EUROPEAN COMMISSION Strasbourg, 14.12.2021 SWD(2021) 470 final COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT EU Urban Mobility state of play Accompanying the document Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions The New EU Urban Mobility Framework









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Table of contents GLOSSARY of key terms, abbreviations and acronyms 1. Introduction 2. Background and context 2.1 Cities and urban mobility 2.2 Urban mobility game changers 2.3 2013 Urban mobility package 2.4 Urban mobility and other policies 3. Challenges and existing measures 3.1 Congestion 3.2 Air and noise pollution, health aspects 3.3 Fewer road fatalities – towards vision zero 3.4 Climate-related emissions, zero-emission road traffic and associated alternative fuel infrastructure 3.5 Cities as an important element of a well-functioning TEN-T network 3.6 Resilience of urban mobility 3.7 Inclusiveness 3.8 Connectivity with peri-urban and rural areas 3.9 Biodiversity and natural landscape

3.10 Skills and workers 3.11 Awareness on more sustainable mobility and transport patterns 3.12 Mobility management 3.13 Sustainable urban mobility plans (SUMPs) 3.14 Monitoring/data-driven decision making – urban mobility indicators (SUMI) and related data collection 3.15 Effective, attractive, zero-emission, high quality and safe public transport as the backbone of urban mobility 3.16 A new focus on active modes 3.16.1 Introduction, potential and benefits 3.16.2 Walking 3.16.3 Cycling 3.17 Spatial transformation 3.18 Urban Vehicle Access Regulations 3.19 Sustainable urban logistics 3.20 Shared and collective mobility services 3.20.1 Car-sharing, car-pooling and other shared powered vehicles 3.20.2 Micro-mobility services 3.20.3 Addressing local transport-on-demand markets 3.21 Making the most of digitalisation 3.21.1 How digitalisation can support mobility in urban areas 3.21.2 Tapping into the data potential for the development of urban mobility services

3.22 New modes that are on the horizon 3.22.1 Urban air mobility 3.22.2 Cooperative, Connected and Automated Mobility (CCAM) 3.23 Research and innovation for a change 3.23.1 Technological solutions and citizens’ needs 3.23.2 Urban mobility innovation beyond technology 3.24 Everybody on board – capacity building and governance 3.24.1 Capacity building 3.25 The international dimension 3.26 Recovery, investments, funding, financing, public procurement 3.26.1 EU funding 3.26.2 Urban mobility in the Recovery and Resilience Plans APPENDIX - Synopsis consultation report 1. Introduction 2. Feedback to the Roadmap 3. Targeted consultations 4. Open public consultation (OPC) 5. Position papers



GLOSSARY of key terms, abbreviations and acronyms

Term, abbreviation or acronym Meaning or definition Active mobility (or transport) Transport of people or goods through non-motorised means, based on human physical activity (e.g. walking, cycling) CEF Connecting Europe Facility CIVITAS An acronym of CIty-VITAlity-Sustainability, an initiative of the EU to implement sustainable, clean and (energy) efficient urban transport measures, co-ordinated by cities CO2 Carbon Dioxide COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a contagious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Digitalisation Conversion of information into a digital format E-bike A bicycle with an integrated electric motor to assist pedalling EC European Commission E-commerce Buying and selling goods and services over the internet EIB European Investment Bank ELTIS European Local Transport Information Service, www.eltis.org (European Urban Mobility Observatory) EMW European Mobility Week, EU awareness-raising campaign on sustainable urban mobility EU European Union ERDF European Regional Development Fund ESI European Structural and Investment Fund EGUM Member States Expert Group on Urban Mobility set up by the European Commission FUA Functional urban area, consisting of a city and its commuting zone GHG Greenhouse gas HDV Heavy Duty Vehicle, a freight vehicle of more than 3.5 tonnes (lorries) or passenger transport vehicle of more than 8 seats (buses and coaches) ITS Intelligent Transport Systems, transport solutions utilizing state-of-the-art information and telecommunications technologies LDV Light duty vehicle, a passenger car or van for up to 8 passengers LEZ Low Emission Zone (a type of urban vehicle access regulations), an area where access by some polluting vehicles is restricted or deterred with the aim of improving air quality MaaS Mobility as a Service, the integration of various forms of transport services into a single mobility service accessible on demand Micromobility Transportation using lightweight vehicles such as bicycles or scooters, especially electric ones that may be borrowed as part of a self-service scheme in which people hire vehicles for short-term use Mobility management A concept to promote sustainable transport and manage the demand for car use by changing travellers' attitudes and behaviour, in particular at the level of companies, organisations and institutions Multimodality Transportation of people and goods using at least two different modes of transport (e.g. cycling and public transport) NGO Non-governmental Organisation NOx Nitrogen oxides, collective term used to refer to nitrogen monoxide (nitric oxide or NO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2), air pollutants produced during combustion including by motor vehicles OPC Open public consultation P+R, park&ride facility A measure for reducing urban traffic congestion, where drivers leave their cars in ‘park and ride’ area (parking facility) usually on the outskirts of a city and travel to the city centre on public transport or other means PM Particulate Matter, a collective name for fine solid or liquid particles added to the atmosphere by processes at the earth's surface, a pollutant considered to be one of the most harmful to human health Shared mobility It refers in this document to shared use of transport modes, such as sharing of vehicles for rental (e.g. bikes, scooters, cars), ride-sharing/car-pooling (i.e. shared space within a vehicle) as well as transport-on-demand services (e.g. ride hailing services like taxis) SWD Staff Working Document, preparatory/auxiliary document of the European Commission, usually accompanying legislative proposals SULP Sustainable Urban Logistics Plan SUMI Sustainable Urban Mobility Indicators, a set of indicators developed by a pilot project funded by the European Commission to support cities to perform a standardised evaluation of their mobility system and to measure improvements SUMP Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan, a strategic plan designed to satisfy the mobility needs of people and businesses in cities and their surroundings for a better quality of life TEN-T Trans-European Transport Network, Europe-wide network of railway lines, roads, inland waterways, maritime shipping routes, ports, airports and urban nodes UMP Urban Mobility Package, an EU policy basis of 2013 comprising the Communication "Together towards competitive and resource efficient urban mobility" and annexes Vision Zero In road safety, a goal to reduce road deaths and serious injuries to almost zero UVAR Urban Vehicle Access Regulation, a form of traffic management that regulates access in specific urban locations according to vehicle type, age, emissions category – or other factors such as time of day or day of the week VRU Vulnerable road users; non-motorised road users, such as pedestrians and cyclists as well as motor-cyclists and persons with disabilities or reduced mobility and orientation WHO World Health Organisation



1.Introduction This Staff Working Document accompanies the Communication from the Commission on the European Union (EU) urban mobility framework, which sets out the actions needed to ensure that transport in cities supports long-term prosperity of European urban areas, delivers the goals of the European Green Deal and of the Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy (hereafter referred to as the Strategy). The Communication sets out actions and recommendations for Member States, regions and cities in order to make urban mobility fit for the future and in particular safer, accessible, inclusive, affordable, smart, resilient and clean. Smart and resilient transport services and infrastructure, for both people and goods, are vital to make full use of the economic strengths of all regions of the European Union, to support the Single Market, recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and stimulate future sustainable growth. Transport in, to and between cities is vital to enable economic, social and territorial cohesion, underpins our global competitiveness and our international connectivity. The transport sector is also a major factor for employment in Europe. In 2020 the transport sector in the EU-27 employed more than 10 million workers and comprised around 1.1 million enterprises, providing services to people and businesses within the EU and globally. The results of the evaluation of the EU Urban mobility package of 2013 concluded that EU action on urban mobility is needed, even more now than in 2013. The evaluation also described a need to go beyond voluntary actions in order to achieve European climate, digital and societal objectives. The new Leipzig Charter called for urban transport and mobility systems to be efficient, carbon-neutral, safe and multi-modal. Active and low-carbon forms of mobility and logistics should be promoted including a modal shift to public transport, walking and biking. Public transport should be accessible, affordable, clean, safe and attractive for all. This Staff Working Document gives an overview of the Commission services’ assessment of the challenges that urban mobility faces as well as analysis and data underpinning the new urban mobility framework. With that, it aims to support cities, regions and Member States in the transformation of the way people and goods move in and around the EU urban areas. 2.Background and context 2.1Cities and urban mobility Cities remain the principal hubs of economic and social activity in the EU, where people live, work, do business, have access to educational, health, cultural and commercial services, and interact with others. The majority of Europeans (70.9%, up from 50% in 1950) live in urban areas, making Europe one of the most urbanised regions in the world. The growth of the rate of urbanisation in Europe is expected to continue, with the proportion of the population residing in urban areas projected to reach 83.7% in 2050. Competitive and sustainable transport services are vital to accommodate the mobility, logistics and delivery needs within and around the metropolises areas in the EU. Some cities in the EU, however, will face declining populations, and all cities have to accommodate needs of an ageing EU population that will require further adaptation of urban infrastructure and services and in particular better accessibility for persons with disabilities or reduced mobility. Indeed accessibility of urban transport for persons with disabilities is essential for their inclusion in society. The accessibility requirement in the European Accessibility Act (Directive 2019/882) concern certain transport services. They also are to be used in public procurement and when using EU Funds that contain obligations on accessibility. In addition, they can serve for inspiration for Member States to improve accessibility in areas of urban mobility under their competences. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, urban and suburban public transport services carried 180 million passengers on an average working day across the EU, providing the backbone of urban mobility in many EU cities. According to the estimates of the stakeholders , the public transport sector is amongst the largest employers at local level, employing 2 million people in the EU. But while serving its vital role for society, transport is still a source of significant environmental concern. Given their economic role and population share, cities are a prime source of greenhouse gas emissions with a significant contribution from transport (urban areas account for some 23% of the EU's greenhouse gas emissions from transport). Local air and noise pollution have significant impacts on citizens’ health. In 2019, 38% of road fatalities in the EU occurred in urban areas, and the majority (70%) of deaths are vulnerable road users such as pedestrians and cyclists. At the same time, walking, cycling and other forms of active mobility can substantially increase personal health. Physical activity in the EU is at an alarmingly low level, with 6 in every 10 people above 15 years of age never or seldom exercising or engaging in other kinds of physical activity, such as cycling. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), physical inactivity is one of the leading risk factors for health and is estimated to contribute to one million deaths (about 10 % of the total) in Europe per year. The resilience of urban transport networks has been severely tested during the COVID-19 pandemic. But the crisis also opens new opportunities to re-think urban mobility and make it more sustainable, inclusive, affordable and safer while at the same time promoting active and healthy lifestyles. Urban mobility will remain vital for a good quality of life for each and every citizen and a prosperous economic future for Europe.

