SUMP Central

Is it possible for a truck to cross the busy Greek -Turkish border seamlessly, without (any action from the) driver or requirement to stop? The Greek and Turkish partners of the 5G-MOBIX project demonstrated that connected and automated mobility (CAM) is not some futuristic scenario but is occurring now, even under challenging circumstances such as crossing hard land borders.

Connected automated mobility use cases come with challenging connectivity requirements, 5G cellular technology is deployed at the right time to fulfil these requirements – at least in metropolitan centres. In rural areas or along motorways across borders, the deployment is slower due to lower population densities and thus, lower commercial investment incentives for mobile network operators (MNOs).

The 5G-MOBIX project consortium, which brings together 58 partners from 13 countries, including from the EU, Turkey, China, and South Korea, has developed and evaluated automated vehicle functionalities using 5G core technological innovations along two cross-border corridors and several urban trial sites. The Greece- Turkey cross-border corridor is one of them. Located on the south eastern border of Europe, between Kipoi, Greece and Ipsala, Turkey, this trial site provides a strategic geopolitical environment, a pertinent testing ground for the operation of CAM use cases at a hard EU border.

During the demonstration on 10 May 2022, the Greece-Turkey trial site partners presented different user stories and showcase the impact of tested solutions that target the specific characteristics of this dynamic border route. More specifically, the demonstrations showed how the heavy commercial traffic in this border region – created by large numbers of queuing trucks – may be alleviated by implementing platooning, automated truck routing and assisted border crossing.

These field trials bring insights into the benefits of 5G in the CAM context. Various protocols, scenarios and 5G features have been tested under conditions of regular vehicular traffic, network coverage, service demand, as well as considering the inherently distinct legal, business, and social aspects at each site. Their performance is being evaluated in the context of cross-border challenges concerning telecommunication infrastructure, application security, privacy and regulatory issues.

“CAM traffic, especially commercial long haul traffic, is fundamental to a functioning economy and society, and is not bound to single countries,” says Coen Bresser, Senior Manager Innovation & Deployment at ERTICO-ITS Europe and 5G-MOBIX project coordinator. “Realizing seamless border crossings really is key to the success of CAM. Only by solving the current coverage gap can we realize the full benefits of CAM and with the emerging deployment of 5G, we have a key opportunity to fix it.

Link to the full press release

After more than two years the Dynaxibility4CE project is coming to an end this year. Dynaxibility4CE supports public transport authorities to adjust and successfully developing new strategies and tools to make them key actors on the way towards less emissions and more mobility innovations.

The Final Conference of the Dynaxibility4CE project will take place on 17 May at the GaRaGe (Karl-Heine-Straße 97) in Leipzig, Germany. The conference, which will be held in the same week as the ITF 2022, will give you the opportunity to learn more about the achievements of Dynaxibility4CE related to MaaS, CCAM and UVAR. 

You can register here: Dynaxibility4CE Final Conference | polisnetwork.civi-go.net

Bulgaria is set to draft a new law to encourage electric mobility and provide incentives to buy electric vehicles. Plans for the new law were announced by Deputy Prime Minister for Climate Policy and Minister of Environment, Borislav Sandov in April. According to the Minister, the goal is to have at least 30,000 electric vehicles in Bulgaria by 2026..

Data from the European Alternative Fuels Observatory shows Bulgaria lags behind most European countries in terms of electric mobility. Some 3.3% of new passenger car registrations in 2021 were either battery electric vehicles (BEV) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV), while the share in the total fleet was 0.1% in the same year. In comparison, the average shares for the EU were 17.9% and 1.6% respectively.

Affordability is one major reason for the low uptake of electric vehicles in Bulgaria. Average prices for electric vehicles are higher than those for conventionally fuelled vehicles and average household income in Bulgaria is among the lowest in the EU. Unlike many other EU countries, electric vehicle purchases are not yet subsidised in Bulgaria – however, this is about to change.

Bulgaria’s Operational Programme Environment 2021-2027, which is EU co-funded, includes a measure to promote the replacement of old passenger vehicles with electric vehicles, providing a subsidy of up to EUR 6,200 per vehicle replaced. In addition, Bulgaria’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan also includes financial incentives for zero-emission vehicles.

A second major barrier for the uptake of electric vehicles is the lack of charging infrastructure. It is a classic chicken and egg dilemma where the lack of charging infrastructure deters people and business to buy electric vehicles, while the low number of electric vehicles deters investment in sufficient charging infrastructure.

