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Better mobility starts in cities
With transport accounting for a quarter of Europe’s greenhouse gas emissions, mobility is a pressing concern for cities as they advance the ambitious goals outlined in the European Green Deal. Cities are at the forefront of tackling climate change, spearheading initiatives to decarbonise their mobility systems.
Recent crises, such as Russia’s war in Ukraine and the subsequent energy crisis, have introduced new challenges and exacerbated existing ones like the impact of COVID-19 on public transport and the need for increased funding and legislative support at the national and EU level. These hurdles have further highlighted the urgency for European cities to act on their climate goals through their policies and urban infrastructure.
With more than 70% of Europeans living in urban areas and the European Environment Agency calling air pollution “the largest environmental health risk on the continent,” city leaders emphasise the need for the continued support of EU policymakers, through clear legislation, enhanced funding mechanisms, and greater influence in decision-making processes, to ensure the successful implementation of sustainable mobility initiatives.
With transport accounting for a quarter of Europe’s greenhouse gas emissions, mobility is a pressing concern for cities as they advance the ambitious goals outlined in the European Green Deal. Cities are at the forefront of tackling climate change, spearheading initiatives to decarbonise their mobility systems.
Recent crises, such as Russia’s war in Ukraine and the subsequent energy crisis, have introduced new challenges and exacerbated existing ones like the impact of COVID-19 on public transport and the need for increased funding and legislative support at the national and EU level. These hurdles have further highlighted the urgency for European cities to act on their climate goals through their policies and urban infrastructure.
With more than 70% of Europeans living in urban areas and the European Environment Agency calling air pollution “the largest environmental health risk on the continent,” city leaders emphasise the need for the continued support of EU policymakers, through clear legislation, enhanced funding mechanisms, and greater influence in decision-making processes, to ensure the successful implementation of sustainable mobility initiatives.
The end of the car’s dictatorship
The next EU Parliament elections are on the horizon and there is a growing awareness of the importance of mobility issues across Europe. Local governments are taking action on multiple fronts to address climate, health, and societal challenges in mobility. Be it low-emission zones, expanding cycling and pedestrian networks, fostering electric mobility, promoting sustainable logistics or improving road safety, ambitious and comprehensive solutions are being put in place across the continent. These measures are outlined in Eurocities’ recent paper, A better mobility starts in cities, which recommends key sustainable mobility policies for the next European mandate.
The adoption of the European Cycling Declaration at the EU level underscores the acknowledgment by the European Parliament and Council of the significance of integrating cycling into urban transport policies. In the landmark move, the European Parliament and the Council of the EU jointly adopted the EU Cycling Declaration in early April 2024. The Declaration is set to enhance safety measures, expand cycling networks, and promote cycling as a viable mode of transportation for daily commutes. By prioritising investments in cycling infrastructure and promoting awareness campaigns, the EU aims to encourage more citizens to choose cycling as a sustainable and healthy alternative to motorised transport. The success of the EU Cycling Declaration owes much to the contributions from Eurocities’ Cycling Task Force which played a pivotal role in ensuring cities’ perspectives were at the forefront of the debate.
We want to move from the dictatorship of the car to the democracy of other transport modes.
– Eugenio Patanè, Deputy Mayor for Mobility of Rome
Public space reallocation
With vulnerable road users accounting for 70% of urban road fatalities, it is essential to prioritise this group when allocating public space. REALLOCATE is transforming streets into inclusive, green, safe and future-proof urban spaces. The four-year project is a collective reimagining of cities that started just last year. Researchers, mobility experts, urban planners and local citizens come together to redesign how we move from one place to another, exchange knowledge, experiences and ideas, and inspire other cities to replicate and adapt the developed solutions to their own contexts.
Since 2020, Lyon has implemented an ambitious school street programme known as ‘rues des enfants‘. The initiative aims to enhance safety, sustainability, and inclusivity around schools. Translating to ‘streets for children,’ it has already undertaken over 60 interventions in primary and secondary schools. Through a collaborative design process with students, traffic calming measures, green initiatives, and repurposing urban spaces for pedestrians are all co-designed with the community. So far, 15,000 children have actively participated in planning sessions. Of these interventions, 22 sites have been completely pedestrianised, while others have been transformed into shared zones through measures such as implementing 20km/h speed limits and the introduction of one-way streets.
The legislature shaping urban mobility
The EU legislative framework continues to have a major role in shaping the future of urban mobility actions. Cities are urging the EU to address existing gaps in mobility policy by advocating for clear regulations that are applicable to urban areas. They also seek increased participation in decision-making processes and funding allocation to support investments in both urban and long-distance transport infrastructure, with a focus on sustainable urban mobility indicators.
The European Commission’s flagship awareness-raising campaign on sustainable urban mobility coordinated by Eurocities, European Mobility Week, reveals current general and emerging trends among cities in its 2023 Impact Report.
The top five mobility measures adopted by the participating cities in 2023 are:
- New or improved bicycle facilities
- Pedestrianisation
- Traffic calming and access control
- Accessibilities
- Mobility Management
This snapshot of trends is reflected in the EU-funded projects that Eurocities is involved, namely 13 projects covering a diverse range of mobility issues. From projects bolstering sustainable urban logistics such as ULaaDS, to testing autonomous vehicles with SHOW, to innovating multimodal solutions like UPPER and SCALE-UP, Eurocities’ participation in EU-funded mobility projects spans the entire mobility landscape.
