Every year, Sustainable Mobility Week presents the opportunity to develop initiatives that stimulate awareness. In 2009, 227 million citizens learned more about sustainable mobility through 2,178 local initiatives in 39 countries. These statistics are enough to make the head spin and are encouraging in terms of the latest edition, which begins this Thursday! We look at how sustainable mobility is perceived by Europeans.
Year after year, opinion polls confirm a general decline in the presence of “private cars” in European city centres. The transport issue, in so much that it raises both economic and environmental questions at the same time, comes high on the list of Europeans’ preoccupations. In fact, in 21 European cities, with Sofia, Athens and Budapest at the top, pollution appears to be one of the major problems (Perception survey on quality of life in European cities, published May 2010).
Public transport and the bicycle, eco-citizen mobility
Public transport is enjoying huge success; however, the expectations of European transport users include greater timetable flexibility and service optimisation. In Europe generally, the most frequent users of public transport are often to be found, unsurprisingly, in the largest capitals, with Paris, London, Prague, Stockholm and Budapest at the top of the list. It’s worth noting that following the Grenelle II vote in France, the State has committed to financing 52 clean public transport projects, run by 38 municipalities, involving 369 kilometres (229 miles) of new lines.
The explosion in self-service bicycle systems in large European cities has let this means of transport conquer the hearts of Europeans. It is reckoned that 5% of people use the bicycle regularly. The overall cost of a bicycle is estimated at €266 a year (£233) all included (initial purchase and maintenance), whereas the average cost of a car is €6,000 (£5,025) a year. For regular and short journeys, it is clear that this user-friendly, healthy and green solution is becoming increasingly popular among Europeans.
Will we soon see genuine bicycle traffic jams all over Europe, as in Utrecht in the Netherlands (watch this) ? And will we see the number of cycle motorways increase, following the very recently announced model in Denmark?
The car and electric mobility
However, the car is still king. The Eurobarometer 2010 on Road Safety shows thus that around 7 in 10 EU citizens say that they drive a car and that 49% of respondents do so nearly every day of the week. Facing this reality, should we be betting on the arrival of the electric vehicle as a sustainable mobility solution?
Is Europe ready for the electric car? All the European surveys are unanimous; the overwhelming majority of drivers are ready to invest more or less long term in electric mobility. Market research (Bain & Company/The Times) carried out in Germany, Italy, the UK and France has led to the classification of Europeans into four distinct consumer group: the “green innovators”, who are interested in the environment and are eco-mobility pioneers; the “cost-shoppers”, who see the arrival of the electric vehicle as an opportunity to save money; the “premium 2.0”, who aspire to a prestigious image through their innovative vehicle; and the “laggards”, who will take no risk but will invest once the electric vehicle has proved itself.
Sustainable mobility will also mean intermodality (the use of several means of transport during a journey), which is a subject in which Europeans are showing more and more interest. In France, the French Agency for Multimodal and Ticketing Information will be effective as of 2011. Its mission will be to improve passenger information by implementing a network of transport authorities. It should make passengers’ lives easier and make our cities greener!
Marcel Green and Sustainable Mobility are starting a new partnership together … And it’s all happening in the “Interviews” section!
