News

The long-term cooperation project EfficienCE ended on 10 June 2022 with a Final conference in Leipzig, bringing together a total of 30 representatives of the project partners from Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Italy, Poland and Slovenia to exchange knowledge about sustainable public transport and to introduce the implemented pilot projects.

The project was funded with almost 2 million EUR as part of the Interreg Central Europe programme. In Leipzig, use cases for more energy-efficient public transport planning were developed as part of the EfficienCE project by the Digital City department, the Office for Geoinformation and Land Use Planning and the Leipziger Verkehrsbetriebe (LVB).

For this purpose, data from the on-board computers of trams, energy data from Raspberry Pi sensors, municipal data on traffic area design as well as stop areas, crossing areas and external information from the German Weather Service (temperature, precipitation, wind etc) were combined to improve data-based public transport planning.

By combining the different data sources, it becomes possible for the first time to collect continuous information on the interaction between the tram and the urban space to create added value for predictive maintenance, energy optimisation of the driving style, detection of interactions with individual traffic or optimised traffic space design.

Charlie Liebscher, Geo-Data Manager at the Office for Geoinformation and Land Use Planning of the City of Leipzig, and Conrad Jentzsch address this topic in the podcast episode “Urban Data in Networked Cities and Regions” and discuss how transport planning can be designed more effectively while protecting the environment and advancing digitalisation.

You can find out more about the project results and experiences from the city of Leipzig and the Leipziger Verkehrsbetriebe in the podcast here.

The original article was published on the Interreg EfficienCE website on 25 June here.

Bonnie Fenton, ReVeAL’s Coordinator, talked about our project and using UVARs to improve the overall quality of life within cities in an article with EU Research, a publication dedicated to research and innovation.

Dissemination of scientific research occupies a central place in our project – and so does the involvement of academic institutions. Such focus puts us in a place where it is easy for us to align ourselves with other actors to further deliver our message of liveability – one that sees UVARs as an instrument apt to revolutionise the urban way of life for the better.

This is the reason that brought EU Reseach and us together: EU Research has extensive experience of working with EU-funded projects and believes that publicising scientific research is the key to capitalising on its long-term potential, whether that be commercial development or facilitating further academic collaborations and future implementations.

Our article Strategies to Lower Emissions and Improve Liveability in Urban Areas, a compelling interview with Rupprecht’s Bonnie Fenton, hopes to break down the world of UVAR and pique everyone’s interest in view of the last chapters of our project, ending this coming November.

The Summer ’22 EU Research online magazine ‘The Necessity of Science in Uncertain Times’ explores other topics, such as covid complacency, the war in Ukraine and its impact on science and research, the Brexit effect on the UK and Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe, as well as the future of European research.

The Municipality of Maribor has purchased two electric buses and two smart fast charging stations The electric buses will operate on line 6 where four buses are transporting around 400,000 passengers yearly.

The Municipality of Maribor has set up smart fast charging stations for electric buses at the cable car Vzpenjača and at the main bus station. These are the first fast charging stations in Slovenia. The value of the charging stations and construction works is 289,882 EUR, of which around 100,000 EUR is co-financed by the European project EfficienCE.

The measurements were carried out by the University of Maribor (the Faculty of Civil Engineering, Transportation Engineering and Architecture). The University of Maribor also prepared all technical data for the project, reviewed examples of good practices in Europe, advised on the choice of fast charging concept, developed a strategy for multi-purpose charging infrastructure, based on electrification of urban public passenger transport, and prepared a methodology for selecting priority bus lines for electrification.

The charging stations will charge two 100% IVECO E-WAY electric buses, which are 12 metres long, in five minutes. The purchase of buses totalled around 1 million EUR, and was co-financed by the Slovenian Environmental Public Fund (Eco Fund) (600,000 EUR).

The original article was published here on 15 June on the Interreg EfficienCE website.

