Governments urged to prioritise micromobility over cars

The International Transport Forum (ITF) has released a report detailing how Governments should be encouraging people to leave their cars at home and use more sustainable transport alternatives.

The report says that reducing dependence on cars is ‘vital’ for improving our lives, and cutting down on the environmental and social costs linked with private car use. The number one recommendation from the ITF is to cut back on how much space is allocated to road infrastructure and car parking, which takes up disproportionally more space than their modal share.

Space should instead be reallocated to public transport, pedestrians and micromobility,” said the ITF. “The emergence of shared micromobility has increased demands for redistributing space,” it added, “expanding dedicated cycling lanes to accommodate e-scooters, e-bikes and similar micro-vehicles will do much to make these safer, and also perceived as safe, thus making micromobility a much more attractive alternative to cars.”

The message that streets in cities would be safer with a modal shift away from cars echoes a report on Safe Micromobility which the ITF published in February 2020. A special Eurobarometer on mobility and transport from last summer indicates that the lack of dedicated lanes to use e-scooters is a factor contributing to a perception among many European citizens that e-scooters are unsafe for riders and other road users. A user survey Voi carried out in October supports the fact that the lack of dedicated road infrastructure is a cause for safety concern among scooter riders.

Richard Corbett, regional general manager of Voi Technology, said: “This report echoes our mission statement and recommends causes we’ve been championing since launch. It’s a significant and positive step towards a cleaner, safer, more sustainable future to see such a well-regarded think tank, associated with a highly influential group of 37 countries, make such recommendations.

“We believe it’s crucial to reallocate space in cities and build better lanes for all lightweight travellers. This will make our streets safer and offer more space for the local community to thrive. By sharing data with cities, we help with improving the understanding of traffic flows. And by integrating with public transport in many cities, we further improve the accessibility and flexibility of urban transport, presenting a viable alternative to short car rides.

“We’re confident that these recommendations and this report will kickstart the next stage towards reclaiming our cities.”