Achieving the ‘Shared mobility principles for Livable Cities’: an inspiring challenge for Meep
Tags: Mobility, Principles, Cities, Sustainability, Sustainable Development

Achieving the ‘Shared mobility principles for Livable Cities’: an inspiring challenge for Meep

These principles establish a sustainability scheme to encourage a shift for the better in our current mobility ecosystem Meep May 26, 2020·5 min read

The future of sustainable urban mobility took an important step forward in 2017, during the Ecomobility World Festival In Kaohsiung, Taiwan. The Shared Mobility Principles for Livable Cities were launched during this event, previously developed by a group of leading international NGO’s pursuing the goal of guiding urban decision-makers and stakeholders towards an affordable, healthy, and integrated mobility for all people. For them to have these principles in mind is especially significant while they navigate the shifting mobility landscape in which technology is changing everything about how we move around in cities.

“We view the Principles as our North Star as we navigate the shifting mobility landscape”

— Art Guzzetti, Vice President — Policy, American Public Transportation Association

But what is most important about these 10 principles? Making them a reality. At Meep, we believe in a future where cities are sustainable, inclusive, prosperous, and resilient and these principles establish the path urbes and companies must follow step by step to achieve the best possible outcome.

THE SHARED MOBILITY PRINCIPLES FOR LIVABLE CITIES

1. WE PLAN OUR CITIES AND THEIR MOBILITY TOGETHER.

The aim for urban decision-makers and stakeholders should be developing compact and transit-oriented cities. This is why it is necessary to introduce sustainable urban mobility plans and to reevaluate zoning regulations and parking requirements to favour a more accessible and sustainable use of the public space.

At Meep we contribute by integrating multimodal routes that combine public transport with ride sharing or taxis. Also, our users can always adjust their preferences in order to choose the most environmentally friendly way to move from point A to B, to reduce their carbon footprint to the maximum.

2. WE PRIORITISE PEOPLE OVER VEHICLES.

People should be the centre of the transportation system and decision-makers should prioritise walking, cycling, public transport and shared mobility options. While planning the interconnectivity of the mobility systems, they should discourage the use of private cars and single-passenger taxis.

Walking is a way of commuting that is always taken into consideration by the Meep algorithm when planning the available route options for our users. We provide a solution to put the user at the centre of transportation and encourage a transportation shift.

3. WE SUPPORT THE SHARED AND EFFICIENT USE OF VEHICLES, LANES, CURBS, AND LAND.

Transportation planners should try to minimize the street and parking space used per person and maximize the use of each vehicle through policies. Their aim should be to discourage overbuilding and oversized vehicles and infrastructure as well as the oversupply of parking, and provide parking space for bicycles, scooters and shared and sustainable mobility instead.

At Meep we are aware that 50% of public space is taken up by roads. With our MaaS services, we would like to encourage the use of shared mobility vehicles and multimodal routes that will lead to reduce the use of the private car. We truly support the believe that rethinking allocation of street space is necessary.

4. WE ENGAGE WITH STAKEHOLDERS.

It is essential to engage a variety of groups in the decision-making process and support them through the transition of mobility in cities. For example, through public consultations during planning or participatory budgeting. The increasing awareness of the different stakeholders on the importance of investing in the transition to shared and zero-emission vehicles can make a real impact on peoples’ lives.

To change the transportation paradigm, we need collaborative work. At Meep we aggregate both public and private operators and work hand-in-hand to incorporate useful information for citizens when commuting, such as real time information or suggesting routes that take into account the user’s preferences.

5. WE PROMOTE EQUITY.

Transport development should consider all social groups to ensure accessibility standards to different existing mobility options. This Shared Mobility Principles want to bring attention to the importance of including diverse perspectives early and throughout the design phase.

Meep pursues the goal of implementing MaaS as an efficient model to develop in order to modify the sometimes disconnected, congested and inefficient mobility system citizens rely on. However, for this to happen it is decisive for everyone to have access to public transportation. We believe that supporting sustainable transport is the first step to achieve a public transport solution that can help all citizens.

6. WE LEAD THE TRANSITION TOWARDS A ZERO-EMISSION FUTURE AND RENEWABLE ENERGY.

Encouraging the uptake of clean vehicles and the use of zero / low-emission modes of transport could not be missing from the SMP’s. Electric vehicles powered by renewable energy to maximise climate and air quality benefits are the future for mobility.

Public transport, walking, e-scooters and cycling are some of the transport modes Meep suggests in order to match the user’s preferences when moving around. We are ready to lead the mobility revolution following the sustainability path.

7. WE SUPPORT FAIR USER FEES ACROSS ALL MODES.

All transport should be able to pay a fee for road use according certain criteria such as pollution and the size of the space they occupy. It is important to take into account the maintenance and social cost of the vehicle in order to establish a far share.

8. WE AIM FOR PUBLIC BENEFITS VIA OPEN DATA.

It is important for data infrastructure to adopt standard formats, promote interoperability and provide real-time information while ensuring privacy, security and accountability.

9. WE WORK TOWARDS INTEGRATION AND SEAMLESS CONNECTIVITY.

Information should be combined, and interoperable payments developed. The integration of all transportation services should be planned across operators, geographies and complementary modes to enhance connectivity of people and vehicles to wireless networks.

In Meep we integrate all available modes of transport in a single mobile application and we give our clients the possibility of validating their tickets. Users can search for, reserve and pay in one transaction. We integrate various operators and offer multimodal routes for users to move around in the most sustainable way possible.

10. WE SUPPORT THAT AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES (AVS) IN DENSE URBAN AREAS SHOULD BE OPERATED ONLY IN SHARED FLEETS.

Urban planners should support and develop regulations that enable shared, electric vehicles. In addition, they should facilitate cooperation between fleet operators and local governments and try pilot programmes in smaller areas to collect initial data and confidence.

Shared AVS vehicle fleets can make cities more sustainable as long as they are properly regulated. It is essential that policy makers take a proactive approach to ensure the increase of the vehicle’s occupancy. These cars won’t fit in with today’s regulations, this is why urban planners should take into consideration other more environmentally-friendly options. For example, in a future where people buy autonomous cars, it might be a better option for the vehicle to continue circulating around the block while the owner is at home, or even for it to drive back home. These are options that have to be considered!

If you have felt slightly identified with any of these principles we encourage you to support this effort seeking creative uses for them, as a transportation system that ensures the safe, efficient and pollution free flow of people is possible. Contributing with your own grain of sand by sharing them far and wide is the first step we need to take in order to make them a reality some day. At Meep, we will focus all our efforts to achieve this exciting challenge.

Clara Anderson, Digital Communication Strategist at MEEP