2.2Urban mobility game changers Important societal, scientific and technological developments impact urban mobility, in particular: ·A further increase in the economic and political importance of cities and urbanised areas coupled with migration (to the EU and into cities); ·The shift towards low- and zero emission fuels, with its consequences for existing infrastructure (e.g. electricity grids) and needs for new infrastructure (e.g. hydrogen but also electric charging points for all vehicles (including e-bikes, delivery vehicles etc.)) with adequate access throughout the city; ·Digitalisation and the emergence of new business models for freight and passenger transport, integration platforms for existing and new mobility offers (e.g. Mobility as a Service MaaS), platforms for freight exchange or on-demand ride-hailing services. This brings together customers and providers in new ways such as car sharing (with a focus on free-floating schemes), cycle sharing, ride hailing services, ride-sharing, electric scooters; ·The appearance of automated vehicles (and related infrastructure) and use of Cooperative Intelligent Transport Systems (C-ITS), enabling digital communication between vehicles and between vehicles and related infrastructure; ·E-commerce has been growing steadily over the recent years and COVID-19 lockdown measures have greatly accelerated this trend. Globally, we have witnessed a 25% rise in consumer e-commerce deliveries in 2020 , and part of the increased demand can be expected to last beyond the pandemic. Furthermore, working arrangements and habits are changing, accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic and facilitated by digital work solutions. Remote and more flexible work arrangements have become more widespread and might, at least partially, remain in place for the longer term, requiring more flexible and adapted mobility offers. Public transport has been particularly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, both by dramatic changes in travel patterns and fears over the safety of travelling on buses, trams or trains. The public transport ridership level is still well below the pre-pandemic levels whilst transport by private car is back to pre-pandemic levels. Measures taken by cities included prioritising public and active transport as well as different redistribution of public space. The experience of the pandemic has shown that transport and mobility – of all types – are key to the resilience of urban areas. Due to the various lockdown measures, the pandemic has also resulted in significant reductions in pollution from urban transport. 2.32013 Urban mobility package In 2013 the Commission presented its Urban Mobility Package (UMP). It consists of the Communication “Together towards competitive and resource-efficient urban mobility” as well as the accompanying annex "A Concept for Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans" and four Commission Staff Working Documents addressing respectively action in four main areas: urban logistics, urban road safety, urban vehicle access regulations and Intelligent Transport Systems in cities. Based on the 2013 impact assessment, a choice was made to proceed with a non-binding option instead of legislative alternatives. The framework focused on catalysing joint action towards more sustainable urban mobility and reinforcing the support provided to European cities through coordinated measures at EU level and in the Member States. Responsibility for the implementation of the UMP objectives was allocated to the European Commission and the Member States, within their respective fields of competence. According to the results of the evaluation published in February 2021, the package generated EU added value especially thanks to EU funding and supporting awareness-raising, capacity building, sharing of good practice and experience, and fostering collaboration and cooperation. The central element of the package, the concept of sustainable urban mobility planning (SUMP) and related European guidelines have been relatively widely used and proved effective and useful for local authorities, planners and stakeholders. However, there are wide variations in uptake and quality of the SUMPs. Urban mobility data collection and availability require additional attention to ensure that SUMPs remain effective tools towards achieving the EU decarbonisation, transport and connectivity objectives, including on the TEN-T Network. In that regard, capacity and expertise, especially in small and medium-sized cities, remain an issue, as well as often lacking national level involvement and support. 2.4Urban mobility and other policies Urban mobility has important links and interactions with general transport policies and other policy areas. The “Fit for 55” package adopted on 14 July 2021 includes relevant policies for the future of urban mobility. Among them, the proposed revision of the Energy Efficiency Directive (EED) provides a higher energy efficiency target and encourages Member States to take up schemes that accelerate the uptake of new, more efficient vehicles or policies fostering a shift to better performing fuels that reduce energy use per kilometre. The revision of the CO2 emission performance standards for road transport vehicles will help accelerate the transition to low and zero-emission vehicles. The roll-out of a growing number of zero-emission vehicles will require appropriate recharging and refuelling infrastructure, including in urban areas. In light of this, the Commission published a proposal for the revision of the Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Directive as part of the package. With its Communication of 14 January 2020 on a 'Strong Social Europe for Just Transitions', the Commission reaffirmed that the green and digital transitions should be socially fair and just. Good working conditions, reskilling opportunities, and attractive jobs should be promoted in line with the European Pillar of Social Rights. Mobility is a critical aspect of social inclusion and an important determinant of human well-being, especially for disadvantaged groups. Transport, recognised as an essential service in the European Pillar of Social Rights, fulfils a basic need in enabling citizens to integrate into society and the labour market, but also constitutes a significant part of household expenditure. Enhanced connectivity and market opening has contributed to linking transport networks, bringing the EU together and making it more tangible and accessible for travellers. Due to the rise of electric mobility, the fields of energy and mobility are becoming more intertwined with each other, while the potential impacts of rapid electrification on the grid in an urban context need to be considered. This is also relevant in the area of digitalization and the smart cities concept. Urban mobility is also relevant for cross-border and transnational cooperation platforms provided inter alia by the online platform Border Focal Point Network and by the EU macro-regional strategies, where relevant. Many activities related to urban mobility at European level have been financed through Research and Innovation activities. R&I on urban mobility is included in the new Framework Programme for R&I, Horizon Europe which has a more holistic approach covering “climate, energy and mobility”. Mobility is also a key element of the more holistic approach driven by the Mission on climate-neutral and smart cities launched in September 2021. The Mission’s goal is to help at least 100 cities become climate neutral by 2030 and to make them experimentation and innovation hubs to enable all other cities to follow suit by 2050. In this context, the Net Zero Report of the IEA points out that the decarbonisation of the transport sector it will have to rely on policies that promote modal shift (to public transport and active mobility), more efficient operations across passenger transport modes, and improvements in energy efficiency. It also depends on two major technology transitions: shifts towards electric mobility (electric vehicles [EVs] and fuel cell electric vehicles [FCEVs]) and shifts towards higher fuel blending ratios and direct use of low‐carbon fuels (biofuels and hydrogen-based fuels). These shifts are likely to require interventions to stimulate investment in supply infrastructure and to incentivise consumer uptake.

