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The delegation sent by the Quebecois Association of Transport and Roads (AQTR) to look at sustainable mobility in four American cities published its report on the 9th December. Its conclusions are edifying: in order to develop, in theory and in practice, respect for the environment in terms of transport, one needs not only the tools and finances but also to know how to raise awareness of the question among citizens…
In order to make its report, the Quebecois delegation visited Minneapolis, Seattle, Portland and San Francisco. These cities have successfuly put various methods of transport in place that satisfy their citizens’ requirements and respect the environment.
The American town planning managers agree that involving the local population right from the start is essential to the success of a project. They also recommend establishing various long-term sources of financing. Creativity is encouraged. Thus, cities are taxing registration plates, as in France, but also sales, fuel, payroll, parking and even property value …
The four American cities have other things in common. In particular, they are setting up clearly defined transport plans, based on concepts of sustainable mobility and conceived with the assistance of architects and town planners. In Seattle, for example, sustainable mobility is taken into consideration every time a road is repaired!
Another shared characteristic: pedestrians and bikes are entirely integrated in the approach and have safe lanes on the main roads. Additionally, the majority of train carriages and buses are equipped with bike racks. In Minneapolis, street furniture is conceived to take the rigours of winter into account (heated shelters, for example) and the city council is considering potentially bringing back trams.
Finally it’s worth noting that the four American cities give consistent attention to the quality of the services on offer (cleanliness, modernity, comfort, etc.). The report is on the whole laudatory, moderating its analysis nonetheless with the reminder that this operation, as impressive as it is, has a cost for the passengers: they finance, on average, 70% of the Light Rail Transit (LRT) systems bringing everyone into the city centre ...
