Strategic Sessions

1.1 | Mobility for all: fair, inclusive, affordable and accessible in all places.

This strategic session is related to Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy Flagship 9: “Making mobility fair and just for all”. The Green Deal puts pressure on societies to transform their mobility systems. This transition must be inclusive and fair! A just transition means not leaving individuals and communities behind, including when it comes to coverage and affordability of public transport. The provision of mobility is mainly linked to the availability, affordability, accessibility, adequacy and reliability of transport. And the mobility of different groups is influenced in a variety of ways by these factors. Mobility “precariousness” affects several groups, including people with low income and unemployed people, people living in deprived areas lacking urban links, as well as migrants and ethnic minorities, young people and children. Together with women, these individuals are most likely to rely on urban public transport.

For people living in rural areas, access to services, economic opportunities and social activities are heavily dependent on limited access to and/or use of the car as public transportation offers. Yet, rural mobility is often considered an afterthought and/or an extension of urban mobility, even though rural communities and their economies are connected, and better mobility will allow them to grow. The aspect of gender is also of significance. Women often have more complex mobility patterns as they regularly combine household chores and caring responsibilities with income-related activities. Equally, safety and security are major issues for women – including in public transport and when travelling during off-peak hours.

This session aims to explore how we can make sure that the mobility of the future is inclusive and relevant for future users, that no one is left behind and that all voices – irrespective of gender – are heard, including those who are difficult to reach. Specific attention will be given to mobility for those outside urban areas – particularly youth in rural areas.

A high-level panel of speakers will share insights on the following:

Which mobility options would improve the rural youth’s access to education, sport, and leisure; and what types of solutions to improve rural connections could help address the mobility needs of all genders?

Certain mobility options are considered active (e.g. walking, biking), sustainable (e.g. electric vehicles) or are part of shared mobility options (MaaS, carpools, etc.) – how do we make sure that their promotion does not exclude certain groups of society?

Is the ever-increasing digitalisation in mobility becoming an exclusion factor? How to get the benefits but not the potential drawbacks?

The audience will be invited to contribute to this discussion.

SESSION ORGANISERS:

Chair: ETRA/ECTRI (Ingrid Skogsmo, VTI)
Co-chairs: European Commission (Wiebke Pankauke, DG RTD.C2 and Maria Carbone DG MOVE.B3)

SPEAKERS:

Herald Ruijters, Director, Investment, Innovative and Sustainable Mobility Directorate, DG MOVE/B
Jessica Berg, Research Director, Mobility, Actors and Planning Processes, Swedish National Road and Transport Institute (VTI)
Rita Jacinto, Programme Manager, Division for Pedestrian Mobility, City of Lisbon
Lidia Signor, Combined Mobility Manager, UITP
Stephen Perkins, Head of Research & Policy Analysis at the International Transport Forum (ITF)
Floridea di Ciommo, Co-Director of the Cooperative Research Centre CambiaMO

MODERATOR:

Jacki Davis

RAPPORTEUR:

Ingrid Skogsmo, VTI, ETRA/ECTRI

PROGRAMME OVERVIEW