risks. The integration of environmental and health dimensions into transport policies is necessary for achieving sustainability and reducing the disease burden. This is a challenging task but necessary for providing a viable future for our children. To this end, Austria, France, Malta, the Netherlands, Sweden and Switzerland launched a joint project and series of workshops on "Transport-related Health Effects with a Particular Focus on Children" in 2003. With this joint initiative the participating countries intend to make an active contribution to the UNECE - WHO Transport Health and Environment Pan-European Programme - THE PEP as well as to the development of the CEHAPE - Children's Environment and Health Action Plan for Europe. The aim of this project, which focused particularly on road transport, was to make progress towards an integrated assessment of major transport related health effects by: 1) Focusing on children 2) Bringing together state of the art of knowledge about these health effects 3) Highlighting their costs and benefits 4) Focusing on methodological aspects 5) Identifying policy directions to address transport-related health effects on children One of the outcomes of this joint project is a set of "Key Messages". These 'messages' were developed after reviewing the evidence and a comprehensive list of policies addressing different aspects of transport-related effects on environment and health. This was undertaken by experts and was developed further at the Workshop on "Synthesis and Policy Recommendations" (Malta, 19-20 February 2004) by an panel of decision makers and external experts. Experts from the six participating countries shared tasks, experiences and resources. Austria focussed on the psychological issues, France on air pollution, Malta on road safety, the Netherlands on noise, Sweden on economic valuation and Switzerland on physical activity. The project was supported by expert input from the WHO on road safety and climate change. A series of reviewing workshops in Vienna, Stockholm, The Hague and Malta complemented these studies involving also external experts and stakeholders. The results and conclusions of this joint project are summarized and published in a synthesis report complemented by five topic reports. It has to be stressed that due to limited time and resources, some effects of transport, such as the contamination of water and soil, as well as more comprehensive economic calculations could not be sufficiently undertaken. Follow-up activities would be advisable. (Author/publisher)
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