Webinar on Storage Solutions

On 28 June 2022 partners presented their results on storage solutions to increase energy-efficiency in the public transport (PT) network. Energy storage solutions enable the use of renewable energy sources and increase energy efficiency in PT operations. Experts within the EfficienCE project shared their experiences based on their pilots and threw light on innovations and strategies that support increasing the energy efficiency. Our moderator Gabriele Grea, from Redmint Impresa Sociale, led participants through an interesting webinar with:

• a presentation by Jirka Kohout from PMDP (Pilsen Municipal Transport Company) about their experiences with a buffer storage station;
• a presentation by Mitja Klemenčič of the action plan 2025 on multipurpose hubs including energy storage solutions of the Municipality of Maribor;
• a presentation by Aleksander Jakubowski of the Gdynia partner PKT’s (trolleybus operator in Gdynia) experiences with super capacitor solutions and storing recuperated braking energy in second-life batteries.

To conclude the webinar, Gabriele introduced the EfficienCE handbook on storage solutions, where all the partner’s experiences are put together to formulate guidelines and recommendations to plan storage solutions for future energy efficient public transport networks.

If you missed it, make sure to watch the recording here.

Webinar on Energy Management

On 29 June 2022 in our transnational webinar on energy management we invited participants to learn from our experiences in developing and testing innovative solutions in the energy management in an electrified PT network including trams, e-buses and trolley buses – required for energy-efficient PT operations. Participants were led through the webinar by our moderator Ana-Maria Baston from Rupprecht Consult, and got a first introduction to the topic by Eberhard Nickel from Leipziger Verkehrsbetriebe (LVB). He explained Leipzig transportation operator’s experiences with energy management solutions and how they put together the EfficienCE handbook for energy-managers in public transport out of their and other partner’s experiences. Next up Marcin Wolek from Gdynia presented their experiences with the innovative energy management in the trolley bus depot of Gdynia, followed by Jakob Sabitzer from the newly introduced energy-management department at Wiener Linien public transport company in Vienna, who gave an overview of their organisational and strategic involvement. To conclude, Dr. Jan Přikryl from Prague gave an interesting presentation on the simulation of electric vehicles and power grid.

If you missed it, you can watch the recording here.

The original article was published here on the Interreg EfficienCE website on 29 June.

Sustainable urban mobility planning (SUMP) is a strategic and integrated approach to dealing with the complexity of urban transport. Across Europe, local authorities and their private operating partners are striving to create sustainable solutions for passenger transport and freight that foster accessible, safe and affordable mobility, while aligning with European Green Deal emissions reduction objectives.

As part of the SUMPs-Up project, funded under the European Union’s Horizon 2020, Rupprecht Consult compiled a Topic Guide, “Sustainable Urban Mobility Planning in Smaller Cities and Towns”. This guide applies the SUMP Guidelines to the planning realities of smaller cities and towns. It aims to support cities with a population of less than 100,000 that are much less likely to develop Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans than their larger counterparts and are also underrepresented in good practice databases and the community of experts. This indicates that they face specific challenges and need a dedicated guidance document for this target group.

This Topic Guide has now been translated into Hungarian and published by Magyar CIVINET, the Hungarian-speaking regional CIVITAS Network, financed by the CIVINET Activity Fund under CIVITAS ELEVATE. By translating the Topic Guide, Magyar CIVINET aims to support cities in developing more and better SUMPs.

Smaller cities and towns often have fewer resources and expertise for strategic mobility planning, making it more difficult to develop SUMPs. They also tend to have a stronger car dependency and weaker public transport, which can make it feel even more daunting to pursue a sustainable vision. On the other hand, smaller cities and towns often have well-connected social communities and more walkable and bikeable distances, offering ideal opportunities for sustainable mobility.

Based on an analysis of their specific challenges and opportunities, this guide provides smaller cities and towns with planning methods, tools and policies that have proven to work well in smaller urban areas. It also includes a variety of good practice examples from all over Europe, highlighting the benefits of SUMP for some of the most common problems in smaller cities and towns.

