Preliminary assessment of the third payment request of Romania (2024)

• - measures that allow the development of infrastructure to encourage the safe and secure

use of public transport, bicycles and walking;

Article 10 provides, inter alia, that SUMPs must take into account increasing the safety of all road users, redistributing street space between individual motorised transport, public transport and non- motorised transport, developing pedestrian areas and cycling infrastructure, introducing dedicated lanes for public passenger transport.

Articles 18 requires the identification and implementation of routes for public transport and direct and easy access for pedestrians and bicycle users to public transport services.

Article 19 requires, from the design phase, the prioritisation of walking, cycling, public transport and car in this order, and the provision of lanes dedicated to public transport.

The measures set out in the articles 10, 18 and 19 will allow for the development of infrastructure to encourage the safe and secure use of public transport, bicycles and walking.

By encouraging the safe and secure use of public transport, bicycles and walking, these provisions also provide incentives for the use of alternative means of transportation, in line with the description of the measure.

• - measures to allow the implementation of intermodal nodes to facilitate transport in the

functional urban area/metropolitan area.

Article 31 in section 3 on “measures for the implementation of intermodal nodes in urban areas” lists the conditions that urban nodes must respect to ensure the smooth and efficient operation of the trans-European transport network. Urban nodes must:

• - “Ensure the availability of recharging and refuelling infrastructure for alternative fuels;
• - develop multimodal passenger terminals to facilitate first and last mile connections,

equipped with at least one recharging station dedicated to serving buses and coaches, by 31 December 2030;

• - ensure the development of at least one multimodal freight terminal, if not already in place,

allowing sufficient transhipment capacity within or near the urban node by 31 December 2040.”

These conditions will facilitate transport in the functional urban area/metropolitan area by insuring different types of transport networks are well connected.

The legislation shall be developed in line with:

• - the provisions of European Regulation No 1370/2007,…

Regulation No. 1370/2007, known as the public service obligation (PSO) Regulation, sets out conditions under which transport operators can be compensated or given exclusive rights by public authorities to provide public transport services which are in the general interest but would otherwise not be commercially viable. The aim is to ensure access to safe, efficient, attractive and high-quality public passenger transport services.

Article 11(h) indicates that the planning and design for sustainable urban mobility will take into account “increasing the quality of public passenger transport service”. One of the objectives of regulation No. 1370/2007 is therefore considered.