THE UN/ECE 1995 CENSUS OF
EUROPEAN ROAD TRAFFIC RELEASED
2 October 1998
The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UN/ECE), a
Geneva based UN organization, has just released the publication
of the 1995 Census of Motor Traffic on Main International Traffic
Arteries, a unique compilation of road traffic data on main
international roads in Europe (E roads).
The Census shows the average annual daily traffic on the E
roads of the following 30 European countries: Austria, Belarus,
Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia,
Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania,
Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania,
Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, The former
Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Turkey, Ukraine and United
Kingdom.
The Census includes a breakdown of the average daily traffic
by peak hour traffic, night traffic and holiday traffic. Data
have been collected in the participating countries following a
commonly agreed framework, including also the coverage, scope and
purpose, as well as vehicle categories, values to be counted and
the design of the counts.
The publication consists of a statistical report and 11
traffic maps, giving transport planners and decision makers as
well as the public at large a greater sense of how main European
roads are used and where measures have to be taken. The
statistical tables and the maps have been printed by the
Cartographic Institute of Catalonia (Barcelona, Spain).
The 1995 Road Traffic Census has also been developed in a
Geographic Information System (GIS) application. By using GIS
technology and with the cooperation of the Institut d'Estudis
Territorials (IET) of Barcelona (Spain), the Transport Division
of the UN/ECE secretariat now has all traffic data digitally
linked to the mapping information, thus allowing for higher
quality data and maps and improved spatial analysis.
While the publication is currently on hard copy, traffic data
will soon be on CD-ROM, which will allow users to have direct
access to the data and maps in a GIS framework, to analyze,
manipulate and forecast future traffic trends at pan-European
level.
The UN/ECE's E Road Traffic Censuses are undertaken every five
years. The 1995 release is particularly important for the
assessment of the development of international East-West traffic
flows in Europe at five-six years= distance of the fall of the
Iron Curtain and therefore for the assessment of infrastructure
needs in Central and Eastern European countries.
The next Census will be carried out in the year 2000, and will
combine important information on traffic volumes with
infrastructure parameters, such as lengths and widths of roads,
design speeds and other variables. The 2000 Combined Census
and Inventory will also be developed using GIS technology, paving
the way for an enlarged database in future, including information
on congestion, road traffic accidents, energy consumption and
other important transport data.
For more information on the 1995 Census of Motor
Traffic on Main International Traffic Arteries or preparations
for the 2000 Combined Census and Inventory, please contact:
Mr. J. Capel Ferrer, Director, Transport Division, or
Ms. Brinda Wachs Shimizu, Economic Affairs Officer
Transport Division
United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UN/ECE)
Palais des Nations
CH - 1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland
Phone: (+41 22) 917 24 00/52
Fax: (+41 22) 917 00 39
E-mail: [email protected]
To purchase the 1995 Census of Motor Traffic on Main
International Traffic Arteries, contact UN Sales Publications
(+41-22-917-2612), or any UN bookstore (Sales Publication No.
E/F.97.II.E.20).