Aviation has been the most dramatic change to 20th century travel. It jumped from 18,000 passengers worldwide in 1927, to a billion in the 1990's. People who travel by air have none of the physical obstacles that face those using land and sea-based transport, and there is no need to stop at international frontiers. At 800 km per hour, people and cargoes can be carried half way round the world in a matter of hours.

In Europe, it is quicker to travel by train than airplane. Although the airplane moves faster, the time taken to reach airports, together with delays, can't compete with the train that goes from city centre to centre.

Click for travel costs

Although public transport is often thought to be expensive, it costs only about a third of the cost of using private transport; this is due to people sharing the cost of the transport.

Despite low public transport costs two-thirds of all journeys in industrialised countries are by private car.

Car-pooling and the use of cars during off peak periods could also be encouraged. The allowance for travel should reflect actual mpg costs and not be overgenerous so encouraging fuel-efficient driving. Rail travel should be encouraged where possible such as Inter-city travel and direct link journeys.

More on transport in EU

http://reports.eea.eu.int/ENVISSUENo12/en/page002.html