Mobility & Transport
The transition in mobility and transport is important for sustainability, accessibility and to address housing dynamics.
In Europe, mobility has been an urgent topic to address the reduction of greenhouse gases and small particle dust, as well as decarbonising energy sources. Then, in 2019, with a booming economy, congestion both on road and rail became an important topic to keep cities accessible. While the COVID-19 pandemic put a stop to travelling, a large percentage of workers still work from home, congestion during rush hour is back. Additionally, the housing shortage facing many European cities impacts mobility, as a strategy to counteract this is building where existing transport networks are already robust.
People are highly dependent on cars, and this dependence carries a significant emotional element. European cities will aggressively push for reducing private car usage. To increase usage of sustainable modes of travel, it needs to be easy for people to remain flexible. The challenge is to develop an integrated mobility system providing a seamless customer journey, combining shared, public- and private transport.
This challenge is substantial, but so are the opportunities for cooperation between businesses, local government, and other organisations within the public sector.
Solutions for cities
Public transportation infrastructure
Public transportation significantly reduces the use of fossil fuels, reduces road congestion and makes efficient use of urban space. Using sustainable energy sources for public transport, such as electricity and hydrogen, compounds the positive impact. Opportunities include developing more attractive and efficient forms of public transport (train, trams, metro, bus) as well as innovating the supporting infrastructure. Attractive bicycle lanes and pedestrian pathways are key to encourage biking and walking as first- and last mile modes of public transport. To increase the use of micro-mobility, additional infrastructure, such as mini docks is vital.
Sustainable transportation
While cars will continue to be an important mode of transportation, it is crucial to accelerate electrification and support charging infrastructure. In addition to traditional electric vehicles, there are also sustainable fuel alternatives like hydrogen. As many conventional EVs become larger in size, it is important to distinguish between different types of electric vehicles. Urban Lightweight Electric Vehicles offer car-like safety and comfort while only using the footprint of a scooter. Another example is last-mile shared micro-mobility solutions which can further reduce car usage and complement public transport options such as bicycles, e-bikes, electric scooters, and cargo bikes.
Smart mobility
Mobility becomes smart when it is used in a connected on-demand system based on real-time traffic data and (predictive) analytics. Autonomous (shared) vehicles can be used to strengthen public transport services in rural/less traffic dense areas. Intelligent Transport Systems can optimise city logistics by combining actual traffic data and analytics to different transportation needs and available capacity. Mobility-as-a-Service platforms can provide people with access to a flexible set of mobility options, providing the optimal option for every end-to-end journey. Smart traffic management systems can help support the mobility transition by adjusting city traffic rules to the real-time situation (e.g. reducing maximum car speed during rush hours when the road is shared with many cyclists), dynamic pricing, etc.
Multi-Modal journeys
The mobility transition is changing how, when and where we travel. The new behaviour revolves around using more sustainable modes of (shared) transport more often and combined modes within one journey. This transition requires attitude and behavioural changes, especially around devout car owners. Possible solutions include new and better route planners, that promote realistic car journeys including traffic and parking time, to make it easier to find attractive multi-modal route alternatives using hubs and digital real time travel information. It also includes physical touch points like ensuring car parking capacity at hubs, facilitating safe e-bike storage and improving micro-mobility.
Urban logistics and sustainable supply chains
Mobility is about people and goods – each sharing the same need to use resources and capacity more efficiently and transition to using more sustainable shared modes of transportation. 'Green' supply chain management can incorporate data to enhance urban distribution efficiency, explore optimal capacity use through effective route planning and utilise a network of shared hubs. Additionally, it can investigate alternative transport modes such as cargo bikes, electric freight transport, hybrid and electric trucks, waterway freight transport, and more efficient use of the rail system.
Future of work (and school)
If not for rush hours, there is more than enough capacity in the mobility system as it is. Successfully addressing rush hours is, however, difficult. It requires us to reorganise when and where we work and get our education. The ‘third office’ concept is about creating workspace between head office and home office; where people enjoy some benefits from working in an office without having to move to the same head office all at once. Part of the topic also involves solutions like introducing a mobility budget, employer mobility policies, digital solutions for organising meetings based on location and mobility availability, rush hour policies, school rostering, …). All of which are initiatives that do not involve mobility directly but reframe the setting in which we make travel related choices.