Why should urban mobility be multimodal?

The exponential growth of mobility needs in urban areas is difficult to reconcile, at first glance, with the requirements of sustainable development and the ecological transition. Although the era of the "all-car" seems to be over thanks to the many new urban mobility solutions, there are still challenges to be met in order to improve the quality of life and travel of our cities' inhabitants.

The multiplication of transportation modes in the city cannot solve all the difficulties without coordinating the various transportation services, developing new urban spaces and using connected technologies. We therefore propose that you discover the characteristics and benefits of multimodality.

What is multimodal urban mobility?

To fully understand the different aspects and collective interests of multimodal urban mobility, it is essential to specify what it is in concrete terms.

Multimodality refers to the availability and use of several modes of transport to make a trip between two locations in the same city. This concept, far from being new, is inspired by the intermodality implemented in the freight transport and logistics sector. The latter, through the intermediary of multimodal exchanges, aims to use the most appropriate means of transport for each journey, particularly in the densest urban areas.

Multimodal travel in cities is therefore based on the possibility of using several modes of travel to get to work, to shop or to travel for leisure.

The various means of transport that can be used in multimodal urban mobility are as follows

• individual vehicles (internal combustion engine vehicles or electric cars)
• public transport (bus, tramway, metro, shuttles)
• soft modes of transport (walking, cycling, electric bikes, skateboarding, EDPM)
• motorized two-wheelers;
• car-sharing or car-pooling networks;
• short term rental car fleets on demand.

As mentioned in the introduction to this page, the provision of urban travel must be accompanied by a comprehensive policy of coordination of these different means and the creation of new infrastructure and dedicated spaces for soft travel. It is also necessary to make the best use of the contribution made by information technology.

How can multimodal mobility and best practices be promoted?

To encourage the inhabitants of large cities to change their habits and switch permanently to more environmentally friendly practices, it is essential to think about and implement solutions to make urban mobility more practical, more fluid and more intelligent.

Transit hubs and park-and-ride facilities

In order to improve the fluidity of interconnections between the available modes of transport, cities must strengthen their offer of transit hubs and park-and-ride facilities. These spaces are intended to offer users solutions for leaving their vehicles (cars, bicycles or even scooters) and accessing a public transport service directly.

Ideally, the price of the parking or locker should be very attractive, so as to be financially attractive to motorists who are willing to temporarily leave their cars behind. In addition, to attract more users, public transport must be competitive in terms of punctuality, convenience, network size, safety, and overall service quality.

It is clear that the purpose of transit hubs is to limit the number of cars on the road in the most densely populated areas by encouraging motorists to reconsider their practices and better perceive the advantages of multimodality. Therefore, the locations of interchange projects must be carefully and intelligently chosen to effectively reduce the systematic use of cars for the entire trip.

Exclusion zones and dedicated green spaces

If fossil fuel-powered cars are regularly singled out for criticism and are the vehicles that are and must continue to be restricted, it is because they are responsible for the main nuisances observed in cities: pollution, noise, traffic jams and unsafe roads for pedestrians and cyclists.

As a reminder, in France, cars and trucks occupy an average of 60% of road space in cities, while they account for only 15% of urban travel. The ratio between the space occupied and the transport supply actually provided is therefore not balanced, and this distribution is to the detriment of soft modes of transport.

For this reason, multimodal urban mobility must include the creation of clean traffic sites, reserved exclusively for soft travel. The main objective is toimprove the cohabitation between cars and other modes of travel. To achieve this, the effectiveness of dedicated lanes and bicycle paths is well established. They represent a real contribution to the safety of the road users most exposed to accidents and contribute greatly to the development of the use of bicycles and other scooters.

To reduce the impact of the car, it is also possible toban the most polluting vehicles in urban areas where the quality of life of urban dwellers is most at risk. These traffic bans can be permanent (Low Emission Mobility Zones) or temporary (monthly car-free Sundays).

In both cases, whenever a motorist is forced or encouraged to use a mode of travel other than the car, it is important that multimodal mobility offers an attractive and convenient service so that the motorist will consider using it more frequently.

Information technology and connected mobility

The fluidity of urban mobility is inseparable from new technologies and connected systems. Whether for equipment (electric vehicles, charging stations) or for managing traffic networks, these technologies are valuable allies in the service ofmore intelligent urban mobility.

Modern urbanites travel by adapting their choice of transport according to their own criteria, which may concern the speed of a means of transport, its convenience, its cost or its ecological impact. Having real-time information for each trip via a mobility application allows users to choose the most appropriate solution, depending on their needs at the time.

This is called intelligent multimodal urban mobility, because it is able to respond to practical aspects (location, schedules, availability, network status, identification, reservation, payment) with a simple smartphone. In addition, this mobility intelligence offers the possibility of creating travel networks with simplified operation. For example, some cities offer users a single ticket to park in a park-and-ride lot, board public transport or take a self-service bicycle.

The individualization of urban mobility is a key factor in satisfying the inhabitants of large cities by offering them services adapted to each situation.

We recommend these other pages:

• What are the challenges of new urban mobility solutions?
• Shared mobility and sustainable urban mobility: what solutions?
• Electric cars and urban mobility: a solution for the future?
• Urban mobility and EDPM: an alternative to the car?
• Walking, skating, cycling, rollerblading for a soft urban mobility
• Urban mobility: what place for public transport?
• Comparison of different urban mobility solutions
• Urban mobility and new solutions: what regulations?