Cohesion policy has an increasingly strong sustainable urban development dimension in the 2021-2027 period. Implemented through shared management, the strategic choices of Member States and regions remain central, but the five policy objectives of cohesion policy focused on Smarter, Greener, More Connected and More Social Europe and a Europe closer to Citizens are expected to mobilise substantial investments in urban areas. The new Policy Objective ‘a Europe closer to Citizens’ has been introduced to the main policy framework as an enhanced commitment to integrated territorial development and includes a specific objective to foster sustainable urban development. The European Urban Initiative will be set up to provide coherent support to cities with the aim of supporting innovative actions, capacity and knowledge building, territorial impact assessments, policy development and communication. The URBACT IV programme will continue to build the capacities of cities through transnational networking, learning from experiences and identifying good practices to improve sustainable urban development policies and strategies. Finally, the EU has a long history of intergovernmental engagement with its cities, most recently in the New Leipzig Charter adopted in November 2020 that is a key policy framework document for sustainable urban development in Europe. The Charter highlights that cities need to establish integrated and sustainable urban development strategies and ensure their implementation for the city as a whole, from its functional areas to its neighbourhoods. Member States agreed to implement the Charter in their national or regional urban policies. Furthermore, the Urban Agenda for the EU , which was launched by the Pact of Amsterdam in 2016, is considered as a key vehicle for the implementation of the New Leipzig Charter. 3.Challenges and existing measures 3 4 3.1Congestion The high levels of road traffic compared with road capacity at certain locations and times of day lead to congestion, substantial time losses, waste of energy and a lack of travel time reliability. The most common indicator of traffic congestion relates to the difference in average speed between free-flow conditions (usually recorded at night) and those observed at different times of day, converted to an increase in average travel time. Congestion undermines productivity and liveability in a large and growing number of cities. It has very considerable costs to the society, and represents the second single most significant negative externality of road transport, after the cost of crashes. In that regard, the situation across EU cities has not improved since 2013 and, in many places, has worsened. As put by the Court of Auditors in their report, ‘In the absence of a significant shift to other forms of transport, rising congestion is an indication that urban mobility is deteriorating for road users’. The Court has confirmed that congestion has worsened in the cities from four Member States it analysed as well as in 25 out of 37 urban nodes. Also, according to the European Environment Agency (Report No 18/2019), the hours spent by the average driver in road traffic congestion, annually, have increased for 16 EU countries between 2015 and 2017. The problem is more acute at the level of cities, with as many as 254 hours lost in congestion annually in Rome, 246 in Dublin and 237 in Paris. Levels of congestion around and in urban areas are very high, in particular during peak hours. Commuting traffic, largely by a single person occupying a car, represents a major share of the daily congestion. Another source of congestion is freight transport, in particular the one generated by increasing e-commerce and home deliveries with short time windows, which lead to more empty runs, less capacity use and higher emissions. It should also be noted that – if not properly integrated in the multi-modal transport system – some of the new technologies can further exacerbate car dependency and thus congestion. Congestion is also a significant problem for the respondents that took part in the open public consultation conducted during preparation of the current initiative. 123 of them indicated that congestion (and resulting delays) is the most important challenge negatively affecting their daily mobility. More details are provided in Annex - Synopsis consultation report. Dealing with congestion in urban areas is a complex issue which usually requires a combination of measures, including provision of viable and attractive alternatives to private motorised transport and managing the influx of individual cars. In that regard, urban vehicle access regulations (UVARs), in particular congestion charging (urban tolls), are tools used by a few cities. However, as indicated by the Court of Auditors, ‘Only very few cities applied congestion charges, despite their potential benefits in terms of reducing congestion, increasing sustainability and providing added income. This can be partly explained by the specific contexts of individual cities. For example, a city might be reluctant to consider a congestion charge if that made it less attractive to citizens and businesses compared to neighbouring cities without a congestion charge’. It is worth noting that citizens tend to be reluctant toward urban tolls before they are implemented. However, once the pricing scheme is in place and the revenues are used to improve transport or support social policies, the citizens’ approach usually change, as seen in Oslo and London. 3.2 Air and noise pollution, health aspects In the EU, despite important improvements over the last decades, every year over 400 000 premature deaths are attributed to ambient air pollution, and 48 000 cases of ischaemic heart disease as well as 6.5 million cases of chronic sleep disturbance to noise. High levels of air pollution (especially PM and NO2) in urban areas are of particular concern, with majority of EU Member States and over 100 cities in the EU in breach of EU air quality standards. Road transport contributes about 39% to emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOX) and 10% and 11% to emissions of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and coarse particulate matter (PM10) respectively in the EU, with these emissions primarily linked to energy use. The contribution of road transport to ambient NO2 and PM concentrations, especially in urban areas, is higher than its share of emissions, because the emissions from road transport take place close to the ground and are dispersed over densely populated areas. Poor air quality is also of high concern for citizens, ranking among the top 3 most important challenges negatively affecting urban mobility with 158 replies (out of 592 respondents replying to the question in open public consultation). Noise is the second largest environmental cause of health problems, just after the impact of air quality, according to the WHO. A study mandated by Commission services found that exposure to noise in Europe contributes to at least 10 thousand premature deaths per year related to coronary heart disease and stroke. When it comes to noise, road traffic noise is the most dominant source of environmental noise. It is estimated that 125 million people are affected by noise levels from road traffic greater than 55 decibels (dB) Lden. To address this challenge SUMPs are a commonly used tool to address noise. Transport-related noise has been also acknowledged as a challenge by 71 respondents taking part in the open public consultation. An urban environment that encourages the use of motor vehicles and, therefore, discourages physical activity, is one of the driving forces behind population-wide trends toward overweight and obesity. Sedentary lifestyles are a key driver of non-communicable diseases and approximately two thirds of people in the EU fail to achieve the WHO recommendations for minimum physical activity. Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan promotes investment in active mobility infrastructures to address sedentary lifestyles and reduce overweight and obesity levels, and also supports the reduction of air pollution due to harmful effects on citizens, especially children. The EU Action Plan ‘Towards Zero Pollution for Air, Water and Soil’ sets key 2030 targets to reduce pollution. It steps up the integration of the zero pollution ambition across policy sectors, including sustainable mobility and urban development policies. It brings together key actions to reduce pollution at source, such as more stringent air pollutant emission limits for motor vehicles, and updating, where relevant, EU or international regulatory frameworks, including Euro 7 standards for road vehicles. It also aims to improve the EU noise-related regulatory framework on tyres, road vehicles, railways, aircraft, also at international level. Additionally, the Commission will review progress in 2022 and consider whether there is a need to set noise reduction targets at EU level in the Environmental Noise Directive. The Zero Pollution Action Plan also states that noise action plans required by the Directive should be better integrated into sustainable urban mobility plans and benefit from an extension of clean public transport and from more active mobility. The following 2030 targets of the Action Plan are of particular relevance for urban mobility: ·improvement of air quality with the objective to reduce the number of premature deaths caused by air pollution by more than 55%; ·reduction of the share of people chronically disturbed by transport noise by 30% .

The Action Plan states that Noise Action Plans (NAPs), required by the Environmental Noise Directive, should be better integrated within SUMPs and fully benefit from an extension of clean public transport and from more active mobility. The Naiades III action programme indicated that inland waterway transport would also be used in cities for reducing emissions compared to road transport. The dedicated SUMP guide on linking transport and health acknowledges the health dimension of urban mobility, lists public health impacts of road transport, provides sustainable urban mobility planning principles for health and provides examples of health-related measures that can be included in SUMP. It has been also referenced in the Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan. 3.3Fewer road fatalities – towards vision zero Urban road safety is becoming more important because our society is becoming more urban; more and more people live in urban areas. The EU’s road safety policy is based on the so-called “safe system approach”. It only works if all actors at all levels play their part in a coordinated manner to achieve a more forgiving road system that works for all, vehicle occupants and vulnerable road users (VRU - cyclists, pedestrians, motorcyclists). Road safety needs a higher profile at local and planning level, addressing above all the concerns of VRUs. In the EU, of the 8 500 people who die annually on urban roads (2019 data), fully 70% occur to VRUs. In recent decades, cars have been made much safer and infrastructure – essentially designed for car safety – has improved significantly. While this has been a major achievement, it exposes just how much more vulnerable are road users outside the car, just at a time when cities and societies are looking to increase the share of walking and cycling and incentivise more people to engage in these kinds of active mobility. The increased risk for VRU is mostly relative: in 2010-18, the number of pedestrian deaths in urban areas actually fell by 18%. At the same time, however, the number of car occupants’ fatalities went down by 29%. This positive trend does not apply to cyclists, however: the number of cyclists being killed has gone up over this period. The numbers show that as more people are walking and cycling, they are more exposed and more at risk. They also reflect the danger of the interaction between vulnerable road users and motor vehicles. Three main trends can be observed with a direct impact on road safety. Firstly, given the increasing number of pedestrians and cyclists, the share of the road network available for those active road users may not be adequate to encourage walking, cycling and the use of personal mobility devices (such as e-scooters). Footpaths may be too narrow, badly maintained and not offering barrier-free accessibility, cycle paths may be insufficient or too narrow etc. Secondly, the rise in e-commerce and food delivery services has led to a big increase in delivery vehicles (including motorcycles and bicycles) in urban areas. Delivery time pressure may push drivers to take risks when driving and parking. Thirdly, the fast deployment of micromobility devices such as e-scooters on Europe’s urban roads has also been detrimental to road safety, as these vehicles are often used and parked in ways that put the safety of other road users, in particular pedestrians, at risk. Road safety concerns are of top significance also to citizens, with 284 of respondents in public consultation indicating that ‘feeling unsafe to ride a bike’ is the most important challenge negatively affecting their daily mobility. ‘Vision Zero’ for road safety in urban areas covers a number of relevant actions in that regard. 3.4Climate-related emissions, zero-emission road traffic and associated alternative fuel infrastructure Cities are, overall, responsible for more than 70% of global CO2 emissions and play a pivotal role in achieving climate neutrality by 2050. GHG emissions from the EU’s transport increased in 2018 and 2019, and have not followed the EU’s general decreasing emissions trend. As indicated in the introductory chapter, urban mobility is estimated to be responsible for about 23% of EU's GHG emissions from transport. This is due to combustion engine cars, vans and trucks that still dominate Europe’s roads and streets. In order to reduce these emissions, the increased deployment and use of alternatively-fuelled (electric, hydrogen) vehicles has to be combined with the creation of a comprehensive network of recharging and refuelling infrastructure, and with a shift to public transport and active mobility. For the time being, the deployment of such infrastructure is uneven across the EU and it is not fast enough to meet the increasing demand from the fast-growing number of new zero-emission vehicles, including in urban areas. This is a major barrier for the uptake of electric vehicles. Other issues include interoperability and communication standards, and the need for more transparent consumer information and common payment systems. All this negatively affects user acceptance of zero-emission cars. The EU has fixed a climate neutrality target for 2050 which will have huge impact in sectors such as road transport which is currently heavily dependent on fossil fuels; one of the milestones defined in the Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy indicates that, by 2050, almost all vehicles on EU roads should be zero-emission. Electrification has started and is picking up speed to reach this ambitious target; both battery electric and fuel cell hydrogen vehicles will contribute to this transition in different segments. In urban areas, recharging infrastructure for the public transport fleet should be a priority for public funding, accompanying and enabling the deployment of zero tailpipe emission / clean buses in cities. As regards recharging points with public access, support should target equipping park and ride (P+R) facilities, intermodal hubs etc. with alternative fuels infrastructure, possibly in cooperation with market players. City authorities should play an important role in planning and coordinating efforts by the public and private sector. With a significant number of electric vehicles already on the road and their share of new vehicle sales rapidly increasing, the widespread deployment of electric chargers and, to a lesser extent, hydrogen refuelling, has already started. The proposal for a new Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation (AFIR) and the “Recharge and Refuel” flagship initiative, will help ensure that recharging/refuelling networks will rapidly expand to allow zero-emission mobility to reach its full potential. The AFIR proposal, adopted as part of the “Fit for 55” package on 14 July 2021, sets mandatory fleet-based targets for recharging points for LDVs in each MS, as well as distance-based targets on the TEN-T network for both electric charging points and hydrogen refuelling stations (for LDVs and HDVs), and a requirement to provide a minimum amount of recharging and refuelling points in urban areas. The revised Clean Vehicles Directive sets a long-term procurement framework for the purchase, lease or rent of buses and certain other vehicles by public authorities. Commuting and traffic flows, availability of private parking, options to provide overnight charging, as well as specific operational requirements of the urban freight and logistics sector will have to be considered while designing the cities’ recharging infrastructure. For instance, logistics operators can charge electric trucks most cost-effectively at the depot, considering optimal charging scenarios based on estimates of the combined costs for charging and grid use. The Revision of the Regulation setting CO2 emission performance standards for cars and vans, adopted 14 July 2021, will contribute to the achievement of the climate goals, stimulate innovation in zero-emission technologies, strengthen technological leadership of the automotive industry and stimulate employment in the EU. Additionally, the sharp increase in demand for batteries foreseen in the coming years will give a significant boost to employment. The Commission has launched the Clean Bus Deployment Initiative to speed up the introduction of clean buses across Europe. As a support tool, the Clean Bus Europe Platform has been set-up: it is the strategic line of action to develop, implement and support the transition towards clean bus fleets. In addition, a dedicated co-programmed partnership “Towards Zero Emission Road Transport (2Zero)” has been launched in June 2021 under the new Framework Programme for R&I, Horizon Europe with a total budget of € 615 million. The main objective is to accelerate the development and deployment of zero tailpipe emission road transport in Europe with a systems approach including recharging infrastructures. The 2Zero partnership will implement an integrated system approach covering Battery Electric Vehicles (BEV) and Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles (FCEV). With the support of five Technology Platforms (ERTRAC, EPoSS, ETIP-SNET, ALICE and Batteries Europe), it will continue investigating new vehicles technologies and will extend its scope to cover the integration of the zero tailpipe emission vehicles in their eco-system contributing to boost the EU competitiveness and technological leadership.