Read the original publication here. This and other SUMP Topic Guides can be accessed via the Eltis website here.

The Estonian Capital has launched a 2-month pilot for a self-driving bus in its Mustamäe district. The eight-seater runs its service on a 1.8 km circuit between 10:00-16:00 from Tuesday to Sunday at 25 minute intervals. A security person is on board to monitor the test and intervene if necessary. The pilot is a cooperation of Tallinn’s Transport Authority and the self-driving vehicle developer Auve Tech.

“I am very happy that the self-driving bus project will reach the streets of Mustamäe, and hopefully the testing will go so well that the near future will already bring us a self-driving bus for a longer period,” said Lauri Laats, elderman of the Mustamäe district. “The compactness of Mustamäe makes it possible to cover a very large number of city dwellers’ usual routes on a short route.”

At the same time, Tallinn is lowering the speed limits for 80 different streets of the city centre, with inner district roads of the package set to 30 km/h and larger streets 40 km/h. Lower speed limits go along with reconfiguring the traffic light programme to exploit the best possible effect of the measure to reduce emissions and improve road safety. Aside speed limits, Tallinn is also extending its use of road thresholds and speed bumps across the city to lower traffic speed and support safety conditions.

Article published first at SmartCitiesWorld on 18 July 2022.

The Spanish capital Madrid has approved the final text of the ‘Madrid 360 Sustainable Mobility Plan’, its new Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan (SUMP). The Plan is an important instrument that sets out the framework for the development of the city’s mobility policies until 2030.

Over the last few years, the Spanish capital has made huge strides in its sustainable mobility planning and deployment. From their trail blazing Madrid360 App, to the logistics micro hub in Plaza Mayor, they have been boosting passenger and goods transport solutions. The city’s new SUMP is the next step in this journey. More and better public transport is a key component of the plan. Madrid plans to expand its network of bus lanes to 250 kilometres by 2030, while implementing green corridors which will enable similar speeds to those of the Metro and contain a segregated platform for buses. The aim is to have 60 kilometres of green corridors by 2025.

Improving transport infrastructure is also an important pillar of the SUMP. To do this, the city will be promoting the extension of the metro network (lines 3, 5, 7 and 11 and new developments) and implementing high occupancy vehicle lanes at all major road entrances to the city.

Active mobility also benefits from increased visibility in the Plan, as 35 kilometres of new bike lanes are planned by 2050, supported by 20,000 parking spaces for bicycles and personal mobility vehicles. At the same time, the city’s electric bike sharing system, BiciMAD, will be expanded to 10,000 bicycles. Micromobility and intermodality will also be enhanced to facilitate modal integration. This will see the implementation of 300 micromobility hubs, as well as 700 places for shared cars in the city by 2025.

The SUMP also takes a more sustainable approach to parking management. The Regulated Parking Service will be expanded to new neighbourhoods to prioritise parking for residents. The SUMP also stimulates the uptake of less polluting vehicles – starting with the city’s own public transport fleet operated by EMT. One third of the EMT fleet will be zero emission by 2027. Simultaneously, measures to change the technology used in private vehicles and taxis, as well as providing the necessary recharging infrastructure, will also be promoted.

Logistics receives a lot of attention in the SUMP. The document foresees the implementation of five micro-platforms in car parks near restricted access areas, with all loading and unloading places being smart by 2030. The city expects to double the number of loading and unloading spaces currently in the city by 2030 to reach 15,000 with the aim of guaranteeing access for e-commerce and eradicating irresponsible parking by delivery vehicles.

Finally, safety is also a crucial pillar of the SUMP. Madrid hopes to reduce by 50% the annual average number of deaths due to accidents.