According to Minister, Sandov, “Construction of charging infrastructure and electrification of vehicles will be accelerated, which will bring Bulgaria closer to the European long-term goals for greenhouse gas emissions reduction.” He stated that 10,000 charging stations should be built so everyone can charge their electric car. “This will create a dense charging network that focuses on the main areas where charging stations are needed, including 20-30 fast charging hubs on major roads. Public charging points for electric cars will be built in the central parts of more than 50 cities, as well as in large residential areas.”

A specialised commission for the development and encouragement of e-mobility will be appointed by the Government by the end of June 2022. It is to prepare a model of simplified regulation to encourage the construction of charging stations, while a long-term vision for the new law is going to be ready in the autumn.

The Slovenian city of Maribor has joined the group of cities that provides a public bicycle sharing service for its residents and visitors. The new system is called Mbajk and includes 210 bicycles based at 21 stations located in the broader area of the city centre.

Mbajk is designed to be used by those wanting single-ride hires within the city, and so is a scheme that complements public transport services, instead of those looking for multi-hour or full-day bike rental. Consequently, the first hour of any trip is free of charge for an unlimited number of hires.

Bicycles can be picked up at any station and left at any station. Renting a bicycle is undertaken either at a station’s terminal or by using the Mbajk mobile app. The only cost for people cycling less than 1 hour each time is a yearly registration fee of 3 euro; registration is undertaken on the service’s website.

Mbajk will operate all day, every day. The city of Maribor has a fixed 15-year contract with Europlakat, which provides 15 stations and 150 bicycles, with the remainder being provided by additional partners.

Saša Arsenovič, Mayor of Maribor, believes that the bicycle sharing service will see further expansion in the future.

Photo Credit: Roman Babakin © / Shutterstock.com – no permission to re-use image(s) without separate licence from Shutterstock.

Article published first at total slovenia news on 21 April 2022.

Brussels is continuing to see an increase in the number of cyclists in the city. In the first two months of 2022, the number of cyclists in the Belgian capital has increased significantly compared to 2021: the growth in January and February 2022 was 25% and 32%, respectively, according to Brussels Mobility. The growth is being driven by dedicated active travel planning, which is continuing to be expanded.

Bike traffic has significantly increased during the weekday rush hour, and also in the evening and at night, especially at weekends. This is partially a result of the relaxation of health measures, which is seeing more people go out to restaurants and bars and using their bicycles to do so.

This builds on an ongoing effort across the capital to encourage active travel, which began even before the pandemic. Bike for Brussels, launched in 2017, aimed to create a ‘bike culture’ through a range of campaigns. Since 2020, like many cities across the globe, Brussels enhanced its (temporary and permanent) cycling infrastructure and rolled out a range of initiatives to encourage bike travel, including additional cycle lanes, repair centres and car free neighbourhoods.

In 2021, Brussels announced its intention to go even further, aiming to push cycling to 10% of total journeys by 2030. This is one of the objectives of ‘Good Move’, the region’s mobility plan, which won the European Award for Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans in 2020.

“Cycling is good for your health in several ways: it reduces traffic jams and therefore stress, and it improves air quality,” Elke van den Brandt, Brussels Minister for Mobility, told Brussels Times. This echoes her comments at POLIS Network’s recent political group summit in Paris, where, along with leaders from cities across Europe, van den Brandt reiterated Brussels’ commitment to reallocating space towards active travel.

Brussels is emphasising the health aspects of cycling to encourage further uptake, with Brussels Mobility launching a campaign targeting the over-40s who are more likely to use their cars for short journeys. To kick off the campaign, an ‘Open Air Spinning’ event will be organised on 8 May in the city centre, offering fitness exercises on three emblematic cycle paths of the capital.

This article originally appeared on Brussels Times, on 19 April 2022.

The abrupt changes to our societies and economies introduced by the COVID-19 crisis have clearly had an impact on public transport, its attractiveness and how it is delivered with swift reactions and measures put in place by operators and authorities.

In designing Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans (SUMPs) and attempting to secure resilient transport systems but also changing urban mobility patterns, public transport should be regarded as a critical challenge and made more attractive. Urban planners need to go beyond “business as usual” to achieve a tangible modal shift towards the most efficient and sustainable modes of transport and concretely tackle global warming.

In response to this, the second Policy Support Group of the CIVITAS ELEVATE Coordination and Support Action, with the involvement of 5 experts from selected organisations (International Association of Public Transport – UITP, European Passengers Federation – EPF, Technical University of Berlin – TUB, City of Gdynia, Gothenburg Transport Operator) the CIVITAS Policy Advisory Committee and the CIVITAS ELEVATE consortium members TRT and Breda University of Applied Sciences (BUAS),  has prepared a draft SUMP Topic Guide that provides guidance on public transport in the mobility planning and implementation process in order to achieve more attractive public transport.