Boosting e-mobility in Europe
With electrification underway, USER-CHI is boosting the e-mobility market in Europe. Industry-powered and city driven, the user-centric project is developing smart solutions in seven connecting nodes of the Mediterranean and Scandinavian-Mediterranean TEN-T corridors. Over the past four years, USER-CHI has worked to unlock the massive potential of e-mobility in Europe by designing electric charging networks, deploying an interoperability framework and platform, enhancing scalable infrastructure roll-out by means of smart grid integration, developing marketable, innovative and highly convenient charging systems, co-designing and demonstrating novel and sustainable business and market models, and making legal and regulatory recommendations for a massive deployment of electric vehicles.
Some outcomes of the project include CLICK, a charging location and holistic planning kit, the Stations of the future handbook offering guidelines and recommendations to design user-centric charging stations, and INSOC, a solution combining charging, onsite production of renewable energy and theft-proof parking for Light Electric Vehicles.
With the advent of new technology comes new challenges. Data availability is a major concern for cities. As such, cities urge the EU institutions to address the availability of data and encourage guidance on business-to-government data sharing to improve urban mobility and road safety.
The availability of data also emerges as a pressing concern in the discussion on the Cross-Border Enforcement Directive. As the number of urban vehicle-access restrictions (UVAR) grows, cities face challenges to apply them to foreign vehicles. The European Parliament has voted to extend the Cross-Border Enforcement Directive to cover violations of rules on vehicle-access restrictions. However, UVARs that do not have an impact on road safety, such as low emission zones (LEZ), have not been included in the Directive. This burdens local enforcement authorities and leads to inequitable circumstances among drivers depending on the location of their vehicle registration. If vehicle-access regulations are to achieve their objectives – decreasing air pollution, emissions, and improving road safety – fair treatment of drivers will be key to fostering their social acceptance.
As the number of UVARs grows, cities face challenges to apply them to foreign vehicles. The EU institutions have voted to extend the Cross-Border Enforcement Directive to cover violations of rules on vehicle-access restrictions. However, UVAR has not been included in the Directive, burdening local enforcement authorities and leading to inequitable circumstances among drivers depending on the location of their vehicle registration. If vehicle-access regulations are to achieve their objectives of decreasing air pollution, emissions, and improving road safety, fair treatment of drivers will be key to fostering their social acceptance.
In Madrid, we have experienced firsthand the importance of data for planning and evaluation of measures. Our traffic model covers the entire city and is crucial for decision-making. However, we must address the lack of availability and quality of mobility data held by private stakeholders and made available for local authorities.
– Lola Ortiz, Madrid General Director of Planning and Mobility Infrastructures
Crossing borders also calls for strengthening the link between urban and non-urban travel. The EU’s TEN-T regulations acknowledge cities’ role beyond urban transportation. Cities designated as urban nodes will be required to adopt sustainable urban mobility plans, report against common indicators and put in place multimodal and intermodal hubs. However, to better connect the dots between long and short-distance transport, the role and responsibilities of cities should be clarified, their budgets increased, and their seat at the table solidified. In collaboration with the Urban Nodes Alliance, Eurocities co-signed the first recommendations addressed to EU & national policy makers on the governance and funding of urban nodes.
Through EU-funded projects such as MOVE21 and SCALE-UP, Eurocities and its members are working together to introduce technical measures, cooperation mechanisms and business models to fully assume their role as urban node under the revised Regulation. As co-leader of a dedicated subgroup within the EC’s Expert Group on Urban Mobility, Eurocities is also contributing to the development of common Sustainable Urban Mobility Indicators and National SUMP Supporting Programmes.
If the same rules apply to all European cities, the market will adapt much faster and drive innovation in zero-emission transport.
– Eva Oosters, Utrecht Deputy Mayor for Carbon Free Mobility
Parallel to these actions, new regulation on CO2 emissions for buses & heavy-duty vehicles was adopted to contribute to the decarbonisation of both public transport and logistics. After months of negotiations, the EU co-legislators adopted a new regulation on CO2 emissions from heavy duty vehicles setting a trajectory for the decarbonisation of the heavy-duty vehicles segment.
For cities, the regulation will directly impact bus transport. The progressive plan will reduce the average volume of emission from new buses by 90% by 2030. As of 2035, only zero-emission buses will be authorised for sales in the EU. As for other heavy-duty vehicles covered by the legislation such as large lorries, trailers or other occupation vehicles, the new regulation sets an objective of a 90% reduction of emissions by 2040.
The Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation has also entered into force to facilitate the development and deployment of infrastructure for alternative fuels, including electric vehicle charging stations, hydrogen refuelling stations, and natural gas stations. These common standards and requirements for such infrastructure aim to accelerate the adoption of alternative fuels and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the transportation sector.
In January 2025, Utrecht will implement a zero-emissions zone for logistics, while already experiencing advantages from implementing a 30 km/h speed limit in its downtown area. As a result, cycling in the city has surged by 30%, with Lot van Hooijdonk, Utrecht’s Deputy Mayor for Mobility, noting that “30% of car traffic disappeared, and we don’t find it elsewhere.”
We need better legislation and funding for public transport.
– Lars Strömgren, Vice Mayor for Transport and Urban Environment, Stockholm