Article originally published on POLIS Network on 8 July 2022

(Published on Eltis at the request of the European Commission)

Introduction and context

The Communication on the new EU Urban Mobility Framework (UMF) (COM(2021)811 final), adopted on 14 December 2021 as part of the Efficient and Green Mobility Package, states that a multi-level, integrated governance approach to manage urban mobility, is needed as part of the drive towards climate neutrality. According to it, ‘a reinforced platform for dialogue and the co-creation of new actions to implement the new EU urban mobility framework is needed with a stronger engagement of Member States and a better dialogue with cities, regions and stakeholders on all urban mobility issues.’

To this end, a relevant Commission Decision (C(2022) 5320) setting up the Commission expert group on urban mobility (the group) was adopted on 28 July 2022.

In accordance with Article 2 of the above-mentioned Decision, the group’s tasks shall be:

• to assist the Commission in implementing the new EU urban mobility framework;
• to advise and provide technical expertise to the Commission on developing and implementing future-proof and innovation-friendly legislation, policies, projects and programmes in the field of sustainable urban mobility, for example through recommendations, opinions, reports or analyses, contributing to a healthy urban environment;
• to develop cooperation and coordination between the Commission, Member States and stakeholders on questions relating to the implementation of EU legislation, programmes and policies in the field of urban mobility, including sustainable urban mobility planning, transport contingency preparedness and energy efficiency;
• to foster exchanges of experience and good practices in the field of sustainable urban mobility, including in cross-border regions;
• to advise the Commission on how to develop synergies between EU, national and regional funding and financing opportunities in research, innovation, development and deployment of safe, healthy, energy efficient and sustainable urban mobility solutions for a better quality of life;
• to facilitate exchanges of information on initiatives, projects and partnerships on sustainable urban mobility, including the EU mission on climate-neutral and smart cities.

In accordance with Article 4 of the Commission Decision, the group’s members shall be:

The following have been identified as priority areas in the UMF and should be reflected in the membership of the group:

• public transport and accessibility;
• shared and active mobility;
• zero-emission fleets;
• urban logistics and first and last-mile delivery;
• coordination between national SUMP programme managers and the SUMP Coordination Platform Group;
• urban vehicle access regulations;
• rural-urban linkages.

Selection of group members representing Member States’ authorities at the regional and local level

Eligibility criteria  

Any EU city counting at least 10,000 inhabitants may submit an expression of interest in becoming a member of the Expert group on urban mobility. Entities will be eligible to submit an expression of interest if their local authority or their mandated representative represents one city defined as a Local Administrative Unit, or a “greater city” or metropolitan region, while taking account of the whole Functional Urban Area (consisting of a city and its commuting zone) where relevant.

Focus is on cities, but regional authorities representing NUTS 2 and NUTS 3 regions may also submit an expression of interest to become a member

Selection criteria 

The following criteria will be applied when selecting the members representing local and regional authorities:

• geographical balance: distribution across the EU as well as within the individual Member States, and geographical diversity;
• size: a balanced mix of small, medium, bigger and large cities;
• level of involvement in EU initiatives relevant to urban mobility and in EU funded urban mobility projects;
• level of ambition, including existing targets and commitment to sustainable urban mobility, e.g. reflected in a  sustainable urban mobility plan (SUMP);
• hierarchical level, expertise and knowledge of the English language of the proposed representatives;
• willingness and capacity to actively participate in the work of the group.

The Commission will select up to 20 members representing local and regional authorities.

Requested information

Local and regional authorities interested in becoming members of the group are invited to complete the requested information and submit it using the form here.

This call for expression of interest is intended to support the Commission in the selection of group members representing Member States’ authorities at the regional and local level.

It will be open for 6 weeks, from 1/08/2022 until 9/09/2022.

The first meeting of the group is envisaged to take place in 4Q 2022.

In case of questions on the content, please contact the Secretariat of Unit B3 of DG MOVE: MOVE-B3-SECRETARIAT@ec.europa.eu.

On 12 July 2022, the International Association for Public Transport (UITP) signed the “Lecco Declaration” with the aim of improving accessibility in public transport. The document defines a framework of core principles regarding accessibility, thus setting the framework for the implementation of effective measures.

