New forms of collaboration are needed between the private and public sector, including data sharing arrangements, a new report has said.
Rethinking Urban Mobility, published on Tuesday (20 February) by Arup in collaboration with Gowling WLG, Thales and the London Transport Museum, highlights priorities and actions for policy makers, city leaders and built environment professionals to achieve sustainable urban transport systems.
Sixty leading thinkers and decision makers in the transport industry came together to consider the challenges and opportunities facing city transport systems and infrastructure in the UK.
They concluded that new forms of collaboration between the public and private sectors are needed to achieve a legislative framework that is responsive to user demand and new technology.
The report calls for the public sector to create frameworks to work with private mobility companies to deliver efficient services. Data sharing agreements between public and private bodies will enable new services and create more efficient infrastructure.
Sam Mullins, director for London Transport Museum, said: ‘From the arrival of the first horse drawn bus in 1829, to the Oyster card in 2003 and contactless payment today, London and other UK cities are constantly being transformed by new technology.
‘As part of our Interchange thought leadership programme London Transport Museum held a series of wide-ranging discussions on pressing issues such as how technology will impact the way we travel in our cities and the need for visionary local government. This new report is a culmination of those ideas.
‘Read it, share it, like it, dislike it. Ultimately we recognise public and private entities must work together to maintain the mobility upon which our cities depend.’
The Museum said the outcomes from these discussions will support the delivery of the London mayor’s Transport Strategy.
The report’s other findings include:
Enabling bold local decision-making: Bold and capable city leadership is required to drive innovation. Central Government should devolve transport strategy and funding decisions to city authorities to improve local transport networks.
Seamless journeys and new technology: Seamless multi-modal journeys will only be possible if cities take an open approach to both transport providers and mode of travel; the user must come first. Cities must create strategies to engage with DRT and ridesharing services, or plan to provide more seamless journeys with their own new services.
Contributing to lower carbon emission targets: The findings highlight that cities must commit to low or zero emissions targets and incorporate related policies into their planning cycles. The Government must use economic incentives to reduce energy consumption across the transport network to help the UK achieve its decarbonisation targets.
Affordable public transport: Low income households are disproportionately impacted by public transport accessibility and safety implications, including air pollution. Cities must create affordable and sustainable public transport to support social and economic mobility.
Health and wellbeing: Cities should enable and promote active modes of travel to ensure physical and mental wellbeing of the urban population. Transport is responsible for 32% of carbon dioxide emissions in the UK and is the greatest cause of noise pollution in cities and towns.
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