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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.

As of 6 July, a new set of European rules entered into force, requiring new vehicles to be equipped with a range of mandatory advanced driver assist systems to improve road safety. The new safety measures will help to better protect passengers, pedestrians and cyclists across the EU, expectedly saving over 25,000 lives and avoid at least 140,000 serious injuries by 2038. In addition, the new rules set the legal framework to enable fully driverless vehicles in the EU.

The new rules are part of the new Vehicle General Safety Regulation. The rules are responding to a need for improving vehicle and road safety, as well as a need to establish a comprehensive assessment of safety and maturity of the fully automated vehicles before they are placed on the EU market.

As of 6 July all new types of cars, vans, trucks and buses are to be equipped with a range of advanced driver assistance systems, sometimes referred to as ADAS. These safety systems include intelligent speed assistance, reversing detection with camera or sensors, attention warning in case of driver drowsiness or distraction, event data recorders as well as an emergency stop signal. In addition, cars and vans also need to be equipped with lane keeping systems and automated braking, whereas buses and trucks are to be equipped with technologies for better recognising possible blind spots, warnings to prevent collisions with pedestrians or cyclists and tyre pressure monitoring systems.

While currently only new vehicle types need to apply to the new rules, in two years, all new vehicles are to comply.

Commissioner Thierry Breton, responsible for the Internal Market, stated: “Speed assistance, lane keeping and automated braking systems – our vehicles are increasingly automated. With the new vehicle safety legislation [..], Europe is making sure that this technology improves our citizens’ daily life, and that the automotive industry has a predictable and safe framework to continue rolling out innovative technology solutions and maintain its global competitiveness.”

With the predictable framework to continue rolling out innovative technology solutions, the Commissioner was also referring to the fact that the General Safety Regulation empowers the Commission to complete the legal framework for automated and connected vehicles. The Commission expects to adopt technical rules for automated and connected vehicles this summer. These rules focus on automated vehicles replacing the driver on motorways (level 3 automation) and fully driverless vehicles like urban shuttles or robotaxis (level 4 automation).

The new rules will align EU legislation with the new UN level rules on level 3 automation and adopt new EU technical legislation for fully driverless vehicles, the first international rules of its kind. The Commission expects the rules will help to increase public trust, boost innovation and improve the competitiveness of Europe’s car industry.

More information: European Commission press release.

The Belgian city of Hasselt has recently launched two electric bikes for people with reduced mobility: one is a wheelchair bike and the other one is a side-by-side tandem. Everyone will now have the possibility to cycle around the city, using adapted bicycles. With the introduction of this service, the city of Hassel also developed a specific cycling trail for bikes, allowing riders to enjoy the ride through the city’s natural landmarks, such as the Albert Canal, parks, lakes and the historic city centre.

Cycling for people with reduced mobility

Cycling may be often very challenging for people with reduced mobility. For this reason, the new project implemented by the city of Hasselt aims to overcome obstacles for all people willing to ride. Through attentive urban planning and policy tools, cycling routes can be equally accessible to everybody.

The most successful point of this initiative lays on the bicycle model, which is able to accommodate people in wheelchairs. One of the two new bikes provided by the city of Hasselt has electric ride assistance, which makes the ride more comfortable for the user, and is equipped with a wheelchair platform on which the user can sit and from which he/she can enjoy the ride.

Another major innovation of the e-bike is that it does not require any lifting – on the contrary – the user can just ‘wheel in’. The e-bike has a wheelchair lock to guarantee safety, which also allows the rider to move off the bike easily when needed.

In addition to purchasing the two adapted e-bikes, the city of Hasselt designed an accessible cycling route and identified a few nearby catering establishments on the route, which were screened for wheelchair accessibility by the Flemish expertise center of Accessibility, Inter. The cycling route is relatively flat, offering people a round trip of the city, passing along wooded paths, the canal front and other natural areas.

The city of Hasselt collaborated with the Flemish Government and the targeted potential users, i.e. associations and people with reduced mobility, seniors, as well as the facility Intesa – the Hasselt residential center de hawthorn. The stakeholders’ consultation helped the city of Hasselt test the e-bikes and receive feedback before making them available for rent to the people, and draft guidelines on the use and maintenance of the bicycles.

For more information on the initiative check the Municipality of Hasselt website.

Megjelent a Magyar CIVINET 27. hírlevele, mely ezen a linken olvasható.

A Magyar CIVINET hírlevelére ITT lehet feliratkozni. Aktuális városi közlekedést érintő hírekről és érdekességekről a Magyar CIVINET Facebook oldalán és a Magyar CIVINET Facebook csoportjában tájékozódhat, melyhez bárki csatlakozhat.

