Mobility
Increasing quality of life for people and for planet via sustainable urban mobility
Background
Every year, 7 million premature deaths are caused by poor air quality. Traffic accidents are the tenth leading cause of death in the world and are responsible for approximately 1,3M deaths a year. Around 50 million people are injured on the roads each year.
The role of public transport and mobility services in achieving the 2030 Agenda and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change has become crucial. They are essential to set up consistent decisions that decrease the consumption of fossil fuels and the greenhouse gas emissions in the sector. They also create the ground for a more sustainable use of the land and to revert health effects of transport emissions.
The crisis generated by the COVID-19 pandemic has had a great impact on public transport systems around the world, with workers in the sector more likely to be unemployed. It has shown that public transport is essential and a common good that must be preserved.
The advantages of public transport for society are obvious. The economic benefits of public transport are five times higher than the money invested in it: Worldwide, more than 13 million local jobs are linked to public transport services. For every direct job in public transportation, there are 2.5 additional jobs in the supply chain and in the local economy.
Local and regional governments have always pioneered in developing sustainable transport. They facilitate smooth, efficient and smart transport to provide better public services to all.
This session explores practices and ideas to promote sustainable and inclusive public transport and mobility with a focus on social inclusion, accessibility, climate change, equal opportunities for all, and more.
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Challenges
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In Europe and in Latin America, we are experiencing an increase in the use of private cars because of the COVID-19 pandemic, which leads to more traffic jams and undesirable uses of public spaces.
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First, we should further adjust transport and energy structure to promote emission reduction and achieve neutrality in the transport industry.
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Secondly, we need to respond to the needs of the most vulnerable and prioritize public transport with Transit Oriented Development and Bus Rapid Transit routes, so transport equality is guaranteed.
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To limit the increase in global temperature in accordance with the Paris Agreement, global emissions must be reduced by 7.6% every year for the next decade. The fastest and most cost-effective way to decarbonize people’s daily mobility, and to reduce the footprint of their movements, is to promote public transport and active mobility.
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Finally, cities and countries must invest in resilience and in a recovery that favours a systemic socio-economic transformation, where public transport is the backbone of mobility.
Learn more about the challenges being faced by cities and regions
Responses
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The Bicycle in Buenos Aires has begun to meet the need for individual transportation in the context of the pandemic.
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Dakar has begun to improve the city’s bus network, as well as other public transport systems.
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New York city is working with a focus of restoration of the confidence of the people in public transport.
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Cities are readjusting the public transport supply in line with the changes in the profile of transport users, as a result of the pandemic. While people in general are working more remotely in countries with richer economies, care workers are demanding more public transport.
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Public transport operators are developing new capacities and sustainable transport models based on innovation such as clean buses, new apps for on demand transport, and real-time transformation.
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The city of Bilbao started a strategy to create awareness among the population about the benefits of active modes of mobility for health such as walking and cycling.
Learn more about other responses and initiatives in terms of Migration:
Towards the Pact
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5G IT technology, big data, AI, etc. also need to be integrated and applied more extensively to speed up the infrastructure construction of the new generation of smart transport.
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Transport facilities will be more connected, digitised and intelligent to drive innovations in transport service models and connectivity among people, vehicles and roads bringing higher resource utilization and more redefined management.
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The sector is strongly interrelated with other challenges, which cannot be faced without giving clear priority to public transport as a fundamental pillar of economic, social and environmental recovery, both in the short and medium term.
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Governments that are currently assessing how to allocate some of the largest public funds in history must include the sector in financial recovery measures. Maintain and intensify the planned investments in public transport infrastructure and services.
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Accessible and safe streets where the air is breathable through urban planning putting people at the center must be prioritized by all.
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Implementing participatory coordination and an integrated planning of transport and long-term land use is key to achieve sustainable cities.
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Public transport is key to social inclusion as it provides access to opportunity and all people must have access to it.
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Public transport must be the backbone of urban mobility in all crisis recovery strategies. Based on solid data, positive communication measures are essential to restore public confidence in the public transport sector.
For further information on the topic of Public Service Delivery and its impact on cities and regions, please refer to the related resources included below.
- UCLG’s Live Learning Experience page
- Metropolis’ Cities for Global Health initiative
Frontliners
