URBAN MOBILITY
INTRO
Mobility refers to the movement of people or goods. It assumes that “travel” means person- or ton-
miles, “trip” means person- or freight-vehicle trip. It assumes that any increase in travel mileage or
speed benefits society. “Mobility” refers to the movement of people and goods. This recognizes both
automobile and transit modes, but still assumes that movement is an end in itself, rather than a
means to an end. It tends to give little consideration to nonmotorized modes or land use factors
affecting accessibility.
Mobility is not just about getting from A to B. It means being able to access education, culture,
employment and leisure using safe, swift, environmentally friendly and affordable transport options.
In cities and conurbations in particular, mobility means the ability to participate in society. In urban
areas, the way we get around is changing rapidly - we need sustainable innovations and new
concepts for combining different means of transport.
SUISTABILITY IN URBAN MOBILITY
Cars dominate urban areas, taking up a lot of space, causing noise and producing harmful fumes that
impact negatively on both the health of urban residents and the climate. They also restrict the flow
of transport used by those who cannot afford their own cars. Cities in developing and emerging
countries, which are seeing their economies develop rapidly and their populations swell, are facing
rising pressure as a result of the numbers of private cars on the roads. Buses and trams get snarled in
traffic jams, and often do not serve all parts of town, forcing residents to walk long distances along
roads that have no safe pavements or footpaths. Many disadvantaged urban areas do not have
paved supply routes, which makes it difficult to deliver to shops and businesses and poses a serious
obstacle to emergency service vehicles.
Traffic, pollution, energy consumption are all problems linked to urban mobility. The development of
public transport and research on technological innovations is the best way to improve the
management of resources and citizens’ quality of life.
Mobility is one of the key factors for local and global socio-economic development of urban spaces.
For this reason, sustainability has a crucial role in the strategies used.
Objectives
What turns a plan into a “sustainable” mobility plan? A Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan aims to
create an urban transport system by addressing – as a minimum – the following objectives:
Ensure all citizens are offered transport options that enable access to key destinations and
services;
Improve safety and security;
Reduce air and noise pollution, greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption;
Improve the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of the transportation of persons and goods;
Contribute to enhancing the attractiveness and quality of the urban environment and urban
design for the benefits of citizens, the economy and society as a whole.
CHALLANGE SUISTABILITY URBAN MOBILITY
1.) Envronment factor :
One of the greatest environmental challenges we face today lies in mobility. People need a
seemingly infinite network of vehicles and transportation systems to uphold societies and
economies. Cars. Busses. Trains. Trucks. And other modes of transport each leaving their
indelible mark on the environment
2) Growing car ownership
Sustainable urban mobility requires a mind shift: where transport in private cars and trucking
give way to different modes of public transport. Like bicycle and pedestrian lanes, electric
vehicles, car sharing and rail freight. More and more cities around the world are rising to the
challenge. Creating solutions that ensure the vital flow of people, goods and services. While
mitigating climate change and creating climate-safe cities
3) Traffic congestion
ongestion is the breakdown in traffic flow, reduction in speed and increase in crowding that
occurs when a road’s capacity is exceeded. its and one that is rapidly worsening. Economic
expansion, increased urbanization, the rise of ride-hailing services and e-commerce,
underinvestment in infrastructure and mixed results from various policies and programs are
seen as the primary trends that have exacerbated urban congestion in recent years.
4) Urban sprawl
With different origins and perspectives, urban sprawl has been recognized as a threat to the
quality of life in both developed and emerging countries. However, although in developed
countries, the effects of such sprawl have been assessed in terms of extra fuel consumption
and traffic congestion, in emerging economies, such effects have not been quantified and
analyzed in detail. It was the purpose of this research to estimate the effects of urban sprawl
on the transportation costs and fuel consumption in a rapidly growing metropolitan area in
Mexico. This was performed through a strategy consisting of applying known analytical
methodologies to data that were obtained by direct home surveys. Although the results
reveal that such an urban sprawling process represents increases in transportation costs and
fuel consumption on the order of 65 and 20%, respectively. it was found that other
externalities should be considered in future studies, particularly with respect to the extra
costs associated with the transportation of consumption goods in the sprawled areas
FIVE MAIN FACTORS INFLUENCE THE DEVELOPMENT OF TRANSPORTATION MEASURES AND
THEREFORE WILL DETERMINE WHETHER TRANSPORT WILL BE SUSTAINABLE
Spatial and land use patterns: The demand for travel and thus the transportation system are
influenced by the size of the urban area, building density, level of specialisation and the
spread of activities within the urban area. Due to the long life span of buildings and
infrastructure, the influence of spatial patterns on transportation is a long run one.
Government policy: Authorities are strongly involved in transportation development for
several reasons including the need for long range planning to reserve rights-of-way for future
development, the huge financial investment and the consideration of negative external
effects. Thus, transportation development is sensitive to political priorities
Economic forces: Large-scale transportation projects are highly sensitive to economic
changes because of the huge financial investment involved, the primary capital needed, the
long time span of projects and the slow rate of returns.
Technology: Technology can contribute to sustainable transportation by improving waste
treatments and thus reducing pollution, as well as by offering substitutes to physical travel
through communication. Technological development in transportation, however, is relatively
slow, mainly due to reasons such as the scale and cost of the projects, the long time-frame of
research and development, and the long life expectancy of infrastructure and mobile
equipment.
Social and behavioural trends: Individual behaviour is a combination of habits and of
practical and emotional considerations. Thus, social values and norms may greatly affect the
transportation choice of individuals.