A fenntartható városi mobilitástervezés az Európai Unió városi közlekedéstervezési koncepciója. A fenntartható városi mobilitási tervek (Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan – SUMP) kidolgozására vonatkozó első útmutató 2013-ban jelent meg, és azóta bőséges tapasztalat gyűlt össze a SUMP-ok megvalósításával kapcsolatban. 2018-ban ezért megkezdődött az Útmutató aktualizálása a Rupprecht Consult gondozásában. Az aktualizálás keretében több tematikus útmutató is megjelent, melyek a fenntartható mobilitástervezés különböző aspektusaira fókuszálnak (pl. elektromobilitás, parkolás stb.). Ezek angol nyelven az Eltis honlapján érhetők el.

A 2019-ben elkészült „Fenntartható mobilitástervezés kis- és középvárosokban” című útmutató a Magyar CIVINET ill. a Mobilissimus gondozásában, a CIVINET Activity Fund támogatásával most magyar nyelven is megjelent. Ez a dokumentum útmutatást nyújt ahhoz, hogyan lehet sikeresen kidolgozni és végrehajtani egy fenntartható városi mobilitási tervet a kis- és középvárosokban, tehát a 100.000 lakosnál kisebb településeken. Az útmutató egészében itt érhető el.

A cikk eredetileg itt jelent meg: https://mobilissimus.hu/hirek/zold/megjelent-magyarul-sump-tematikus-utmutatoja-kis-es-kozepvarosoknak

2022. június 15 és 17-e között a Magyar CIVINET vendégül látta a Cseh és Szlovák CIVINET 20 fős delegációját. A budapesti tanulmányútjuk célja a budapesti mobilitás és városfejlesztés megismerése volt, fenntarthatósági elemekkel a fókuszban.

Az eseménysorozat a Cseh Nagykövetségen kezdődött, ahol a házigazda köszöntötte a csoportot. Itt három előadás hangzott el: az elsőt Hajnal Tünde, a BKK mobilitástervezési osztályvezetője tartotta a 2019-es Budapesti Mobilitási Tervről, melynek most zajlik a felülvizsgálata. A főbb célok, stratégiák és víziók voltak az előadás központjában. Ezt követte Horn Gergely, a Nemzeti Közlekedési Központ (korábban BFK) vasútfejlesztési igazgatójának prezentációja, melyben a Budapesti Agglomerációs Vasúti Stratégiáról volt szó. A főbb hangsúlyt a tervben lévő alagútra helyezte, melyet a Duna alatt fognak kiépíteni, ezzel megszüntetve a fejpályaudvari rendszert a Nyugati és Déli pályaudvaron, jelentősen növelve a budapesti vasúti kapacitást.  A harmadik előadást Szabó Noémi, a Mobilissimus várostervező mérnöke tartotta, aki a Budapesti Agglomerációs Kerékpáros Stratégiáról beszélt. Ennek – a szintén NKK projektnek – a lényege a minőségi ráhordó kerékpárhálózat a budapesti agglomerációban, egyben Budapest kerékpáros megközelíthetőségének javítása.

A rövid napot egy Városligeti sétával zártuk, ahol az autómentes tervekről, az új beruházásokról, és a turisztikai látványosságokról beszélt Dr. Szele András, a Mobilissimus vezető szakértője, és Ekés András, a cég ügyvezetője. A Városliget körüli konfliktusokra is kitértek, melyek a beépítés és a zöld felületek megtartása körül folyik.

A második nap a BKK FUTÁR (Forgalomirányítási és UtasTÁjékoztatási Rendszer) diszpécser központjában indult, ahol a résztvevők megismerkedhettek a központ belső működésével. A 2014-ben kiépített rendszer lehetővé teszi a budapesti forgalom valós idejű, 24 órás felügyeletét, rendkívüli helyzetben pedig a gyors és hatékony közbeavatkozást. Ezt követően – egy kis kitérővel – a csapat a vezető nélküli metróra szállva kiment Kelenföldig, ahol a vasúti pályaudvar, a nem olyan régen kialakított, egyelőre ingyenes P+R parkoló és a buszpályaudvar csomópontja volt fókuszban. Az Etele Pláza tetejéről gyönyörűen beláthatóak ezek az újabb fejlesztések. A délutánt egy rövid vonatozást követően a budafoki CAF Kocsiszínben folytatták, ahol a kollégák megmutatták a műszaki részleteket. A napot egy Gellért-hegyi sétával zártuk. A Citadella lezárása miatt a résztvevők eggyel lejjebbről csodálták meg a kilátást. Itt a turisztikai látványosságokon túl a MOL Torony, az Atlétikai Stadion és a Kopaszi-gát volt kiemelve, mint szakmai érdekesség.

A tanulmányutat egy 2 órás sétával zárták a harmadik napon, amikor Ekés András megmutatta a cseh és szlovák kollégáknak a budapesti mikromobilitási pontok egyikét, a forgalomcsillapított Ráday utcát és a pesti rakpartot – bemutatva az azzal kapcsolatos lezárásról/megnyitásról szóló vitát (melyről Dr. Szele András írt az Azonnalira; ezek itt és itt olvashatók, Ekés András pedig a Spirit FM-nek nyilatkozott, mely itt hallgatható vissza).