Cities face complex challenges in creating sustainable mobility solutions, from meeting the needs of different stakeholders to adapting existing technology and dealing with limited resources.
In order to assist cities in overcoming their own limitations, the Global New Mobility Coalition is working with three cities to pilot its Urban mobility tool. This tool enables cities to self-evaluate their progress toward sustainability while motivating action.
Public transport
Rapid population growth and urbanisation is exerting immense strain on cities’ transport systems. Public transportation (PT) offers highly efficient shared services that cover only a portion of urban mobility demand. Meanwhile, private vehicles remain parked 95% of the time with only two people per vehicle being carried on average, contributing to traffic congestion, pollution and road accidents.
Motorization, highway networks, and suburbanisation of residential areas have contributed significantly to global transit ridership declines. But thanks to ubiquitous connectivity, utilising information technologies and new business models could enable us to reimagine urban mobility and change how we navigate cities.
Walking
Walking offers many health and social advantages. Additionally, walking provides an economical and eco-friendly alternative to driving a car.
Studies have demonstrated that regular brisk walking can significantly lower the risk of premature death. Furthermore, it helps lower blood pressure, body mass index (BMI), and improve cardiovascular health.
Walking is the form of transport with minimal environmental impacts, encouraging public transit use, thereby helping reduce traffic congestion and CO2 emissions.
An increased walkability index is an indicator of successful implementation of TOD principles and can make buses, trams and subway metros easier to use by increasing their effective traveling range.
Cycling
As global cities continue to become more congested and air pollution increases, it becomes ever more critical that alternatives for transport systems be found. Historically, increasing infrastructure for cars was often seen as the solution; however, this can lead to urban sprawl and congestion, while increasing traffic-related emissions and road deaths – creating a cycle which must be broken.
Cycling offers sustainable mobility solutions, but has not been well studied relative to other modes of transport. To explore experts’ projections of two business models for connected cycling urban mobility ecosystems using Delphi technique. Six key ecosystem stakeholders were asked rate their interest and willingness to pay for services offered under each of two scenarios.
Cars
Cars are an increasingly prevalent mode of transport in cities, contributing to pollution, traffic congestion and climate change. Furthermore, many urban residents do not have access to efficient public transport systems and services, creating inequality in mobility.
Future mobility solutions must be sustainable and people-centred, but complex urban systems come with many unanswered questions such as climate change impacts or demographic shifts that cannot easily be included into design processes.
Recent research from Oliver Wyman Forum and Institute of Transportation Studies at UC Berkeley concluded that new mobility services will generate an estimated business volume of $660 billion by 2030, with potential to reduce energy demand, emissions, congestion and address other urban challenges.
MaaS
MaaS is an evolution in transport that involves looking beyond physical infrastructure (vehicles and roads) to user needs and providing all-in-one services that allow greater convenience and flexibility when planning trips or commuting.
Users of Uber allows them to select from various modes of transport on a single intuitive platform and pay monthly, similar to how we pay for broadband internet and mobile phone services. Plans can be tailored specifically for urban commuters, families, businesses or casual travellers and include all public transport options as well as taxis, rental cars and car share options.
Research using stated preference models demonstrates that most people find MaaS appealing, yet the current market lacks scalability and integration, potentially diminishing its effectiveness in reducing carbon emissions.