TRANS-TALK Consultation

The TRANS-TALK Thematic Network
c/o Liana Giorgi
(Project co-ordinator)
Schottenfeldgasse 69/1,
A-1070 Vienna

Tel: (43-1) 524 13 93 150
Fax: (43-1) 524 13 93 200
E-mail: l.giorgi@iccr-international.org

prepared in the framework of the TRANS-TALK Thematic Network ‘Project and Policy Evaluation Methodologies’ supported by the Transport RTD Key Action ‘Sustainable Mobility and Intermodality’ of the 5^th Framework Programme.

The purpose of this handbook is to provide guidelines that can help policy-makers and evaluators alike to better design evaluations of policies, programmes or projects in transport. These guidelines are not meant to substitute existing evaluation manuals at national or European level, but rather to extend them and help improve their use. It is also not the handbook’s intention to set European-wide technical standards with regard to evaluation methodologies in transport. Rather this handbook provides a framework that assists in the development of such standards if the latter are judged necessary or desirable.

The handbook is structured as follows: We start by reiterating and discussing the general principles of evaluation which are the subject of most evaluation manuals. We address in more detail those issues specific to transport evaluation that whilst consensual in principle are problematic in terms of application, and suggest ways in which these barriers can be overcome. The section that follows discusses the new challenges to transport evaluation, specifically those that emerge around the themes of European added-value, environmental valuation, citizen participation and public acceptability and multi-modal planning. Finally we propose a scheme through which it is possible to better design and implement evaluations in the transport sector.

The Annexes to this handbook are as follows: Annex I summarises the conclusions of the first and second TRANS-TALK seminars; Annex II is a summary of a review of appraisal methods currently in use in EU Member States; Annex III provides a review of trends with regard to strategic transport policy and multi-modal planning; Finally Annex IV lists evaluation manuals and relevant literature or links.

This consultation document is available for downloading in Word or PDF format. Print copies are available upon request at the address indicated above.

Your response to this consultation document will help us refine the handbook and make it more useful to you and people you work with. Your response may be made publicly available in whole or in part. If you wish part of your response to be kept confidential, please indicate this clearly. Our plan is to publish on the Web Site the responses to this consultation document and subsequently use this input to revise the document.