In addition, in line with the objectives of the Green Deal, the EU Strategy “A Renovation Wave for Europe - greening our buildings, creating jobs, improving lives” adopted in October 2020 integrates climate, energy and environmental objectives, industrial strategy and circularity objectives, as well as skills, consumer welfare and fair and social transition goals. In the revision of the Energy performance of Building (EPBD) which is linked to the Renovation Wave Strategy, one of the proposed actions is to make buildings healthier, greener, interconnected within a neighbourhood district, more accessible, resilient to extreme natural events, and equipped with recharging points for e-mobility and bike parking. 3.5Cities as an important element of a well-functioning TEN-T network The TEN-T network plays a key role for the internal market by ensuring a well-functioning multimodal cross-border network for the transport of goods and passengers. Cities are often the starting and/or ending points for these transport flows. Up until now, the integration of the TEN-T policy perspective into urban and regional mobility policy and vice-versa has not been sufficiently ensured. Urban nodes have a crucial role in the TEN-T network not only because they are often the starting and/or ending points of transport flows, but also because important bottlenecks and missing links on the network are located in these urban nodes. There is also the specific case of cross-border urban areas where the lack of cross-border public transport services has been identified as an important issue. For example, it has been estimated that only 44% of EU border residents have access to rail services. This pushes cross-border commuters away from sustainable collective travel options towards single occupancy vehicle use. As identified by the TEN-T Common Progress Report of the European Coordinators, there is a need to “progressively encourage, integrate and blend other innovations through transport policy initiatives such as green corridors and intelligent traffic management systems. Investigation of interoperability and inter-modality as core concepts for the development of urban nodes, ports, airports, rail-road terminals and inland waterways will be intensified”. According to the European Court of Auditors special report on urban mobility, between 2013 and 2018, congestion worsened in 25 of the 37 urban nodes for which data was available. “Congested urban areas can also hamper the efficiency of the wider European transport network”, says the report. The report recommends that funding is linked with the existence of a robust SUMP. “An efficient public transport network, integrating surrounding areas and involving different transport options, is key for encouraging citizens to shift from private cars to cleaner means of travel such as walking, cycling, and public transport”, say the auditors. According to a European Parliament transport briefing, there is a need to have a better integration of urban nodes within their region, including the integration of long-distance TEN-T traffic with the local transport flows, more collaborative planning at different policy levels and more emphasis on inter-modality. A closer coordination of TEN-T projects with cities´ SUMPs can ensure that those projects do not hamper local mobility and limit negative effects on citizens’ quality of life as much as possible. By having a robust SUMP that includes the whole functional urban area (FUA), a city/region can plan for and anticipate large infrastructure development and link these with their own local projects. The development of multimodal passenger hubs with multimodal digital mobility services urban nodes can facilitate first and last mile connections. Useful information also include the availability of alternative fuels recharging and refuelling infrastructure, the digital exchange of information between traffic management centres and with stakeholders providing information services and the availability of freight terminals with sufficient capacity. Development of urban consolidation centres (including micro-consolidation) as well as terminals, can improve the connection between the TEN-T and urban nodes. When developing the comprehensive network there is also potential of such consolidated centres for production as well as for deployment of alternative fuels infrastructure and other innovation deployment. Finally, it is necessary to recall the importance to ensure that TEN-T is inclusive for all passengers and that its accessibility obligations are well implemented so that persons with disabilities or reduced mobility as well as other uses disadvantaged by discrimination are able to use the TEN-T infrastructures on an equal basis with others. 3.6Resilience of urban mobility Transport infrastructure is vulnerable to climate change and other natural or human-made disruptions such as pandemics, flooding, extreme temperatures, extreme weather events, terrorist attacks, vandalism, etc.. Some guidance is already available to cities. As described in the respective SUMP guidance, resilience in the context of urban mobility is the capacity of various interconnected systems (i.e. a transport infrastructure network, its maintenance crew, financing arrangements, contracts etc.) to prevent heavy impacts in the first place, and to cope with disturbance when it occurs. This means to maintain essential functions and structure, while adapting to changes and transforming. Urban mobility resilience entails the identification of key resources for mobility, and the consequence of a potential reduction of these resources, for whatever reason or crisis. A good practice example is a Smart and Resilient Mobility Plan of Thessaloniki, based on meteorological scenarios and the national adaptation plan for climate change. Climate change is expected to negatively impact Thessaloniki’s transport system, either through direct effects on the built environment or through indirect effects linked to adaptation measures. The city has developed a strategy to prioritise measures, policies and actions to reduce transportation systems vulnerability, increase their resilience and secure safe-proof investments. Thessaloniki’s resilience vision focuses on cooperation between authorities, the development of monitoring systems, data collection, revision of the design specifications of current transport infrastructure, use of ‘smart’ technologies and systems and the promotion of the use of energy-efficient vehicles. Other measures include the conversion of parking places into outdoor catering areas for restaurants. The pandemic affected mobility patterns through waves of lockdowns but also challenged transport-related policymaking and resource reallocation. There are indications that cities with a SUMP were able to implement change more easily than those with no existing plan to support their response. In many cases, emergency and resilience procedures as described in the SUMP were activated. 3.7Inclusiveness Principle 20 of the European Pillar of Social Rights considers transport as an essential service to which all citizens have a right. Cities in the EU face an ageing population that will require further adaptation of urban infrastructure and services. The ageing of the population is also linked with a rising number of persons with disabilities or reduced mobility. Better accessibility is needed for those groups as well as the provision of safe, secure, reliable and adaptable transport services with appropriate solutions for all users. Mobility precariousness can take different forms such as mobility poverty, transport poverty, transport disadvantage, transport affordability, accessibility poverty. Mobility precariousness in an urban context mainly relates to availability, affordability, accessibility, adequacy and reliability of transport and affects differently the mobility of different groups. Groups most affected by mobility precariousness include low-income and unemployed people, people living in rural and deprived areas lacking urban links, as well as migrants and ethnic minorities, young people and children, who are most likely to rely on urban public transport. Equality and inclusiveness are among the EU’s core values. International initiatives such as the United Nations’ New Urban Agenda and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development push forward the objective of ‘making cities inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable. Urban environments as public organisations have an increasingly important role to play in creating the right conditions for achieving equality and inclusiveness. The urban population is not homogenous. Women and men, persons with disabilities or reduced mobility, the young and older generations, persons with different ethnic backgrounds etc. use cities and urban transport options differently.

