How to make cities truly livable? The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) developed in 2020 the document ‘A Handbook on Sustainable Urban Mobility and Spatial Planning Promoting Active Mobility’, with which it seeks to help member states integrate transport, health, quality of life, and environmental strategies into urban and territorial planning policies. Do you want to know what this manual on sustainability and urban mobility understands by a healthy city?
The drawbacks of private vehicles
The UNECE is clear: transport is a fundamental mechanism for achieving human well-being. Transport connects us between communities and connects us with production and work areas. The main idea of this manual is that an integrated public transport system (i.e., integrating different means of transport) and efficient would not only save us time in our lives but would also make our cities more pleasant and less polluted.
To achieve the goal of a healthy city, it is necessary, according to this manual on sustainability and urban mobility, that we end the abuse of private vehicles. The UNECE argues in its study that the prevalence of private vehicles has completely conditioned the model of our cities, making them (paradoxically) less accessible. The increasing number of cars in cities has forced the search for more parking areas, even leading to the demolition of buildings for the construction of parking lots. Cities have poor air quality, increased noise pollution, and congestion. Local commerce, in some cases, has been harmed by the creation of shopping centers that are easily accessible by motorcycle or car.
Is there still time to reverse this scenario? The UNECE sustainability manual believes so. Let’s see how.
Suggestions from the UNECE sustainability manual
The approach that cities take to their urban transport now will be decisive in achieving the greenhouse gas emission reduction targets set by the European Union for 2030.
The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe states in its manual that we need “resilient transport” centered on people and their real needs. As an example of objectives to be met, it presents the goals for its urban transport recently established in Edinburgh, Scotland’s transport policies:
- Analyze its cost-effectiveness: With the aim of reducing travel times and operating costs.
- Think about the local economy: Good connections will improve citizens’ employability options.
- Care for the environment: Non-polluting transport alternatives must be sought to improve air quality, respect pedestrian spaces, reduce noise, avoid visual pollution of the city, and not contribute to the disappearance of green spaces.
- Improve road safety: Public transport and lower road occupancy reduce accident rates. According to various reports from the National Road Safety Observatory, in Spain tourism is present in four out of five accidents, 56% of the total; on the other hand, buses are only present in 1.5% of accidents with victims.
- Accessible and inclusive transport: We need public transport that is accessible to people with reduced mobility and low-income individuals, while also contributing to the revitalization of territories.
In UNECE’s opinion, improvements in public transport must be a priority and have sufficient budget. To achieve objectives such as the above, the United Nations sustainability manual proposes replacing polluting bus fleets with zero-emission buses like the Nelec by Castrosua, promoting electric mobility, developing modern trams and intermodal stations, and implementing adequate land-use planning policies. All this without forgetting that in a healthy and livable city, spaces for walking and spaces reserved for other zero-emission vehicles like bicycles are respected.
Tactics to make urban public transport attractive
Although there is no single recipe, the manual suggests specific tactics in its pages to make urban public transport attractive to passengers:
- Offer a quality integrated transport system that facilitates passenger exchange between different modes of transport.
- Provide a service adapted to the actual passenger flow.
- High frequency of public transport circulation on all routes with high passenger flow.
- Good connections between the city center and residential areas. Likewise, good connections with the employment areas of each region.
- Simple route network that is easy for travelers to understand and remember.
- Straight lines that ensure shorter distances and higher transport speeds on all routes with high passenger flow.
- Friendly fares for the traveler.
Implementation of restrictive measures for private vehicles. In some European cities like Trondheim, Norway, road traffic has been restricted in several areas by charging tolls to cars, thus reducing their influx. Other European cities have been opting in recent years for car-free neighborhoods.
What do you think of these measures? Do you think their sensible and rigorous application would help prioritize public transport over private vehicles?
The role of transport companies
Behind the implementation of measures like the above to achieve livable and active cities, we need leaders with good training in sustainability. As indicated in the UNECE manual on sustainability and urban mobility, decision-makers must be able to develop new approaches, making the most of the current technological situation without losing sight of the social aspect. It would be advisable for these leaders, in order to implement integrated and intersectoral mobility policies, to share insights with other social actors, forming alliances and creating partnerships.
In this trend towards sustainable mobility and the electrification of public transport, policymakers need to understand the benefits and risks of new technologies, access specific education, and collaborate with the academic world. The development of effective urban mobility policies requires participatory processes involving authorities, health authorities, housing providers, travelers, and, of course, companies in the transport sector.
At Grupo Castrosua, we are pioneers in the development of a new fossil fuel-free and eco-sustainable urban bus. Our aspiration is to offer accessible vehicles that are respectful of the environment and passengers. This type of public transport is the perfect ally for the sustainable and harmonious city models advocated by the UNECE.
The positive reception of Nelec, our first 100% electric chassis-based body, makes us believe we are heading in the right direction. This model has just received the prestigious international design award Red Dot Award in the product design category, a distinction that recognizes the quality and innovation of Nelec and makes us deeply proud of the entire Grupo Castrosua team. Nelec is another example of the group’s trajectory, which always offers the market vehicles that are not only environmentally friendly but also passenger-friendly and accessible. Did you know we were pioneers in the development of a continuous low floor back in the late 80s?
With enthusiasm, strength, and the motivation of knowing that with each step we contribute our bit to the development of buses in cities; we continue!
