Official ITF Side Event Calls for a Paradigm Shift to Create More Resilient and Inclusive Transport
At an official side event of the International Transport Forum (ITF) in Leipzig, Germany, speakers called for a paradigm shift to create more resilient and inclusive transport in low-income countries (LICs).
The session, hosted by HVT, the International Road Federation (IRF) and SuM4All, was attended by transport professionals, business leaders, heads of international organisations, policy makers and leading researchers as part of the three-day summit to discuss ‘Transport for Inclusive Societies’.
Delivering the keynote for the side event, Nancy Vandycke, Manager at the Sum4All partnership, spoke of how the Paris Climate agreement raised expectations to deliver greener, safer and inclusive transport. Much thought has been given to the climate risk, she said but the pandemic was unexpected:
“We never saw that a shock like the pandemic would have an impact like complete bankruptcy of private and public operators or disruption of global supply chains with the result that we would have no food on the shelves in groceries.”
She said that in order for systems to bounce back from major disruption we need to think differently, and that Sum4All has built up a catalogue of policy measures that can be used to generate an action plan and which will: “Deliver on the ambition of sustainable and resilient transport systems”.
Anne Joselin, Infrastructure Advisor, Research and Evidence Directorate at the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) outlined HVT’s urgent response to the COVID-19 pandemic with the commissioning of 20 research projects, funded by UK AID, to inform a response to the pandemic. She said:
“Evidence will be key to making better decisions and being better prepared.”
Anouar Benazzouz, President of the International Road Federation (IRF) spoke of how the HVT’s COVID-19 programme enabled the IRF – in collaboration with the Global Alliance of NGOs for road safety – to review the impact of the COVID-19 response on transport and mobility in seven African countries. The report’s findings highlight the importance of partnerships and coordination, he said:
“Sharing knowledge and expertise is key to progress in the transport sector and finding ways to coordinate and leverage on that expertise is equally important”.
Moderator, IRF Director General Susanna Zammataro, herself an expert in resilient transport, then introduced the panellists for a discussion on developing more resilient and inclusive transport in LICS as we emerge from the pandemic.
United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) Team Leader Carly Gilbert-Patrick said that our recovery must make walking and cycling a priority. She said:
“Walking is the dominant mode of travel across the African continent, but it is still poorly valued by the authorities and the general public… COVID has shown us that low tech solutions are key, rather than the tech-heavy solutions that global responses rely on.”
Bronwen Thornton, CEO of Walk21 continued with the walking theme, referring to the HVT report by the Walk21 Foundation that focuses on the impact COVID-19 had on perceptions of walking and how that affected its value. Associations with poverty have meant that walking is not highly valued, but the report found that COVID made people realise its importance and the need to reallocate resources to mobilise people to walk.
- 74% of roads in Africa don’t have footpaths,
- 92% don’t have crossings,
- 48% have poor signs and maintenance.
- Improving the infrastructure would reduce crashes by 90%.
Bronwen believes that to build an equitable, sustainable future we don’t necessarily need to find new funds, she said we must: “Reallocate existing resources and build the knowledge base and capacity to deliver on that opportunity.”
Tom Fleming, Associate at ITP, then spoke about the issues faced by elderly and disabled people in accessing transport. He explained that much that prevents people from travel is the environment around them rather than the impairment they have. Different conditions present different needs in people, so the key is in reconciling and balancing different needs. Using bright colours helps people with visual impairments, for example, but can be challenging for people with autism. So it’s important the design of transport addresses the range of issues that exist.
Rutul Joshi of CEPT University in India then explained what a resilient transport system would look like in a city in a LIC. Rutul stressed the importance of looking at the choices people make. He said:
“Often in transport we focus so much on infrastructure that we stop focusing on people”.
He spoke about the need for a process structure to simplify things, and about connecting plans to budgets. Transport should run as a balance of business and a service, he said. Resilience will come out of that.
The discussion then turned to how best to make meaningful decisions. Bronwen spoke of flooding the data gap and growing the knowledge database by adopting a national perspective and using existing available databases about walking to get people thinking differently. Planning has to be informed by events as patterns change, as illustrated during COVID when people without access to transport were stuck without food.
Susanna agreed that there is a need to create understanding of these issues, and that knowledge and capacity building are in this respect much needed. Without them, it’s impossible to make meaningful decisions.
Discussing policy recommendations, Tom referred to the challenges which come with the implementation and enforcement of policies on disability and inclusion. He’s keen to see organisations driving inclusion and explained how he has been working through HVT to update and further develop a guidance document – Road Note 21 – for policymakers and practitioners.
In closing remarks, each panellist described one recommendation as a priority to progress the debate on resilient and inclusive transport.
“Decent work, decent transport for everyone and decent housing, a triangle,” said Rutul. “If you get it right the chances of moving out of poverty are much higher.”
Tom urged all not to forget about disability and to ensure that the 15% of the world’s population who live with disability are included in plans.