The key objectives and principles of the Lecco Declaration are the following:

• To guarantee personal mobility and freedom of movement as a human right;
• To recognise the relationship between mobility and other rights, such as participation, access to education and employment;
• To provide accessible public transport to all, contributing to achieving social and environmental policies and principles, connecting people and places and fostering social and economic development;
• To support the development of new technological solutions, thus reducing and possibly helping to overcome barriers to mobility.

The declaration was also signed by the Association for the Advancement of Assistive Technology (AAATE) and the European Network of Independent Living (ENIL). These organisations work and collaborate as partners in TRIPS, an EU-funded project focused on improving public transport accessibility for people with reduced mobility by developing new design concepts regarding, for instance, the removal of barriers to mobility in urban areas.

During the accompanying meeting, a variety of European associations and policy makers discussed the importance of implementing smarter, greener, and more accessible transport for all. The approach adopted in the TRIPS project is currently being tested in 7 European pilot cities: Bologna and Cagliari (Italy), Brussels (Belgium), Sofia (Bulgaria), Stockholm (Sweden), Lisbon (Portugal) and Zagreb (Croatia).

UITP’s Secretary General, Mohamed Mezghani, noted that the biggest challenge is to ensure that all transport stakeholders are willing to adopt measures that improve transport accessibility and for these organisations to coordinate their efforts. Thanks to the Lecco Declaration, the focus is now shifting towards users’ needs, helping to educate the sector and improving transport accessibility not only for people with reduced mobility but for everyone. According to UITP, having access to barrier-free mobility does not mean that the sector will be 100% accessible, but rather that it should help people move in cities using multimodal transport services, guiding them towards the best travel choice for the individual.

Engaging with users helps transport carriers, authorities and industry providers understand users’ needs, make informed decisions, draft adequate policies based on direct feedback and ensure that public transport services are functional. Mobility solutions need to be safer, more sustainable, and more inclusive, while reducing air pollution and improving social cohesion and employment.

For more information read the Lecco Declaration here.

Original article published by Intelligent Transport on 18 July 2022.

EU-project ENSEMBLE (finished in March 2022) presents its final results after almost 4 years of research, aligning, implementing and testing with the 19 project partners. Aim of the project was to pave the way for multi-brand truck platooning, where truck platooning is defined as the linking of two or more trucks in convoy, using connectivity technology and automated driving (support) systems. Supported by the European Union with 20 Mio EUR an important step towards safer and more efficient transport was made: the harmonised technology for multi-brand platooning was defined, tested and demonstrated.

The ENSEMBLE project

Until the start of the project in 2018, all European truck manufacturers demonstrated that platooning is feasible, e.g. in the European Truck Platooning Challenge in 2016. However, then the manufacturers used individually developed technology, e.g. for the required communication between the trucks (V2V communication).

To be able to platoon with each other across brands, a common technology is required. In the ENSEMBLE project, led by TNO, all European truck manufactures, DAF, Daimler Trucks, Iveco, Man trucks & bus, Renault trucks, Scania and Volvo trucks, cooperated to align the platooning technology to‘talk the same language’. Next to the manufacturers, suppliers Bosch, Continental, ZF, NXP, Brembo and the European Association of Automotive Suppliers (CLEPA) were involved.

The research partners IDIADA, Université Gustave Eiffel, KTH and Vrije Universiteit Brussel supervised the testing and researched different effects of platooning, e.g. on other road user reactions, traffic, road load, etc. ERTICO, organiser of ITS Europe, made the link to the Platooning Community.

The developed Platooning Functions

The ENSEMBLE project defined two platooning functions: Platooning as a Support Function (PSF) and Platooning as an Autonomous Function (PAF). The first function, the PSF, should be quickly deployable. It is a driver support function similar to an Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC), as it regulates the distance to the vehicle in front. By using V2V communication, the PSF is safer as strong braking events are detected faster than by using conventional, on-board sensors alone like e.g. radar or camera. Additionally, braking waves (string instability) can be damped to optimise traffic throughput.