The Topic Guide proposes best practice and key messages for planning for public transport, with the goal of supporting cities in achieving a shift towards more public transport and active modes through better planning.

With the launch of the draft Topic Guide, the public is invited to participate in a consultation process, which will allow stakeholders to contribute to the development of the Guide, as well as ensure that it is relevant to all urban mobility actors.

The draft document is available for download here

Feedback can be sent to Vanessa Holve at holve@trt.it until Friday 13 May 2022 at 17:00.

On 28 April 2022, the European Commission launched several calls for funding & tenders under Horizon Europe cluster 5, which is focused on climate, energy and mobility.

Two calls for funding have been made active under the destination “Safe, Resilient Transport and Smart Mobility services for passengers and goods”. Further information on the scope and expected outcomes of projects can be found below.

• Accelerating the deployment of new and shared mobility services for the next decade
• Urban logistics and planning: anticipating urban freight generation and demand including digitalisation of urban freight

A third call for funding has been launched under the Climate neutral and smart cities mission. The aims of this mission are to involve local authorities, residents, businesses, investors as well as regional and national authorities to deliver 100 climate neutral and smart cities by 2030, and ensure that these cities act as innovation hubs to lead the way for other cities to follow suit by 2050. Further information on the call for funding can be found below:

• Designing inclusive, safe, affordable and sustainable urban mobility

The deadline for submission for the three calls is 6 September 2022 17:00 Brussels time.

Brno is an active supporter of this year’s national ‘Bike to Work‘ competition in May.

The idea of Bike to Work is easy: to get people commuting to and from work by bicycle instead of using their cars. Anyone can take part, as an individual or as a team, competing to cycle as many kilometres as possible.

In line of this year’s competition, the City of Brno has opened its bicycle sharing service for free to support all who want to cycle but do not have an own bike. The free service can be used twice a day for a maximum duration of 30 minutes. Since research results suggest that a typical bike ride within the city takes about 15 minutes, the 30 minute free use time slot is chosen to offer enough time to residents to cycle to their workplace and find a suitable place to park.

Anyone can use the offer by downloading the bicycle sharing app, registering and starting to cycle. If a bicycle is used for more than 30 minutes, charges start with the first minute following the free use time only.

The City of Brno plans to use the information gained by the shared bicycle use to learn more about cyclists’ needs and to improve its cycling infrastructure.

The Commission has announced the 100 EU cities that will participate in the EU Mission for 100 climate-neutral and smart cities by 2030, the so-called Cities Mission. The 100 cities come from all 27 Member States, with 12 additional cities coming from countries associated or with the potential of being associated to Horizon Europe, the EU’s research and innovation programme (2021-2027).

Our urban areas are home to 75% of EU citizens. Globally, urban areas consume over 65% of the world’s energy, accounting for more than 70% of CO2 emissions. It is therefore important that cities act as experimentation and innovation ecosystems to help all others in their transition to become climate-neutral by 2050.

Ursula von der Leyen, President of the Commission, said: “The green transition is making its way all over Europe right now. But there’s always a need for trailblazers, who set themselves even higher goals. These cities are showing us the way to a healthier future. We will support them on this! Let’s begin the work today.”

The Cities Mission will receive €360 million of Horizon Europe funding covering the period 2022-23, to start the innovation paths towards climate neutrality by 2030. The research and innovation actions will address clean mobility, energy efficiency and green urban planning, and offer the possibility to build joint initiatives and ramp up collaborations in synergies with other EU programmes.

Benefits for cities include tailor-made advice and assistance from a dedicated Mission Platform run by NetZeroCities, additional funding and financing opportunities and the possibility to join large innovation actions and pilot projects. The Mission also provides networking opportunities, exchange of best practices between cities and support to engage citizens in the mission.

Next steps

The Commission will invite the 100 selected cities to develop Climate City Contracts, which will include an overall plan for climate neutrality across all sectors such as energy, buildings, waste management and transport, together with related investment plans. This process will involve citizens, research organisations and the private sector. The clear and visible commitments made by the cities in the Climate City Contracts will enable them to engage with the EU, national and regional authorities – and most importantly with their own citizens to deliver on this ambitious objective.

