Urban Mobility Problems

McKinsey claims there are few places where the reality of urban mobility "matches the public's aspirations for safe, clean, reliable, and affordable ways to get from A to B — and back again." Finding ways to improve urban mobility while "reducing congestion, accidents and pollution is a common challenge to all major cities in Europe."

Taking action to reduce and control pollution levels is a major priority. "Urban mobility accounts for 40% of all CO2 emissions of road transport and up to 70% of other pollutants from transport" in the EU. A highly critical report from the EU Court of Auditors indicates most European countries do not meet air quality standards. Air pollution is now the 'biggest environmental risk to public health in Europe, causing an estimated 400,000 premature deaths a year […] but the huge impact of toxic air has not been reflected in action to reduce emissions." 

Urbanization and continuing car dependence lead to inevitable traffic congestion, emissions and mobility safety problems for transport policymakers and urban planners. According to the European Joint Research Center, "the cost of road congestion in Europe is equivalent to an estimated 1% of GDP, and its mitigation is the main priority of most infrastructure, traffic management and road charging measures. The reason for congestion in many cases is not a lack in capacity of road infrastructure, but rather an issue of demand management."

Although cities recognize the benefits of public transport in reducing pollution and congestion, local government efforts to deliver the benefits may collide with disruptive business models such as Uber and other ride-hailing services. The popularity of ride-hailing has "transformed the transportation marketplace in over six hundred cities,"] and in some cases Uber is seen as a threat to cities by increasing pollution and congestion while reducing public transport ridership. For many citizens (especially those in suburban areas), public transport is an uninviting option if transit stops are too far from their home or place of work. This is public transport's first-mile / last-mile problem. Ride-hailing and other sharing options provide opportunities to complement public transport. The challenge is how to overcome the first-mile / last-mile problem and enable citizen-centric journeys by integrating public transport with ride-hailing, ride-sharing, vehicle-sharing, and smart ticketing services.

In spite of measures to improve urban mobility safety, "road fatalities are increasing in many cities"  and comprised 37% of Europe's total traffic fatalities in 2017. Urban population density, combined with cars, trucks and public transport vehicles "sharing crowded streets with vulnerable road users (pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists), makes the task of providing safe mobility a complex challenge (read more on mobility safety)."The safety challenge is further complicated by unsafe driving habits and inadequate infrastructure for cycling and micro-mobility users.

With greater reliance on digital technologies, the transport sector faces increased cyber-security risks. "Cybercriminals are increasingly able to attack not only the information technology, but also the operational technology that runs a city’s signalling and control systems." Cyber attacks could disrupt urban transport networks and trigger outages in public transport services.

In developing innovative smart city transportation solutions, cities face the challenge of how to ensure usability and continuity of services for citizens who have limited mobility options and those in "transport poverty". Based on research from Leeds University, someone suffers from transport poverty "when issues concerning travel time, availability, accessibility, affordability or adequacy of transport options present barriers to satisfying basic activity needs." The effect of transport poverty is harsh in diverse segments of society and often denies equitable access to employment, education, healthcare services and social and cultural activities. "Our transport planning system penalizes people who cannot afford a car, who struggle to cover rising public transport fares, and who lack access to public or private transport because of age, disability or where they live."

Smart Urban Mobility: Visions of the Future

Judging from innovation trends and disruptive forces in urban mobility, it is realistic to envision a future scenario when smart city residents and visitors enjoy a wider range of affordable, multimodal, on-demand mobility options; and conventional cars and ownership practices are replaced by shared electric and autonomous vehicles.

The Boston Consulting Group believes widespread adoption of autonomous technologies could yield substantial benefits by eliminating road fatalities, improving travel times by up to 40%, recovering billions of hours lost to commuting and congestion, and generating total benefits to society worth $1.3 trillion.

Lukas Neckermann, noted strategist and transport visionary, predicts the rapid adoption and positive impact of electric vehicles: "Close to 100% of new vehicles sold in 2025 in the developed world will be electrified (including hybrids)"  and "however transformational electric vehicles are to cities, their lasting legacy will be the reduction of deadly air pollution." Credits