Bronwen reiterated the need for a paradigm shift in the way we imagine moving in our cities and communities. “We need to embed that change in all the systems from policy decision to delivery”.
HVT’s Team Leader Bernard Obika gave thanks to all, including partners IRF and the excellent moderation from IRF Director General Susanna Zammataro.
#CommitToAct Streets for Life Week of Action
#CommitToAct is an NGO-led campaign, coordinated by the Global Alliance of NGOs for Road Safety (the Alliance), that pushes for local and national government commitment and accountability for specific, measurable road safety action. It supports NGOs to advocate with their governments to achieving a 50% reduction in road deaths and injuries by 2030 by implementing evidence-based actions aligned to the recommendations of the Global Plan for the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021–2030 (Global Plan).
The 2022 #CommitToAct campaign took the theme of Streets for Life, building on last year’s UN Global Road Safety Week. It centred around a Week of Action on 16–22 May 2022.
Through the #CommitToAct Streets for Life Week of Action, the Alliance’s 300 NGOs in 100 countries called on their decision-makers to commit to act for people’s right to safe mobility and to achieve the 2030 target to halve road deaths and injuries. NGOs identified specific measures at national, city, or community levels, aligning to the recommendations in the Global Plan and based around three key demands:
- Evidence-based actions, starting with 30 km/h limits where people move, live, and play;
- Investment in road safety;
- Involvement of civil society in road safety decision-making.
The call to action is summarized in the campaign video HERE.
During the Week of Action, NGOs engaged with their decision-makers, demanding specific actions, such as 30 km/h limits on specific streets and zones where people and vehicles mix, prioritization of funds for road safety interventions, and acceleration and scale-up of existing commitments. The campaign demonstrated how NGOs are bringing community knowledge and perspectives to influence decision-making and maintain accountability for road safety action. Read more about NGOs’ #CommitToAct activities HERE.
NGOs’ in-country campaigns were backed up by a social media campaign, using the #CommitToAct and #StreetsForLife hashtags and reaching seven million people. The Alliance took the campaign to the International Transport Forum in Leipzig, Germany. Lotte Brondum, the Alliance’s Executive Director, presented the three points of the call to action in her address to Ministers at the Ministerial Round Table on Meeting the Road Safety Challenge: Halving the Deaths and Injuries by 2030, and the Alliance held a live-streamed event Live from Leipzig: 30 in Action, showcasing the value of implementing 30 km/h limits where people move, live, and play and a side-event on implementation of the Global Plan. Watch the recording of Live from Leipzig HERE.
The International Road Federation (IRF), the International Union of Railways (UIC) and Operation Lifesaver Estonia (OLE) Renew Their Commitment to Stop Crashes at Level Crossings and Save Lives
A level crossing is an interface between road and rail infrastructure. According to the “1968 UNECE Convention on Road Traffic and the Highway Code”, trains have priority, while road users, pedestrians, and cyclists must comply with road signs and signals in order to cross safely and prevent collisions from arising due to misuse or inappropriate behaviour, potentially endangering their lives and those of train passengers, crew and other users.
Within the framework of the “Second UN Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030”, the International Union of Railways (UIC) and the International Road Federation (IRF), worldwide associations for rail and road, respectively, along with Operation Lifesaver Estonia (OLE), have decided to once again join forces to raise awareness on level crossing safety amongst pedestrians, cyclists and people with reduced mobility and thus contribute to the reduction of collisions and related casualties.
All over the world, regardless of the country or culture, the railway sector faces the same problems at level crossings and around tracks. The vast majority of collisions at level crossings are caused by users who deliberately take risks or make bad decisions by mistake, out of habit, or when distracted.
This is why, on the occasion of the 14th International Level Crossing Awareness Day (ILCAD) on 9 June 2022, UIC, IRF and OLE have jointly developed three additional dedicated safety flyers in English, French and Spanish for pedestrians, cyclists, and users of micro-mobility devices and people with reduced mobility.
For more information, please contact the International Road Federation at info@irfnet.ch.
About IRF
The International Road Federation (IRF) is a global, independent, not-for-profit organisation with headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. Active since 1948, IRF is a membership-based organisation, representing leading corporate and institutional players drawn from the road and mobility sectors worldwide. Its mission is to promote the development of roads and road networks that enable access and sustainable mobility for all. Its approach is centred on key strategic components of knowledge transfer & information sharing, connecting people, businesses, and organisations, and working on policy & advocacy.
About UIC
The International Union of Railways (UIC) is a global not-for-profit association founded in 1922 and based in Paris representing the railway sector and promoting rail transport. ILCAD is part of the UIC centenary programme of major events.
About OLE
Operation Lifesaver Estonia (OLE) is an international, non-profit education and awareness programme dedicated to ending tragic collisions, fatalities and injuries at highway-rail grade crossings and on railroad rights of way. To accomplish its mission, Operation Lifesaver promotes the 3 Es: Education, Enforcement and Engineering.