Women often have more complex mobility patterns as they regularly combine household chores and caring responsibilities (childcare, care of elderly, relatives etc.) with income related activities leading to ‘trip-chaining’. Women also walk more often and for longer, partly because of their care responsibilities, partly because they tend to have lower incomes. Safety is a major issue for women in cities who fear violence, harassment and aggression on the streets, in public transport and when travelling during late hours. Women also use new active mobility options (e.g. e-scooters) less than men. Men have more often access to a car (the family car is used by the man). Several cities are already including a gender perspective in urban transport planning and design through gender mainstreaming from the outset. When looking at the results of the open public consultation, more than half of the respondents (448 out of 847) stated that they are very dissatisfied or dissatisfied with the accessibility for persons with disabilities or reduced mobility of the transport infrastructure in their city or municipality. In this respect, the new Regulation 2021/782 on rail passenger rights provides that even where a MS may decide to exclude an urban, suburban or regional rail service from its scope, the rules on assistance to be granted to passengers with disabilities or with reduced mobility shall always apply – as regards regional rail services, and some mandatory rules shall also cover the urban and suburban rail services. This will make rail services more accessible and more inclusive. In addition, the core rights in Regulation 181/2011 on bus and coach passenger rights also apply to urban regular bus services: these rights include the prohibition of discrimination based on nationality or disability, the compulsory disability awareness training for the staff of bus operators in direct contact with bus passengers and compensation for lost or damaged mobility equipment of persons with disabilities (e.g. wheelchair). In October 2020, the European accessibility standard EN-17210 was adopted. The standard contains relevant accessibility provisions related to mobility for persons with disabilities and of cycle paths. 3.8Connectivity with peri-urban and rural areas Whilst the majority of the EU population lives in urban areas, rural areas are home to almost one third of its citizens. It is an ageing population, as rural and remote areas have the lowest shares of population in age groups below 50 years old. Rural areas account for 83% of the European land mass. Given the limited services, job and shopping opportunities and leisure and recreational activities that often exist in rural areas there is a demand for rural residents to travel to urban areas (including when it is across the border). Longer distances, lower population density and larger catchment areas make both delivery and access to services in rural areas more difficult. This was recently acknowledged in a Eurobarometer Survey, which concluded that only for 55% of rural area or village residents it is easy to get to their nearest large town or city.Among the respondents taking part in the open public consultation, insufficient public/collective transport options from/to a city was a problem for 402 of them, and insufficient active mobility options – for 390 (out of 1418 answers). By consequence, people in rural areas are heavily dependent on private modes of transport for almost all their travel. As a result, anyone without a car or other form of personal transport is dependent on the limited available public transport, on lifts from others, or on expensive means such as taxi. The low level of organised local services often means that it is difficult and time-consuming to connect to/from longer-distance services. Longer travelling distances to e.g. hospitals, schools and shops, coupled with greater dependency on private cars due to scarce public transport service leads to higher travel costs. In addition, railway transport has traditionally played an important role concerning connectivity with rural and peri-urban areas. In this regard, public procurement has an important role to play for the appropriate and efficient provision of rail services in urban areas and the timetabling techniques may influence the good interconnection between long and short distance services. The EU aims to contribute to efficient and inclusive connectivity between rural, peri-urban and urban areas (including cross-border) via sustainable mobility options. In practice this would mean that these areas are connected to urban areas in terms of sustainable mobility planning, optimally through SUMPs cover the whole functional urban area/catchment area, including the links to the rural/peri-urban hinterland. This also includes an integrated link between rural and urban areas in the planning of the TEN-T network, including urban nodes. These actions, as well as developing local rural mobility, are equally part of the Long-term Vision for the EU’s rural areas, which is the European Commission initiative to develop a common European vision for stronger, connected, resilient and prosperous rural areas by 2040. Moreover, Moving rural youth forward is one of the 11 European Youth Goals of the EU Youth Strategy 2019-2027. The objective is to ensure appropriate infrastructure in rural areas in order to provide equitable delivery of public services, data connectivity and housing opportunities for young people. The Commission has over the last years built experience on rural mobility through the SMARTA 1 and SMARTA 2 project. These European pilot projects focussed on how to exploit existing mobility practices in European rural areas and ways to support sustainable shared mobility interconnected with public transport. 3.9Biodiversity and natural landscape The European Environment Agency reported in 2020 that the rapid urbanisation now being seen was the second largest pressure on terrestrial and marine ecosystems - stressing that it is vital to ensure that new development is undertaken in a way that protects and enhances urban ecosystems, rather than the opposite. Urban areas have a major role to play in reducing biodiversity loss and in conserving and restoring ecosystems. The role of SUMPs for protecting and restoring nature and biodiversity has been recognized by the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 calling upon all cities to develop ambitious urban greening plans developed alongside, and be part of, SUMPs. 3.10Skills and workers Urban mobility is characterised by changing employment conditions such as new forms of work (linked, in particular, with the emergence of new mobility services supported by digital tools), increased use of teleworking, and intra- and cross-border mobility of workers. The strong rise in demand for environmentally sustainable mobility will emphasise the importance of skills for the green transition. The need for pro-active re-skilling and upskilling to reap the benefits of the ecological transition has been noted in the European Green Deal.

In addition, the changes linked to automation and digitalisation that affect transport, besides offering new opportunities can bring many challenges for workers. Low- and middle-skilled jobs (including drivers) are, in particular, at high risk of automation. This will affect transport operations in urban areas as well. On the other hand, the demand for existing occupations, such as bus and train drivers could increase as a consequence of European, national and local efforts to promote and encourage the greater use of public transport to lower emissions, reduce congestion etc. Reskilling and upskilling will play a substantial role in the shift to zero-emission transport and sustainable urban mobility. The European Pact for Skills will help mobilise and incentivise stakeholders to take action in upskilling and reskilling. The rise of digital labour platforms has brought about new opportunities – but also challenges – in the labour market. These are particularly prominent in the ride-hailing and delivery sector, predominantly in urban areas. In 2020 ride-hailing and delivery platforms combined represented almost 80% of all the value of platform work in the EU. The COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on the sector and has led to a 35% decrease of passenger transport services but also to a 125% growth in food delivery services in 2020. The current estimated number of people in these sectors may be as high as 2.8 million in the EU-27. Furthermore, the numbers of people working through transportation platforms are expected to double by 2024, and quadruple by 2030. From workers’ perspective, digital labour platforms provide opportunities for employment and a source of income, including for many people for whom otherwise it could be difficult to participate in the job market. At the same time there are considerable concerns about the working conditions and sustainability of work that digital platforms provide. In a recent research, 47% of those interviewed said that the time pressure of work can make them travel over the speed limit. In her Political Guidelines , President von der Leyen pledged to address the changes brought by the digital transformation to labour markets, by looking into ways to improve the working conditions of people working through platforms and supporting the implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights. With this in mind, the Commission launched a consultation of the European social partners to obtain their views on how to improve working conditions in platform work. Following the consultation, the Commission is currently preparing an initiative on improving working conditions in platform work in view of adopting its proposal by the end on 2021. 3.11Awareness on more sustainable mobility and transport patterns Awareness on attractive alternatives to individual motorised transport and positive experiences with such alternatives can help making better mobility and transport choices. To that end, the European Mobility Week - the European Commission’s awareness-raising campaign promoting behavioural change in favour of sustainable transport modes - takes place from 16 - 22 September every year, with its emblem Car-free Day. The European Mobility Week cycle ends with an award ceremony to reward local authorities judged to have implemented the best European Mobility Week in line with the annual theme, together with other awards. 355 respondents (out of 847) participating in the open public consultation indicating that the Car-free day ‘Is a great idea and such days should be organised every month’. For example, the Get Started (Ponte en marcha) contest for pre-schools, primary schools and secondary schools, as organised by the Regional Government of Andalusia (Junta de Andalucía) Ministry of Mobility and Land Planning, celebrates its fourth year in September 2021. The contest serves as a teaching resource on sustainable mobility for the very youngest members of the community and their families. In particular, it serves as an awareness-raising campaign for the local community, and promotes behavioural change in favour of non-polluting transport modes. Participants must: design an awareness-raising campaign on sustainable mobility (video 3-5 min.); and develop school activities on sustainable mobility and submit a report. Since its first edition, with the participation of 77 educational institutions, the contest has become an important annual fixture for schools and the local community. It covers key aspects of environmental awareness and the promotion of a healthy lifestyle; and the high quality entries demonstrate considerable impact on schoolchildren and pre-schoolers. Furthermore, the contest enjoys widespread media coverage. Furthermore, it is important to enable consumers to make informed choices and play an active role in the green transition. According to the International Post Corporation Cross-Border E-Commerce Shopper Survey 2019 , 28% of respondents prefer carbon-neutral deliveries, 28% will wait longer for delivery to reduce environmental impact, 41% had not yet paid extra for sustainable delivery but were likely to do so in the future, and 11% strongly agreed that they had “changed their online shopping behaviour in the past year due to sustainability concerns”. Also as regards passenger travel, transparency on CO2 footprint and energy use can create incentives for companies and customers to take up more environmentally friendly transport solutions. Actions 28, 33 and 34 of the Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy aim to provide a common framework for calculating and reporting GHG emissions of passenger and freight transport services. When making urban mobility fit for the future, accessibility is an important consideration. Around 87 million persons have some form of disability in the EU and this number is expected to increase as the population gets older. Therefore, the European Commission raises awareness on the issue through the Access City Award. Every year, the Award rewards cities with more than 50,000 inhabitants that make outstanding efforts to become more accessible. This includes improvements to pavements, bicycle lanes and public transport systems among many more. To celebrate the European Year of Rail (2021), the 12th edition of the Access City Award included a special mention for making train stations more accessible. 3.12Mobility management Mobility management refers to the promotion of sustainable means of transportation by companies, organisations and institutions, usually using 'soft' awareness-raising measures like information, communication and marketing campaigns, and various incentives. At the consultation workshop on SUMP and mobility management, according to most participants (87%), major employers should be encouraged to adopt a mobility management plan, followed by universities (73%), schools with over 500 students (65%), shopping centres (65%). The support for mobility management plans has also been voiced in the open public consultation, with a majority of the respondents in favour of adopting them by organisers of big events, companies with more than 200 employees, universities, shopping centres/retail areas, primary and secondary schools as well as hospitals. For example, Île-de-France Region, where metro is reaching its capacity, has signed charters with employers to help employees change their commuting schedules to facilitate reductions in public transport use during peak hours. Even a 5-10% reduction in the number of arrivals at critical times would significantly reduce overcrowding on these busy lines. The new charter is a voluntary commitment by each signatory to reduce the number of its employees using public transport between 8:00 am - 9:00 am by 10%. To achieve this, signatories will: stagger working hours during the day for employees; implement one / two days of telework per week; improve remote communication tools; create internal coworking spaces; encourage carpooling and car sharing; promote cycling practices. Participants of the consultation workshop also expressed their views that digital mobility management tools could help public transport authorities to better understand public space usage and mobility patterns, dynamically adapt available capacity in different transport networks and modes to ensure better flow of passengers and goods and prioritise investments in infrastructure.

