The authorities approved the transport strategy of the Russian Federation until 2035, which implies “no alternative” limitation of the use of personal transport

The new Russian transport strategy until 2035, approved by the government, provides for a “no alternative” restriction on the use of private cars to reduce harmful emissions into the environment, writes “Kommersant” with reference to the government project.

To reduce harmful emissions, the authors of the document propose to establish “digital control” for road noise, increase the number of refueling for electric vehicles by more than a thousand times and minimize the use of cars with non-environmentally friendly engines. For this, it is planned to create zones where the entry of such vehicles will be prohibited.

Note that the innovation will affect the lives of a huge number of Russians. According to the traffic police at the beginning of 2021, half of the entire vehicle fleet in Russia is made up of cars with Euro-0 – Euro-3 engines (maximum – Euro-6) or with an unidentified class at all.

The strategy, on which it is planned to spend 60 trillion rubles, also says that 82% of harmful emissions from the use of vehicles are due to the erosion of the road surface and the “components” of the car, so replacing them with more environmentally friendly models will not solve the problem. Therefore, the authors believe, it is necessary to stimulate the sharing of vehicles to reduce the number of private cars or to transfer car owners to public transport.

The introduction of transport restrictions is pushed not only by the global problem of greenhouse gas emissions, but also by the low level of development of transport infrastructure in the Russian Federation, experts say. “In US cities, 30–35% of the built-up area is allocated for roads or streets, in Europe – about 25%. Russian cities, even the most developed ones, are balancing at around 10%, ”says Mikhail Blinkin, head of the public council of the Ministry of Transport.

The Ministry of Transport does not believe that the strategy somehow restricts Russians’ right to travel. “The transport strategy of Russia until 2035 does not imply any restrictions on the use of personal cars. The activities of the strategy are aimed at increasing the mobility and quality of life of citizens, the consistent development of all types of transport, ”the department assures.

However, it noted that one of the key objectives of the strategy is to transfer people from private cars to public transport. “The development of public transport is one of the most important tools for improving the quality of the urban environment, in connection with which the strategy assumes a more intensive development of the share of public transport in passenger traffic”, – leads TASS commentary of the Ministry of Transport.