Proposition 52K1450

Proposition de résolution visant à promouvoir un usage économe et responsable des véhicules fonctionnant à l'énergie fossile.

General information ¶

Authors

PS | SP Colette Burgeon, Jean Cornil, Linda Musin, Bruno Van Grootenbrulle

Submission date

Oct. 3, 2008

Official page

Visit

Status

Adopted

Requirement

Simple

Subjects

energy saving air quality environmental protection resolution of parliament motor fuel reduction of gas emissions motor vehicle pollution road traffic

Voting ¶

Voted to adopt

Groen CD&V Vooruit Ecolo LE PS | SP Open Vld N-VA LDD MR FN VB

Contact form ¶

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Discussion ¶

May 7, 2009 | Plenary session (Chamber of representatives)

Full source

The title of the resolution aims to promote the efficient and responsible use of fossil-fuel vehicles. Behind this, the proposal aims to reduce the environmental harm of road traffic, especially by stimulating what is called ‘EcoDriving’ – which I would rather call ‘ecological conduct’ to stay in our noble language. This proposal was submitted by Mrs. Linda Musin and the PS.

I will not read the entire written report but I will remind you of the golden rules of EcoDriving: move to the highest speed as soon as possible, drive as much as possible at constant speed, follow the flow of traffic and anticipate, raise the foot in time when you arrive at a crossroads or fire, prefer the engine brake, do not run too fast, monitor the pressure of the tires, use the board instruments properly, ensure good aerodynamics and avoid unnecessary loads and do not let the engine turn unnecessarily.

These are daily advice that I have allowed myself to remember because we are all drivers. The idea of encouraging this type of driving could be realised in two ways: by making this learning mandatory for driver candidates through self-schools and theoretical training on driver’s license and by ensuring that drivers who already have their license also get acquainted with these techniques. Both road professionals and private vehicle drivers should be encouraged to learn EcoDriving.

How to proceed in this matter? The proposal suggests generalizing such training, including on the workplace, creating a type-approval service and offering incentives, in order to motivate drivers to take such training. It also calls for a awareness campaign. Initially, she requested that this campaign be conducted by the IBSR.

Our discussion allowed us to formulate a few minor objections. On behalf of Ecolo, I asked that training should not be focused only on people’s workplaces. This was not the author’s intention, but it could have been assumed.

Subsequently, CD&V asked whether the budget situation allowed to grant tax incentives for this type of activity. The representative of the State Secretary for Mobility objected to the establishment of a type-approval service and to the obligation of the IBSR to organize a awareness campaign.

The committee has easily agreed on a few amendments that make recommendations to the government more broad and less accurate, leaving the door open to find ways to stimulate this behavior.

The proposal was adopted with 9 votes for and 1 abstinence.

Invasive, polluting, noisy, but also sometimes necessary, the car remains ubiquitous in our society. Our fellow citizens living in urban centers can bear witness to this every day.

This predominant place of the car in our mobility habits is constantly more expensive and harmful to the environment and yet the car is not ready to leave our lives and even less our roads.

First, let’s remember a few figures to illustrate our dependence on road transport. In Belgium, the rate of motorization remains very high with more than 5 million private vehicles for more than 10.5 million inhabitants. Since 2000, the average mileage is approximately 15,000 kilometers per year and 70% of Belgians use their car daily.

According to experts from the Plan Bureau, this trend is unfortunately not ready to reverse. Estimates for 2030 predict that the car will remain the dominant means of transportation with 84% of traffic.

In the face of this alarming finding, the absolute priority must be given to policies favouring the modal shift to more environmentally friendly collective transport for the community and more economical for individuals. However, we all know properly well that, even with the best will in the world, these measures will only mark their effects in the long term. It is therefore the responsibility of public authorities to put in place solutions that can produce their effects immediately in order to address, from now on, the adverse effects of the car. It is therefore in anticipation of realistic alternatives that my group submitted this resolution to invite everyone to adopt EcoDriving, a series of simple and effective gestures to reduce vehicle fuel consumption and, consequently, their impact on the environment.

EcoDriving is the training for a new type of driving, not only more efficient and more environmentally friendly, but also ensuring and improving the safety and fluidity of traffic.

As Ms. Snoy recently recalled, driving ‘EcoDriving’ means following as much as possible ten golden rules, basic rules. As I mentioned before, I will not go back. However, I can assure you that this method works because a study conducted in 2000 at the initiative of the Swiss Federal Energy Office highlights the effects of ‘EcoDrive’ courses on fuel consumption, on driving comfort, vehicle wear and on the awareness of the driver of environmentally friendly driving and road safety.

Without going into the details of this study, I would like to draw your attention to a single figure. Several years after the formation of Ecodriving, the researchers found that drivers who followed it consumed on average 11.7% less fuel than others. The results of this method are therefore real and lasting.

In addition, I had contacts with field actors, who confirmed to me that the changes in driver behavior after such training were stunning. I would also like to take this opportunity to propose to the members of the Infrastructure Committee to visit a ‘Ecodriving’ training centre in the coming weeks to evaluate the implementation of this resolution.

The aim of this resolution is that all drivers have the opportunity to adopt these ten simple gestures. That is why we call on the government to make learning Ecodriving mandatory for future drivers. To do this, we want to integrate this training into the auto-school charges specification and complement the learning of the Road Code with the basic rules of Ecodriving.

We also wish to make every effort to promote the learning of this method for all drivers through training on the workplace and through the granting of tax incentives. Thus, we ask the government to create the necessary incentives to stimulate the attendance of Ecodriving training. In order to ensure the seriousness of the training offered to drivers, a quality label will also need to be created.

Finally, we ask the government to make known all these measures and the effectiveness of this method of conduct by commanding a national campaign of awareness to Ecodriving.

For us, it is therefore essential that everyone immediately adjusts their way of driving in order to reduce their CO2 emissions and fuel consumption. If all these simple gestures are mastered by drivers, this method can offer us a lot of advantages. It will be good for purchasing power by reducing fuel consumption by ⁇ 12%. By riding ‘Ecodriving’, you can save almost 200 euros per year. It will also be environmentally beneficial by reducing greenhouse gas emissions. If all drivers adopted Ecodriving, CO2 emissions could be reduced by an equivalent of 600,000 cars per year. Finally, this method benefits the economy by streamlining traffic and reducing the number of accidents.

It is therefore with conviction, dear colleagues, that I ask you to vote in favour of this proposal for a resolution.

Mr. Speaker, we will support this proposal for a post-amendment resolution, as has been done in the committee, as it fits perfectly with the objectives as expressed in the policy note of Secretary of State Schouppe, to make ecodriving more prevalent in the mobility policy.

The resolution was amended, among other things on our proposal, to reduce the administrative burden, not to create too much administrative overhead and to avoid an additional tax on our budget. As long as these amendments as they have been approved in the committee, CD&V fully agrees with this. We will fully support the resolution.

I have an amendment no. 5 received by the gentlemen Stevenheydens and Mortelmans, which will be voted soon.