Moreover, in light of the overwhelming interest from 377 cities to join the mission, the Commission is also putting in place support for cities that were not selected, including support through the Mission Platform and funding opportunities under the Cities Mission Work Programme of Horizon Europe.

Members of the College said:

Executive Vice-President Frans Timmermans, for the European Green Deal, said: “Cities are at the forefront of the fight against the climate crisis. Whether it’s greening urban spaces, tackling air pollution, reducing energy consumption in buildings, or advancing clean mobility solutions: cities are often the hub of the changes Europe needs to succeed in our transition to climate neutrality. My congratulations to the cities selected today, I look forward to the solutions you will develop to guide your inhabitants and businesses towards a greener future.”

Executive Vice-President Margrethe Vestager, for A Europe Fit for the Digital Age, said: “We need to speed up Europe’s transition to climate neutrality, to end our reliance on fossil fuels, and to deliver benefits such as cleaner air and lower energy bills for our citizens. It is great that so many cities will participate. We can support their ambition with our EU research and innovation budget. The Cities Mission has the potential to make a major contribution to our Green Deal and for Europe to become a climate neutral continent by 2050.” 

Mariya Gabriel, Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, said: “Horizon Europe Missions have a great potential to deliver the European Green Deal objectives, including European energy security. The selected cities represent a first step covering a wide geographical footprint. We want that concrete benefits reach all our regions and citizens, through innovation, empowering large and small cities with different levels of experience and capacities. I encourage all cities to reach out and work with all stakeholders, including of course their citizens, to achieve together our ambitious goals.”

Adina Vălean, Commissioner for transport, said: “In their quest to become smart and climate-neutral by 2030, the 100 EU cities announced today will be natural “test beds” for innovative integrated solutions to many of the issues facing our citizens today, including urban mobility. Drawing on our New Urban Mobility Framework, they have the tools to making interurban and urban mobility healthy and sustainable, for instance by doubling high-speed rail traffic and developing extra cycling infrastructure over the next 10 years, investing in safe bike lanes, and ensuring connectivity with rural and suburban areas so that commuters are given sustainable mobility options. I am sure they will succeed, and I encourage other cities across Europe to follow their lead.”

Virginijus Sinkevičius, Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries said: “The Mission for climate-neutral and smart cities will help us deliver our environmental commitments on zero pollution, biodiversity and circular economy. Many of the selected cities have already shown their environmental credentials in our Green Capital, Green Leaf and Green City Accord initiatives by tackling air, noise and waste issues. These cities’ ambitions for climate and innovation, as well as the Mission’s wider research funding, will help make urban living greener, cleaner and healthier for European citizens.”

Background

The call closed on 31 January 2022. In a first step, independent experts evaluated each expression of interest. In a second step, the Commission applied additional criteria to ensure a geographical balance and a diverse group of cities in terms of size, impact and innovative ideas. Overall, 377 cities applied to be part of the cities mission. The 100 EU Cities chosen today represent 12% of the EU population.

The Commission launched the Mission for 100 climate-neutral and smart cities by 2030 in September 2021 with the adoption of a Communication on EU missions. This following the approval of the missions’ individual implementation plans in summer 2021. As well as the Cities Mission, there are four other EU missions covering global challenges in the areas of adaptation to climate change, restoring our ocean and waters, healthy soils and cancer. A dedicated Work Programme for Horizon Europe Missions was published on 15 December 2021.

Missions are a novelty of Horizon Europe and support Commission priorities, such as the European Green Deal, Europe fit for the Digital Age, Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan, An economy that works for people and the New European Bauhaus. For instance, Mission Climate is already a concrete element of the new Climate Adaptation Strategy, Mission Cancer of Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan and the Mission Soil is a flagship initiative of the Long-term Vision for the EU’s Rural Areas.

For more information

Factsheet ‘EU Cities Mission: Meet the Cities’

Q&A

Video

100 climate-neutral and smart cities by 2030

Urban Mobility Days 2022 will be held on 20-22 September in the city of Brno, Czech Republic.

Following in the footsteps of previous successful conferences, this year’s theme is “Moving people and goods more sustainably”. More than 70% of Europeans live in cities, and urban areas account for around 23% of the EU’s GHG transport emissions. If we are to achieve ambitious climate targets, transforming urban mobility will be critical.

Across two days, policymakers, local authorities, academics, NGOs, urban transport practitioners, and urban planners convene to traverse the length and depth of sustainable urban mobility, examining the challenges and solutions at hand.

The conference is being organised together with the Czech Presidency of the Council of the EU.

Click here for more information.

Source: European Commission