Introduction
Cities have been going through a profound transformation across the globe over the past five years. As a result of multiple trends and life-shaping events such as the COVID pandemic, the way we live, work and spend leisure time has been forever changed in our urbanised settlements. What initially started as an experimental venture prior to the pandemic, namely shared mobility in the form of e-bikes, e-scooters, ride-hail, and carshare, and an increased emphasis on integration with public transport through mobility as a service (MaaS), has only gained further strength in the post-pandemic era.
In parallel with these market forces and consumer trends, cities and municipalities have taken notes. They have restructured their public policies and urban mobility plans with a newfound emphasis on shared and active modes. These policies are giving further prominence to decarbonization of the transport sector and ameliorating the poor urban planning decisions made during the 20th century.
European Green Deal and Transport
According to the European Commission, with transport contributing around 5% to EU GDP and employing more than 10 million people in Europe, the transport system is critical to European businesses and global supply chains. At the same time, transport is not without costs to our society: greenhouse gas and pollutant emissions, noise, road crashes and congestion. Today, transport emissions represent around 25% of the EU’s total greenhouse gas emissions, and these emissions have increased over recent years. The commission’s goal of being the first climate-neutral continent by 2050 requires ambitious changes in transport. A clear path is needed to achieve a 90% reduction in transport-related greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. The European Commission adopted a set of proposals to make the EU’s climate, energy, transport and taxation policies fit for reducing net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030, compared to 1990 levels.
Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans (SUMPs)
According to the European Commission, Sustainable urban mobility plans (SUMPs) are the cornerstone of European urban mobility policy. The European Commission strongly recommends that European towns and cities of all sizes embrace the concept of SUMPs. These can improve the overall quality of life for residents by addressing major challenges related to, for example, congestion, air/noise pollution, climate change, road safety, and parking. SUMPs also provide a framework for innovation and the integration of new mobility services.
A sustainable urban mobility plan is a strategic plan designed to satisfy the mobility needs of people and businesses in cities and their surroundings for a better quality of life. It builds on existing planning practices and takes due consideration of integration, participation, and evaluation principles.
A SUMP should cover the entire functional urban area (a city and its commuting zone), taking into account real traffic flows. A SUMP should foresee cooperation and synergies between all levels of government, local, regional, national and across different policy areas. It should be prepared in partnership with local residents and stakeholders. It ensures a variety of sustainable transport options for the safe, healthy and fluid passage of people and goods, with all due consideration for fellow residents and the urban environment.
Car Free City Centres
One of the most obvious ways in which global cities (especially in Europe) are transforming their public spaces and providing for a sustainable modal shift is through the provision of car-free city centres. Schemes such as these have been in the planning process for years, but have recently taken off during the pandemic era. What began as an initial experience over twenty years ago as a pedestrianised zone in Pontevedra, Galicia, Spain, has been implemented all across the European continent to promote walking, cycling, and public transport usage.
Car-free city centres provide numerous benefits, such as congestion reduction, lower pollution levels, and improved public health. Typically developed as concentric rings emanating outside of the city centre, these zones restrict vehicles based on classification, weight, axes, and size depending on municipal regulations. In addition, the restrictions may be time-based or permanent. Similar zones have been implemented as LEZs (low emissions zones) in London and recently in Rome and other European cities. However, what is currently lacking is the proper enforcement of newly introduced car-free city centres and LEZs.
Urban Tolling Project Concept
A project concept has been developed to realise the ambitions of European cities and municipalities in their reduction of CO2 emissions, urban congestion, and sustainable mode shift from single occupancy automobiles to shared and greener modes of transport. The concept consists of a phased pilot project to be introduced in one of several European cities, using a combination of hardware and software technologies. These integrated technologies will be used to support a framework of “carrots and sticks”. To on one hand incentivize and nudge users to shared and greener modes, and on the other hand tax single car users for traveling on urban roadways based upon time of day, zone, vehicle classification, etc.
The zone used to deploy hardware and software technologies for the project concept will ideally be a dense city centre or outlying neighbourhood district with good public transport and shared mobility options. The zone will be identified by the city project sponsor, and will align with SUMP policy goals and sustainable mode shift. Existing car-free city centres lacking perimeter-based vehicle enforcement are ideal candidate locations for the project concept.
Baseline data will be captured before, during and after project completion to track emissions reduction and other KPI metrics relevant to the EU Green Deal and Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans (SUMPs).
Off The Shelf Tolling Technologies
The different tolling technologies range from transponder-based tolling to Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) camera systemsTransponder technologies are primarily used in Multi-Lane Free Flow (MLFF) environments with associated equipment located on overhead gantries or, in the case of Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) transponders, use satellite data to determine the position of the vehicle.
ANPR systems require cameras and fixed infrastructure to read a vehicle’s number plate. ANPR systems typically link to a vehicle registration database to determine the owner of the vehicle.
These tolling systems can be used as a congestion or emissions charge or as a road user charge.
Latest Tolling & ITS Innovations
GNSS-based tolling has evolved so far that the GNSS transponders have reduced in size, and this is the more attractive solution for authorities that want to toll a large road network, which significantly reduces the need for overhead gantry infrastructure.
GNSS solutions provide the added benefit of determining the real distance and route driven by a vehicle, together with the option to charge higher tariffs for higher density zones, thus determining a more equitable toll charge.
Conclusion
Car-free city centres, European Green Deal finance, and sustainable urban mobility plans are now commonplace across the European continent. What is currently lacking is the ability to effectively nudge users to shared and green modes, in combination with a mechanism to penalise users for choosing less desirable modes. This project concept addresses both the carrot and stick of nudge theory, which has been proven as the most effective way to realise the ambitions of transport decarbonisation public policy at the local and regional levels across Europe.
