La fourth industrial revolution has brought with it new opportunities for companies through the implementation of innovative production methods and new technologies. The focus of many businesses is moving in a direction that takes into account the environmental sustainability reducing waste, targeting areas such as the sustainable mobility.

We all move, all the time, at any time of the day or night. And the same goes for goods, which are moved by a dense network of transport by land, by truck or rail, by sea and by air. Today's transport sector has a huge impact on the environment and that is why it is essential to rethink sustainable modes of travel.

What is sustainable mobility and how does it fit into the cityscape? Introduced by the European Commission in the 2050 Strategy (Green Deal), sustainable mobility, or smart mobility, aims to reduce emissions from means of transport by implementing intelligent mobility that complies with certain emission parameters for vehicles with combustion engines.

The idea is to develop systems and applications that can manage traffic, develop delivery methods with less polluting routes, and modify the public transport network to reduce road congestion and thus pollution. In cities, it is also important to ensure the installation of charging stations for electric vehicles to encourage citizens to buy low-emission electric or hybrid vehicles.

Sustainable mobility: examples and ITS courses

Transport in Europe accounts for a quarter of greenhouse gas emissions. This is why all transport methods should be renewed and made more sustainable to help reduce emissions and help produce tangible benefits such as increased air quality, reduced noise and less congested traffic.

A first example of sustainable mobility are low- (hybrid) or zero-emission (fully electric) vehicles with alternative propulsion systems. The automotive industry is investing large sums of money to develop new technologies for electric vehicles, but given the existing technologies, electrification is not and cannot be the only solution for all modes of transport, with efficiencies not suitable for long distances. For heavy vehicles and buses one possible solution is the hydrogen-based technologiesan interesting carbon-free alternative.

In order to make mobility cleaner and more organised, it is essential to set up an efficient system based on the digitisation and data sharing via IOT technologies (Internet of Things) that can improve local infrastructure and spatial planning. Smart cities and urban areas are and will be the centres where mobility innovation will show its results.

According to the European Green Deal, today the 75% of the EU population is located in urban areascharacterised by routes with short distances that face fundamental air quality issues. The key elements for making cities a sustainable mobility, in addition to the use of and incentives to adopt electric vehicles, are:

  • Urbanism;
  • Safe cycling and walking paths;
  • Clean' public transport;
  • Mobility as a service (car sharing, bike sharing etc.).

La sustainable mobility aims at a eco-friendly transportaiming at an ecological transition that is necessary for the environment and society. It is the promotion of alternative lifestyles to which individuals and companies must learn to adapt.

I ITS Academy ITS courses have at the centre of their training programmes the topic of sustainability in all professional fields, including logistics and sustainable mobility. Information and training are the first step in making people aware of their choices. An informed traveller is more likely to make more sustainable decisions.

Author of the article

ITS MOVE - Editor