However, according to the fact-finding study supporting the preparation of the EU Urban Mobility Framework initiative, cities face difficulties obtaining data needed for operational mobility management, e.g. regarding the exact number of vehicles available in their city through shared mobility services or measuring the impacts of their parking policies. None of the sampled cities measures the impacts of the Mobility-as-a-Service options on the modal split. 3.13Sustainable urban mobility plans (SUMPs) For a number of years, the Commission has been encouraging the widespread uptake of SUMPs as a cornerstone of its urban mobility policy. This reflects the potential of a SUMP to help towns, cities and regions address common challenges in their transition towards sustainable urban mobility and ensure a better quality of life. The 2013 Urban Mobility Package called on local authorities to place SUMPs at the centre of their approach in addressing urban mobility issues. Related EU guidelines were published to support local authorities throughout the SUMP process. These underwent extensive revision in 2019, and a range of complementary guides were published on specific aspects related to SUMPs. The EU’s SUMP approach has inspired many towns, cities and regions within and beyond Europe, with over 1,000 SUMPs (or similar plans) currently in place. However, many medium and large towns and cities do not yet have a SUMP; and there is a clear imbalance in the number and quality of SUMPs between MS. A SUMP offers a comprehensive, flexible and resilient approach by serving as a long-term mobility plan that also includes packages of measures addressing short-term objectives and targets that can be fast-tracked in response to changing needs. This is essential for dealing with unforeseen situations. A SUMP serves as an effective multi-sectoral framework for tackling all common urban mobility challenges for the entire functional urban area and for maximising synergies (e.g. alignment with Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plans, Sustainable Urban Logistics Plans, cycling plans). SUMP are designed to satisfy the mobility needs of people and businesses in cities and their surroundings, focussing on people and places rather than the movement of vehicles. Evaluation of the 2013 Urban Mobility Package concluded that the development and adoption of a SUMP did not necessarily ensure that it has a high quality or its implementation was guaranteed. Developing and using monitoring and evaluation schemes and employing external quality control assistance were found to be important factors, which likely influenced the SUMP’s effectiveness. In a similar vein, in its report, the Court of Auditors recommended the mandatory adoption of SUMPs by all EU urban nodes of the core and comprehensive TEN-T networks and their surrounding areas. This would include all urban nodes on the TEN-T network with a population over 50 000 and capitals of NUTS regions. The fact-finding study has furthermore highlighted the following: ·Many cities struggle with a planning scope beyond the city boundaries. The functional urban area as a concept is not a realistic approach for all European cities and therefore needs adaptation and flexibility for different context as well as a better integration with the TEN-T network; ·The variety of planning approaches across Europe and the differences of quality show a need for a standardised definition of SUMP, also with view to conditionality; ·The results of the study indicate that the integration of specific but highly relevant policy fields, such as climate or road safety, need further integration and consideration in SUMP planning processes; ·SUMP should be promoted and established as a consistent planning framework for long-term resilient planning, also as an answer to crises (especially view with to COVID-19 pandemic and climate crisis). Monitoring should be an integral part of this; ·While the SUMP concept has proven to be successful in many different city types, the differences among regions and city sizes shows a need of contextualisation of the concept, for example for smaller cities. At the consultation workshop, 75 % of respondents strongly agreed that Member States should establish a National SUMP Support Framework (NSSF) as a comprehensive national framework for SUMP support to cities and regions. Almost all of respondents in the open public consultation replied that the EU should make SUMP's mandatory for cities, with the majority preferring this for all cities irrespective of size (463 replies out of 847); 45% declared they are aware of a sustainable urban mobility plan (SUMP) or similar comprehensive transport plans in their town, city or region. The National Energy and Climate Plans show that Member States are also putting in place actions to address the increasing energy use in transport at national level. EU-level coordination and support is ensured via the SUMP Platform Coordination Group. The Commission has hosted comprehensive information on SUMPs including the SUMP guidelines, city database and SUMP self-assessment tool via the Mobility Plans section of Eltis - the European Mobility Observatory, and promoted the concept and best practice through the annual SUMP Award. Moreover, it has provided SUMP training courses, with the involvement of Jaspers and project-level support. 3.14Monitoring/data-driven decision making – urban mobility indicators (SUMI) and related data collection Eurostat has developed guidelines for passenger mobility surveys aiming to produce passenger mobility indicators by distance class, including on urban mobility. Surveys in a number of Member States were also co-financed by Eurostat and the resulting indicators were published. Cities however compile information in a variety of ways making it difficult to compare or aggregate. This was also highlighted within the feedback received during the public consultation. This was also highlighted within the feedback received during the public consultation. Therefore, the Commission tested a set of sustainable urban mobility indicators developed by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development in a number of EU cities in a dedicated pilot project on Sustainable urban mobility indicators. It concluded that, for a European context, these would require adjustment. In particular, definitions of indicators need further streamlining, data availability is limited for some indicators, or very cumbersome and expensive to gather for others. One of the challenges identified was the limited availability of information on GHG and air pollutant emissions as well as energy use in urban transport. Nevertheless, participating cities agreed that these indicators are very helpful and confirmed their willingness to further invest into collecting data for such urban mobility indicators.

