The emergence of climate change calls for rapid and planned decisions to reduce emissions of polluting gases into the atmosphere. Traffic in cities must therefore be managed more efficiently to avoid, as far as possible, air and noise pollution. We will thus discuss what urban mobility planning should look like in times of climate change.
It is important to address this issue because, in addition to other factors such as improving or changing industrial processes, reducing pollution in cities is critical to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. Especially, Goal 11 which focuses on creating sustainable cities and communities. Urban pollution affects health, the environment and hinders proper planning and management. To achieve this goal, it is necessary to implement policies and practices that promote energy efficiency, the use of renewable energy and sustainable mobility.
What role does technology have and will have in this field of Smart Cities or smart cities? A very important one, valuing that technological solutions based on Artificial Intelligence, Big Data, the Internet of Things or data management in the Cloud help to manage resources more efficiently. Also in the field of urban mobility, so Public Administrations and private companies must work hand in hand.
From Urbiotica we are going to propose some ways to improve the management and planning of urban mobility in times of climate change. This is possible with the use of technologies that make it easier for vehicles to circulate as little time as possible through urban centers, also in tourist destinations.
How to plan urban mobility in times of climate change
Below, we detail three very important aspects when planning urban mobility to reduce pollution as much as possible. We will explain concrete ways of applying the technology, as well as the advantages it has for improving management and sustainable mobility strategies in cities, in addition to the positive impact on citizens’ health.
Not to mention the positive impact on the economy of the cities, which see how the traffic decongestion allows greater mobility of people to tourist attractions, leisure areas, shopping areas, hotels, beaches, etc.
Parking management with guidance solutions
Parking spaces must be managed efficiently, considering both on-street and private parking. Providing real-time information on the availability of spaces helps reduce traffic congestion (churning traffic), which accounts for up to 30% of total urban traffic, and facilitates access to parking.
On the one hand, there are, for example, solutions to promote the use of Park&Ride zones . Park&Ride or park-and-ride zones on the outskirts of the city, thus reducing traffic in the city center and improving the experience for drivers. In these parking areas, a mobile application parking guidance mobile application that uses sensors or machine vision to detect vehicles and connects to variable signage panels would be an efficient technology to inform drivers about the availability of spaces. In this way, the driver feels that it is easy and fast and will therefore use it more likely.
These measures will help reduce traffic congestion in cities, allowing drivers to access parking spaces more quickly, spend less time driving, reduce traffic jams and, consequently, reduce environmental and noise pollution.
Park&Ride
Efficient control of loading and unloading areas
In urban centers, improper parking of vehicles in unauthorized areas is a common problem that affects the operation of businesses and leads to improper and inefficient urban mobility. A clear example could be how important it is to improve efficiency in the control of loading and unloading zones as part of urban mobility planning in times of climate change.
In addition, the reduction of available parking spaces due to measures such as pedestrianization and the creation of bicycle lanes is further complicating the situation. This encourages indiscipline on the part of users, who park in places that are not permitted, such as loading and unloading zones, spaces reserved for people with reduced mobility, spaces for electric vehicles, cabs, among others.
This chain of effects causes unwanted traffic jams, as there is not enough space on the streets for proper vehicle circulation. As a result, more traffic congestion and higher levels of environmental and noise pollution are generated due to the constant honking of horns from drivers frustrated at not being able to circulate normally. These road situations also have a negative impact on people’s health due to the associated stress.
Use of outdoor deterrent parking areas
The use of outdoor deterrent parking zones with specific guidance solutions for Park&Ride areas is an additional strategy that can have significant advantages in urban mobility planning. These solutions combine the detection of vehicles parked in parking spaces thanks to the use of sensors or artificial vision, mobile applications and variable signage panels with the aim of preventing vehicles from entering the city center and instead parking in peripheral areas, using alternative means of transport such as public transport, bicycles or scooters to access the center.
Among its advantages for urban mobility planning, it decongests traffic in city centers by redirecting traffic to outdoor parking areas. By preventing vehicles from circulating in the center, it reduces congestion, noise levels and air pollution in these critical areas of the city.
The benefits extend to citizens living or working in urban centers as well as local businesses. Fewer vehicles in these areas provide greater convenience for pedestrians and improve air quality.
It is important to note that this technology complements other possible measures by municipal administrations, beyond the technological solutions applied in smart cities, such as the pedestrianization of the most central streets.
Advantages of urban mobility planning
In conclusion, we would like to reiterate the advantages of planning urban mobility in times of climate change, due to the urgent need to reduce pollution to prevent global warming from worsening.
- First, it is obvious that planning urban mobility so that cars circulate as little time as possible in cities will lead to a reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions such as carbon dioxide.
- Second, fewer vehicles will mean less noise pollution. This is very important because, according to data from the European Environment Agency, 1,000 people die every year in Spain and some 4,000 require hospitalization due to this type of pollution.
- Third: the image of the cities is improved, and the mobility and transit of people and vehicles is perceived to be simpler and faster. In tourist destinations this has the importance of allowing the attraction of more tourists, being a quality tourism with the consequent economic injection.
Therefore, the advantages of urban mobility planning through advanced technological solutions are very clear in aspects of health, economy and welfare of citizens. From Urbiotica, for all these reasons, we recommend applying technology to achieve the goal of having a sustainable mobility associated with smart cities.
