4.4 Accessibility improvements and deficits

Accessibility is a function of transport infrastructure quality and of the spatial distribution of activity opportunities.

Planned infrastructure investments will lead to considerable improvements of accessibility throughout the BSR.

In the following map, the European geography is designed proportionate to travel times (railways) instead of the common distance dimension. This helps to see that future speed improvements lead to shrinking time distances in Europe. But the map also demonstrates that major improvements will occur in Central Europe. While travel distances to other parts of the BSR will also be improved, their relative position compared to Central Europe may become less advantageous.

The major deficit can be seen again for coastal regions along the southern shores of the BSR.

A similar conclusion can be drawn if future changes of daily accessibility by road are considered (see next map). This map is based on a calculation of the market size (no. of population within, here, a daily travel distance). The higher and the darker the 'mountains', the higher the increase of accessible market size. Again, there will be significant improvements. But they will concentrate at Central Europe, while coastal BSR will benefit less.

This situation is due to two overlapping factors: lower improvements in travel times in some regions, and low population density there, so that faster travelling will not expand the accessible market dramatically. While the latter factor can not be changed, the first one can.

Some improvements can be seen on the link from Riga southwards through Lithuania towards Poland. But less favoured BSR regions include:

• Riga - Tallinn - St. Petersburg
• coastal Poland (Via Hanseatica).