Decision makers, such as cities and public transport authorities, need robust data to identify areas where additional action may be required, track progress towards set policy goals, and evaluate the effectiveness and overall impact of urban mobility policies. However, as highlighted in the fact-finding study, three quarters of sampled cities do not have access to all mobility-related data they consider necessary. Furthermore, two-third of them do not have sufficient staff to collect, compile and analyse data, and half of the sampled cities mentioned that costs related to the collection or purchase of data are a problem. Access to data held by private operators and the timely availability of data were also mentioned among the key challenges for local authorities. Cities did not have the required data readily available and did not have the necessary time and resources to gather the data required to calculate the respective indicators. There are no evident data gaps for proxy indicators (e.g. affordability of public transport, congestion, GHG emissions and modal split). However, these data are not collected according to the same methodology thus their comparability is limited. The experience to date points to the need to continue this work to further refine and simplify these indicators and to ensure that the methodology for developing indicators is stable and benefits from long-term support and commitment. 3.15Effective, attractive, zero-emission, high quality and safe public transport as the backbone of urban mobility Public transport – rail, metros, trams, buses, water buses, ferries – is essential for the well-functioning of urban areas and the links to their outskirts and beyond. It can perform the task of moving large numbers of people efficiently, safely and with low environmental impact. Safe and secure public transport coverage and accessibility, affordability and reliability of the service is essential for cities that expect sprawl, increase in population and economic growth. Public transport not only helps achieve environmental goals, it plays a key role in the economy, job creation and creation of jobs as well as in promoting territories’ accessibility and fostering social inclusion: urban and local public transport services in Europe contribute between EUR130-150 billion per year to the economy (nearly 1% of the EU’s GDP). It is also intrinsic to the EU pillar of social rights in what concerns “Access to essential services”. It serves commuters as well as low-income households, older and young people, women and men alike. An attractive public transport system will provide its users with timeliness, feeling of safety and security, user-friendly payment systems, information provision and modern vehicles. For buses in urban areas, dedicated bus lanes that facilitate its passing through congested traffic and prioritisation at traffic lights are essential. The public transport system needs to be of quality as well: offer its customers a reliable service, convenient vehicles and infrastructure, real-time-traffic information, adapted service at peak hours, diversity in payment methods and assistance for less abled or disabled people. The COVID-19 crisis has brought an additional set of needs such as increased disinfection protocols and an ability to adapt capacity restrictions quickly in order to protect users and drivers. At the same time, evidence from the major stakeholder (UITP) attests that while car traffic is picking up again similarly to pre-pandemic flows, passengers still hesitate to return to public transport – it is however unclear to what extent this loss is due to the increase in working from home and therefore a change in mobility patterns, or lost in favour of cycling, walking or driving, either as a temporary change because of concerns about perceived infection risks, or as a permanent shift. Participants of the consultation workshop suggested that politicians at all levels (local, national, EU) should speak more positively and more often about public transport. Several authorities and operators are taking steps to support public transport. For example, EMT Madrid, the city's transport operator has made travel free on any of the daytime lines, except the Airport Express from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m.; created the 'transbus', a new ticket that will allow transfers on buses for one hour for a price of 1.80 euro compared to the 1.50 euro that the single title costs; added 15km of (temporary) bus lanes; launched 3 new bus lines connecting outer districts among them and with Park & Ride facilities. It is also important to better understand the economic, social and environmental value generated by public transport. For example, according to a study, Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona (TMB), the public group that manages the metro and bus networks across the region of Catalonia, generated in 2019 an economic value of 1 394 million in Barcelona’s metropolitan area. Its activity is estimated to have generated 22 899 jobs in the metropolitan area and 27 887 throughout Catalonia. On a social and environmental level, TMB’s services are estimated to have allowed an annual savings of 706.5 million euros. During that year TMB is estimated to have received 368.8 million euros in contributions from public administrations, the services it provided allowed it to generate 2 395.6 million euros across Catalonia. In other words, “each euro contributed from public funds, generated a 6.5 euros return to society”. Companies, administrations and universities have also a role to play in increasing the attractiveness of public transport, as demonstrated by the example provided in the mobility management section above. The CIVITAS Advisory Group on the Future of urban mobility policy identified a package of measures to help decarbonise the public transport sector in line with the EU’s net neutrality targets by 2030 and 2050. This European public transport decarbonisation action is based on the Avoid – Shift – Improve” approach and is targeted at the EU, national, local level as well as the private sector and citizens. The document explains why public transport matters: In 2018, buses, trams and metros in EU cities carried some 50 billion passengers. This saved some 36 billion annual, or 100 million daily car trips in EU cities. Every year, public transport can help avoid up to 20 tonnes of CO2 in cities while only emitting one tonne; Public transport users help reduce not only GHG emissions, but other air pollutants as well, thereby helping to improve air quality and public health - this is increasingly reflected in sustainable transport policies at local, regional and national level in EU Member States. These benefits will further increase as a growing share of public transport is performed using low- and zero-emission vehicles and vessels. By setting minimum shares of clean vehicles in public procurement, the Clean Vehicles Directive is a key instrument supporting this transition, in particular for zero-emission buses. Public transport is the central element of a multimodal mix. Travelling from origin to destination by a single journey using public transport is not the case for the majority of the trips. For first/last mile connecting services one single means of payment or ticketing should be possible for the entire journey (including the use of new mobility services such as car sharing). Travellers also need to have access to objective information on the best means of travel. Linked to increasing the attractiveness of public transport use is the development of multimodal ticketing to allow a traveller to go from origin to destination using modes of transport provided by several operators (including ride-hail services and new mobility services). Moreover, while Europe remains hesitant, one observes the come-back of cableway systems as a public transport service, with the aim was to increase the accessibility of certain districts cut off from the city centre by barriers (differences in elevation, waterways, building developments).

Research and innovation actions can support public transport in its role to address climate, environmental and at the same time, economic challenges. To this end, under the Climate Neutral and Smart Cities Mission Work-Programme, a call topic to support innovation in public transport has been proposed for the 2021-2022 Horizon Europe Work Programme. In addition, as part of the Horizon Europe partnership “Towards Zero Emission Road Transport (2Zero) work programme, the European Commission has proposed a dedicated topic to support new generation of full electric urban and peri-urban Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) systems to strengthen climate-friendly mass transport with real life pilot actions. Public transport is among the top 3 ways of moving around in a city/municipality for the respondents participating in the open public consultation, and would be the second preferred ‘provided that the right conditions are in place’. Poor public transport coverage, difficulty of multimodal connections and public transport being not reliable enough/not running frequently enough were identified as relatively important challenges (for 134, 124 and 119 respondents, respectively (out of 2123 answers)) that negatively affect their daily mobility. Looking forward, a lot of respondents (out of 3852 answers) would like to see more frequent public transport (305), better local and regional railway connections (219), cheaper (or free) public transport (202), as well as greener, cleaner and more hygienic public transport (189). When asked about which solutions below can help increase the use of public transport in urban areas, the top answers were more frequent service; enlarged network; more convenient hubs/stations, better link between public transport and ‘last mile’ solutions (e.g. bicycles, scooters etc.); more reliable service (e.g. departure and arrival times); and better information (real time, connections etc.). 3.16A new focus on active modes 3.16.1Introduction, potential and benefits Active mobility modes such as walking and cycling are low-cost and zero emission forms of mobility. Together with public transport, new shared mobility and micromobility solutions they have a great potential to reduce local CO2, air pollutants and noise emissions, improve human health, as well as congestion and pressure on valuable urban space and infrastructure. They have the potential to both supplement other mobility options (especially for the first/last mile), and to offer the complete (door-to-door) mobility solution on their own. Studies also suggest that they have direct economic gains with effects on commercial activity and shifts local expenditure towards more local business. According to experts, in areas where vulnerable road users and vehicles mix in a frequent and planned manner, the maximum speed of traffic should be reduced e.g. to 30 km/h, except where strong evidence exists that higher speeds are safe. In this context, a Horizon Europe topic for safer urban environment for vulnerable road users has been included in the 2022 work programme, aimed at a drastic reduction in serious injuries and fatalities in road crashes through the development of solutions that facilitate inclusion of all vulnerable users in the transport system, including people with disabilities, the elderly, and children by providing a safe environment for walking and cycling. Congestion in urban areas is a major issue, causing huge negative social, environmental and economic impacts. Measures for improving walking and cycling conditions can reduce congestion in cities . COVID-19 pandemic-related lockdowns have changed behaviour, temporarily increasing walking and cycling, and many local authorities introduced pop-up cycling lanes as emergency measures.The increase in active mobility and telework join the long-term efforts of local and regional authorities in encouraging a change in behaviour towards less car use, a key condition for the sustainable mobility transition. Whilst 17 % of the EU population stated in a 2019 Eurobarometer survey that they use cycles or scooters as their primary mode of transportation, there are huge differences in the level of cycle use across the EU. These measures have reinforced existing cycling policies and have resulted in a substantial increase in bike use and higher sales of bicycles. According to a recent research based on data from bicycle counters in 106 European cities, on average 11.5 km of provisional pop-up bike lanes have been built per city and, thanks to them, cycling levels rose between 11 and 48%. At the Fifth High-Level Meeting on Transport, Health and Environment (THE PEP) of UNECE/WHO Europe in May 2021, European countries adopted the Vienna Declaration to spur the transformation towards clean, safe, healthy and inclusive transport and mobility, with a strong focus on promoting active mobility across the pan-European region. In addition, at the same time and the same meeting, the first Pan-European Master Plan for Cycling Promotion was adopted. It calls for, among others, to significantly increase cycling and walking in every country; reallocate space for cycling and walking; improve the active mobility infrastructure; and increase cyclist and pedestrian safety. Cycling seems to be the preferred mode of transport of people participating in the open public consultation (286 out of 592), with only 51 indicating walking. Three of the four most important challenges negatively affecting respondents’ daily mobility are around the use of a bicycle. In the future, with likely more work from home than in the past, respondents would also like to see the most the measures that make walking and cycling safer and more convenient, with better infrastructure for pedestrians and cyclist being the top answer. More dedicated infrastructure (e.g. more pavements, pedestrian zones, bicycle lanes, cycling streets), pedestrian and cycling infrastructure of better quality (e.g. wider, well-maintained pavements; coherent, safe, well-maintained bicycle lanes), and traffic rules/management system prioritising pedestrians and cyclists (e.g. priority when crossing a street) are the top three preferred solutions that would encourage the respondents to walk or cycle more often. Employers increasingly promote active mobility among their employees. Promotion campaigns and workplace mobility management schemes, supported by the necessary infrastructure investment to facilitate walking and cycling to work, result in improved health and wellbeing of employees, reduced absenteeism and increased productivity. 3.16.2Walking Walking is the least expensive and most sustainable mode of transport. Consequently, ensuring that there are safe and attractive conditions for walking is key. Almost every public transport trip starts or ends with at least a short walk, therefore walking is part of a multimodal transport chain by nature. Research indicates that the reach of the existing public transport system can be extended significantly simply by making walking to and from hubs and stops easier, less prone to barriers and more pleasant by creating attractive urban spaces that are well connected to public transport infrastructure. Moreover, people who walk to shopping areas can spend up to 40% more and retail vacancies can be up to 17% lower after improvements to make these areas more walkable. According to a 2018 Eurobarometer survey, the declared levels of physical activity – including walking – do not reach the recommended levels, with as many as one in seven EU citizens (15%) saying they did not walk for ten minutes at a time on any day during the previous week. According to the estimates of Walk21 Foundation, the economic benefits of walking amount to more than EUR 250 billion/year – 40% of it due to improved mental and physical health. Research at a city level points to regular walking leading to a 14% reduction in the risk of mortality compared to those who do not regularly walk, with substantial economic benefits as well.

