Read the following quote and think about it from the point of view of different stakeholders (city residents, tourists, entrepreneurs, representatives of state and local government, etc.).

This quote is from Enrique Peñalosa Londoño, a Colombian politician who was mayor of Bogotá from 1998 to 2001 and from 2016 to 2019. He has also worked as a journalist and consultant on urban and transportation policy and was the chairman of the executive board of the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy, a non-governmental, non-profit organization based in New York City, from 2009 to 2016.

“A city is more civilised not when it has highways, but when a child on a tricycle is able to move about everywhere with ease and safety.”

(Enrique Peñalosa Londoño)

An efficient transport system is one of the factors that make cities competitive. It provides access to jobs, education and health care. However, in many cities people suffer from health problems triggered by exhaust fumes and noise. Traffic jams waste people’s time, resulting in considerable financial losses for the economy. Car-based urban transport systems relying on fossil fuels consume enormous amounts of energy, and contribute significantly to greenhouse gas emissions. Road accidents take their toll especially among vulnerable groups such as pedestrians and cyclists. Last but not least, millions of urban poor are excluded from safe and efficient transport services – they cannot afford a car, and have to rely on inadequate public transport services and poor facilities for pedestrians and cyclists.

Watch the following video and focus on the essence of sustainable mobility.

Sustainable mobility in European cities is generally based on the following 10 basic principles:

1. Planning dense and human scale cities

2. Developing transit-oriented cities

3. Optimizing the road network and its use

4. Encouraging walking and cycling

5. Implementing transit improvements

6. Controlling vehicle-use

7. Managing parking

8. Promoting clean vehicles

9. Communicating solutions

10. Approaching the challenges comprehensively

The individual principles are elaborated into more detailed measures below:

1. Planning dense and human scale cities

   • Support projects to create affordable housing in city centres

   • Prioritise humanscale modes

   • Integrate urban and transport development

   • Small urban fabric

   • Develop mixed-use city quarters

   • Create urban plazas

   • Traffic calming

   • Car-free housing

   • Develop urban sub-centres

2. Developing transit-oriented cities

   • Develop urban sub-centres

   • Add shopping facilities in major transit stations

   • Place office space close to transit stations

   • Create high density apartments around transit stations

   • Provide bike parking facilities at transit stations

3. Optimizing the road network and its use

   • Enforce traffic rules

   • Provide traffic information (on-time performance, congestion, parking)

   • Reduce speed limit in residential areas to 30 km/h or lower

   • Ensure land value capture around transit

   • Enhance urban connectivity and reduce detours

   • Improve critical intersections for pedestrians, cyclists and public transport

4. Encouraging walking and cycling

   • Conduct transport impact assessment for new developments

   • Cycling highways

   • Realise comprehensive cycling and walking concepts

   • Limit expansion of road space for cars

   • Create a complete urban cycling network

   • Remove barriers for pedestrians

   • Public bike sharing

   • High-quality street design standards for sidewalks, cycle paths and complete streets

   • Pedestrian zones

   • Green waves for bicycles

   • Appoint cycling and pedestrian advisors in traffic administrations

   • Improve safety for pedestrians and cyclists at intersections

5. Implementing transit improvements

   • Ensure high service quality in public transport based on performance indicators

   • Simple and fair ticketing

   • Set up public transport associations integrating timetables, fares and tickets

   • User-friendly taxi services

6. Controlling vehicle-use

   • Urban logistic distribution centres

   • Travel restrictions

   • Corporate parking policy

   • Phase out vehicles as salary benefit

   • Distance-based fees/pricing (pay-as-you-drive)

   • Job tickets

   • Incentives to commute by bike or public transport

   • Telework and flexible working hours

   • Locate lower density housing in cycling distance and provide cycling connections

7. Managing parking

   • Establish parking fees

   • Limit parking duration

   • Enforce parking rules

   • Parking regulations (e.g. maximum parking requirements)

   • Parking information

   • Clear marking of on-street parking

   • Balance parking supply

8. Promoting clean vehicles

   • Vehicle scrapping / retrofit schemes

   • Inspection & maintenance

   • Feebates (rewards for efficient vehicles)

   • Low emission zones

   • Tax transport fuels appropriately

   • Promote clean fuels

   • Infrastructure for clean fuels and electric vehicles

   • Green procurement for vehicles

9. Communicating solutions

   • Promote regional products (less need for transport)

   • Promote local leisure activities

   • Bike-friendly companies awards

   • Marketing campaigns for cycling

   • User-friendly websites of public transport operators

   • Provide access to data for app developers

   • Marketing for better public transport

   • Rideshare programs

10. Approaching the challenges comprehensively

    • Quantify emissions

    • Integrate transport into climate change action plans

    • Develop, implement and communicate comprehensive sustainable urban mobility plans

    • Monitor implementation and performance of measures

    • Start a stakeholder process to assess and discuss measures

    • Create institutions responsible for Sustainable Urban Transport

      • Integrated city and transport planning authority

      • Public transport alliances

      • Encourage citizens to start NGOs

The 10 basic principles of sustainable mobility in European cities are illustrated schematically in the figure (see Exercise Files section – file “Basic principles of sustainable mobility”).

Think about which principle is the most important in terms of ensuring sustainable mobility.

Think about which measures are most often implemented in European cities in the context of sustainable mobility.

Think about these issues from the perspective of each stakeholder (city residents, tourists, entrepreneurs, representatives of state and local government, etc.).

In practice, European cities are trying to ensure:

• Quality public transport
• Accessible public transport
• Walking & cycling transport support
• Safety mobility
• Shared mobility
• Smart mobility
• Reducing emissions from every mode of transport

References:

• PLANÈTE ENERGIES, 2023. 10 What Is Sustainable Mobility? Planète Energies. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b93wkhn2wxM (Accessed: 2 February 2023).
• SUTP, 2023. 10 Principles for Sustainable Urban Transport. Sustainable Urban Transport Project. Available at: https://policies.google.com/terms?hl=en-US (Accessed: 13 February 2023).