The PAF provides the vision of the ENSEMBLE Partners for the future of Platooning based on theoretical considerations and assumed advancement of the state of the art of automated driving technologies. It foresees a driver in the first truck followed by maximum two trucks with the driver out of the loop, travelling from hub to hub. In this case, the V2V connectivity between the trucks acts as an enabler allowing the automation of the following vehicles. The PAF places itself between a support function and a fully autonomous truck.

For both functions, use cases, specifications and requirements were defined. This includes the V2V communication protocol, one of the major outcomes of the project. It defines not only the required data elements, but also when and how these should be transmitted. Additionally, a security framework for the communication based on the existing PKI (Public Key Infrastructure) of ITS-G5 and additional symmetric and asymmetric encryption, has been proposed and successfully tested.

Testing on test track and real road

To evaluate the technical feasibility and to accelerate standardisation, the PSF had been implemented by all truck manufacturers and tested. The PAF has not been implemented or tested as the current state of the art should first progress to offer sufficiently safe solutions to implement a viable and testable PAF.

The first testing sessions were performed in smaller groups of two to four trucks from different partners. Despite the Corona Pandemic, a total of nine of such test sessions could still be performed before finally meeting up with all trucks for the final testing and demonstration in Barcelona in September 2021. Then the different implementations of the partners were both tested on track and on public road.

Results

On the basis of the test results it could be concluded that the PSF, as defined by the use cases, requirements and specifications, is technically feasible. Moreover the results of the testing were also used in some of the impact evaluations. The following conclusions were made based on the results of the different impact evaluations performed in the project:

• Road authorities can potentially benefit from platooning as the integration and uptake of the platooning functionality necessitates the digitization of vehicles and logistics. This potentially enables the road authorities to influence the parameters (e.g. time gap, speed, allowed number of trucks in a platoon) according to which the trucks are driving on their pavements.
• In the current road situation at least 15% of all trucks could already benefit from platooning without having to change their behaviour. Trucks can find each other using a platoon matching service.
• Economic analysis has shown that for fleet owners there is only a direct business case for the PAF, mainly because of the expected impact on driver efficiency costs. For the platooning support function, the potential benefits (and therefore the business case) are more on a societal level, since it is expected to increase traffic safety, driver comfort (not assessed in the current study) and road capacity.
• The positive effect of truck platooning on road capacity increases when the percentage of trucks in the total traffic flow is high (around 20%). However, negative impacts on road capacity were found in merging areas, when merging traffic enters the mainline traffic with a lower speed; this negative impact is higher for smaller time gaps.
• When trucks platoons are relatively long (7 trucks), one of the performed studies has shown that other road users will merge in between the platoon when entering the highway at a relatively low speed. To avoid dangerous situations, the developed platooning system increases the gap when a cut-in vehicle is detected, but it is still advisable to avoid long platoons or to have larger time gaps in the vicinity of highway entries.
• The PSF does not show an improvement in fuel consumption and emissions. This is because the Platooning Support Function is following at 1,5 seconds or more, which is not significantly closer compared to the current driving situations on the roads. Looking at the PAF, with headways lower than 1 second, potential effects on fuel consumption and emissions are expected but this requires further testing under circumstances that represent real-life logistical operations.

Following these conclusions, truck platooning is beneficial for road capacity and traffic flow. Truck platooning on road segments with a lot of highway entries also shows negative effects that can be mitigated by larger time gaps, limiting the platoon length and ramp metering in such areas. In this respect, hub to hub platooning using dedicated (digital) infrastructure and platooning at night can be considered a first potentially viable use-case. PAF can strengthen this use case, eliminating part of the current driver shortage at night.
Given the chosen approach to first develop the platooning  technology/platform that can be deployed using existing technology and under current legislation (the PSF), the PSF can bring potential safety benefits, but cannot bring the expected economic benefits and impacts of platooning immediately after the project.