As an example of good practice, the City of Rotterdam has launched Rotterdam Loopt 2025 (Rotterdam Walks 2025), the city’s first dedicated policy to improve walkability for people in Rotterdam. It sets out an ‘Ambition and Call to Action’ that puts ‘The Pedestrian on a Pedestal’, following an integrated approach to capitalize on the health benefits of walking. The strategy aims to make important destinations like public transport hubs, parks and schools, more attractive and accessible, ensuring that the citizens of Rotterdam can walk longer distances, more often, and under better conditions. It should be noted that measures that support walking and cycling are regularly among the ones that receive the highest support from citizens and stakeholders. At the consultation workshop held during preparatory phase of this initiative, participants indicated that the following measures should be in particular implemented at the local level to improve take up of walking and cycling: dedicated infrastructure (such as segregated bike lanes); generalisation of 30 km/h speed limits in urban areas; space reallocation in favour of active and shared mobility; and implementation of urban vehicle access regulations. Moreover, they supported a stronger role of the EU to increase active mobility, indicating the need to move beyond non-binding guidance. 3.16.3Cycling Cycling presents a huge potential for climate change mitigation, offering a cheap and accessible to all alternative to motorised trips, in particular in cities. According to the estimates of the European Cyclists’ Federation the economic benefits of cycling in the EU are very substantial and amount to more than EUR 150 billion per year, including EUR 6.5 billion environmental benefits, with health benefits providing the lion’s share of the rest. Benefits of cycling do not stop there. A recent study showed economic benefits of investing in cycling and active mobility-friendly infrastructure. It proved, in the case of the key city arteries in Helsinki, that every €1 invested in cycling there brings a €3.6 euro gain, the biggest benefit being health, as cycling reduces the health risks and costs of immobility. Additional benefit being often the reduction in travel time. Cycling is also increasingly delivering when it comes to a flexible, effective and zero-emission urban logistic solution in urban areas. Cycle logistics services can improve goods delivery and transport passengers in a more efficient way compared to motorised transport. Examples include last and first-mile delivery services, home deliveries, transporting children and other persons, goods shipments in cities as well as bicycle servicing at home by professionals and other providers using cargo bikes. The increased importance of cycling in the life of today’s society is mirrored in the new Regulation 2021/782 on rail passenger rights. It provides that even where a Member State would decide to exempt a regional rail service from its scope, the rule related to the right to carry bicycles on board the train would remain mandatory. The importance of cycling has been recognised at wider European level (UNECE developments, as provided in the introduction) and by EU Member States as well: in 2018, the EU’s Transport and Environment Ministers met in Graz, Austria, to discuss pathways leading to clean mobility. They adopted the “Graz Declaration”, which includes acknowledging cycling as an equal mode of transport, developing a European strategic and supportive framework to promote active mobility, and integrating active mobility in the current and future European funding and financing schemes. A 2020 joint statement by the Benelux countries stressed the importance of cycling and the urgent need for stimulating bicycle use as a necessary, safe and healthy alternative in (urban) mobility. Many stakeholders see a need for a more strategic, EU-level approach to be taken to enable and promote cycling in the EU. 3.17Spatial transformation Spatial transformation in urban areas can take many forms, such as road space reallocation to sustainable modes, opening streets for people (and related activities), transforming parking, and concepts like 15-minute cities or superblocks; this is also part of the Driving Urban Transitions to a Sustainable Future work programme. Introduction of concepts like Low Traffic Neighbourhoods or the 15-minutes city was important for 247 respondents (out of 3852 answers) participating in the open public consultation. Road space reallocation policies are increasingly widely implemented in dense urban areas even though, in common with congestion charging, schemes frequently face substantial opposition from local groups. Temporarily closing roads to motorised traffic and opening them to people, with tactical urbanism has been applied by some cities during the pandemic. For example, Helsinki decided to close one of the streets in the city to cars. One km of the “beach route” of Ehrenströmintie street, was repurposed with traffic calming measures, with 300 meters of this designated for only walking and cycling and with 40 car parking spots repurposed to provide the residents with a liveable space with on street features, such as benches, paintings and flowers. The testing period for this solution ran from June 22nd until August 31st, 2020. The city of Helsinki surveyed the aforementioned part of the street prior to and after closure, and as expected, the number of walkers and cyclists recorded increased significantly. Furthermore, the feedback on the measure was collected from both residents and local business owners on that particular part of the road, and will be deployed in future planning of similar measures. The EU-funded CIVITAS Metamorphosis project identified measures, or activity fields, that local authorities can implement in order to make city streets more focused on people instead of vehicles only: ·(Temporary) street openings for people (and closing them for cars). They differ in duration: short time, one day, several days and activities are held to show the potential of the space; ·Interventions in public space, aiming to discourage car use and encourage greater sustainable mobility by all citizens; ·Crystallisation points, aiming to create places where people are offered opportunities for communication, exchange and sharing, to foster greater community interaction. In the consultation event for stakeholders, there has been an overall support for creating safer, accessible walking and cycling infrastructures, separated from car traffic, suitable for vulnerable users and backing a “short distance city” concept. 3.18Urban Vehicle Access Regulations Many European cities are using Urban Vehicle Access Regulations schemes (UVARs) as an effective policy tool for advancing sustainable urban mobility. Different types of UVARs can aim at improving air quality, reducing congestion, optimising and protecting urban road infrastructure and tackling road safety aspects, also covering logistics. The introduction and operational implementation of UVARs is, based on the subsidiarity principle, dealt with at MS level, with often extensive competences situated at city level.

At the same time, the wide variety of different UVAR schemes combined with a lack of a harmonised EU framework, poses challenges to the free movement of passengers and goods. The EC has, over the last years received complaints and questions from EU citizens. The majority concerned Low Emission Zones (LEZs), on the obligation for non-resident drivers to register beforehand and high fines for failure to do so. To ensure compliance, public authorities are currently using a variety of measures for the identification of vehicle characteristics, ranging from payable stickers or manual checks (66%) to automatic number plate recognition (26%) with mandatory pre-registration in a city system (44%), causing practical and administrative burdens to citizens, transport companies and authorities. While pre-registration is a major challenge for non-resident drivers, cities face major issues regarding cross-border compliance and cross-border enforcement of UVARs. The 2020 Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy announced action on the topic of UVAR. The strategy both recognises the issue of LEZs and declares that “the Commission will also help cities modernise their policy toolbox […]. Better information on low and zero emission zones and common labels as well as digital solutions for vehicles can help maintain a well-functioning single market and ease the exercise of fundamental freedoms”. Initial guidance already exists with the SUMP topic guide on integration of UVAR in the SUMP process. Furthermore, the EU addresses the information provision through following actions: ·The implementation of the Regulation (EU) 2018/1724 on the Single Digital Gateway: public authorities are required to provide information to road users through the Gateway; ·The Delegated Regulation on Real Time Traffic Information requiring MS to give access to a broad range of static and dynamic data is currently revised to include new data sets, such as UVARs; ·The EP Preparation Action “UVARbox” aims to support cities with the development of a user-friendly information tool on urban and regional UVAR schemes using EU standardised data. During the build-up of the new urban mobility initiative a dedicated consultation workshop was organized (21/06/2021, 95 participants) to hear the views of relevant stakeholders (public authorities, organisations representing civil society, consumers and users, and private sector actors (and their associations)). The following main points came forward during this session: ·UVARs will play an important role in European cities in 2030. According to stakeholders the main priority for UVARs is to improve liveability in cities, especially on road safety, emissions and noise reduction, and redistribution of public space. Furthermore, clear rules are needed on the access and use of UVARs; ·Currently, the main barriers with UVARs were identified as lack of harmonised/interoperable standards, challenges with implementation, resistance to road pricing schemes and political reluctance to introduce UVAR schemes; ·The lack of UVAR information and related vehicle and owner data in particular with regard to cross-border traffic were identified as existing gaps; ·The participants suggested the EU to focus on technical, social and political guidance for cities and common standards for information sharing allowing better (cross-border) enforcement. Urban tolls and low or zero emission zones were also identified as suitable actions to deal with congestion and emissions by respondents in the open public consultation (with 139 and 110 answers (out of 2411), respectively). 27% of respondents however have stated they encounter difficulties with urban vehicle access regulations, with differing rules among cities being the biggest. 3.19Sustainable urban logistics Urban freight transport is essential to the functioning of urban economies. Essential tasks are for example, to replenish stocks of food and other retail goods in shops, dispatch parcels, deliver building materials and remove household waste from urban areas. The lack of parking areas or multimodal terminals for loading and unloading, lack of space for logistics facilities leading to relocation and concentration in suburban areas (logistics sprawl), high costs and low profit margins for logistics providers, poor enforcement of regulations, high turnover of staff and high energy costs are some of the problems faced. To green freight transport, sustainable urban mobility planning is already encouraged to include the freig