ARRB Launches NetRisk2 – A Next Generation Road Safety Tool
The Australian Road Research Board (ARRB) has launched NetRisk2 - a next-generation road safety tool for road managers and asset owners that will change the way we identify and prioritise the treatment of high-risk roads.
Imagine:
- Using evidence-based assessments of infrastructure to identify the risk on your network
- Seeing this risk mapped across your road network
- Identifying the highest risk locations
- Being able to see how road safety can be improved BEFORE you start work
- Using this information to prepare a program of works (including asset maintenance and road safety projects) with an analysis of the costs and benefits
- Comparing different works scenarios to ensure the greatest return on investment
For the first time ever, ARRB's web-based tool NetRisk2 integrates multiple risk assessment methods into the one platform.
NetRisk2 is designed to make a real impact in supporting road managers to achieve Vision Zero by reducing road fatalities and serious injuries with a targeted, cost-effective, data and evidence-driven approach.
If you would like to know more and register your interest, visit ARRB's dedicated webpage.
EASST Launches New Online Disability Awareness Training course for Public Transport Managers in Low and Middle Income Countries
Across the world, many people with disabilities and reduced mobility are excluded from social and economic life due to inaccessible transport systems.
Disability Awareness can bring a number of benefits to public transport companies.
This short online course, available via the EASST Academy training platform, offers an introduction to Disability Awareness and will help managers understand how to make public transport services more accessible and inclusive of the needs of people with disabilities so they can travel independently and with confidence.
The course has been developed by the Eastern Alliance for Safe and Sustainable Transport (EASST) with financial support from the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) and in consultation with FIA Clubs, local disability groups in pilot countries, and a Voluntary Advisory Committee of experts from across the UK and Europe. It offers practical guidance on how to better understand and support passengers with different types of disability with video testimony, reading materials, presentations, and quizzes.
A critical aspect of the course is the involvement of people with disabilities, sharing their experiences of using bus and trolleybus services and how they think things can be improved.
The course itself has built on these experiences to offer practical guidance on how to better understand and support passengers with different types of disabilities, emphasising the importance of stakeholder consultations, as well as explaining how an inclusive public transport strategy can boost business.
The training has been warmly welcomed by both companies and transport users in each pilot country:
National Automobile Club of Azerbaijan (AMAK)
“Organisation of such trainings is very beneficial for us since we are reminded that disability is not only related to a wheelchair. Moreover, such trainings create a communication bridge between people with disabilities and public transport representatives.”
Lilian Copaci, General Department of Public Transport and Communications, Moldova
“Such training is very useful for us and for the administration of trolleybus and bus fleets, but also for drivers and conductors. With the help of such thematic trainings, we are reminded of the issues of people with disabilities and other citizens in public transport. In turn, we are happy to help improving the situation, meetings with groups of people with disabilities are still being held, but as a result of such training, we had the opportunity to bring to the surface/agenda issues related to ensuring accessibility to public transport, especially during a pandemic. I believe that it is also necessary to cover these problems in mass media in order to inform the population and form public opinion and perception. After all, people also need to understand each other’s needs and help people with disabilities, as well as the same drivers or conductors of public transport.”
Vitalie Mester, Director of the Center for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, Moldova
“I think that such a training is very informative and useful, it should be carried out to all drivers, conductors, as well as responsible persons, not only in Chisinau, but throughout the Republic. It is very good that the first modules of the training were devoted to the theory and introduction to the problematic, explaining who people with disabilities are and how they feel. Because, not every person is aware of what is happening next to other people in public transport, not only to those who have obvious visible disability problems. Practical exercises and illustrative examples are also very helpful and important, they helped the participants to “play” the role of people with special needs. It is also good that the issue of creating an advisory group was raised, it already exists at the local level, but not always effectively, now it is planned to create an accessibility council within the city hall, it is possible to include the problems of public transport there.”
As well as being available online 24/7, course materials and guidance notes for trainers are available to download and use offline on the EASST Academy website.
Cities that are accessible and inclusive of the needs of people with disabilities are also safer and more user-friendly for all families with pushchairs, elderly people, women, children, and even tourists. Accessible cities make people – not cars – the first priority, and in so doing are better for all road users.
Micro-incentives: a Game-changer Strategy to Nudge Sustainable Mobility Behaviour
The COVID-19 crisis can have a paradoxical effect on the world’s mobility. The limitations imposed on mobility during lockdowns and increasing concerns about the need to keep some physical distancing thereafter have reduced ridership to historical lows, and this has had a tremendous impact on public transport finances (see here). But that same reduction in traffic, which has translated into cleaner skies, reduced CO2 emissions, fewer crashes, and less noise, has reinforced the case – among public authorities and public opinion alike – for much more sustainable mobility in our cities and hence for public transport.
On the other hand, shared mobility schemes were also impacted by COVID-19. Indeed, during the first months of the pandemic, all the sharing models suffered a strong reduction in operations due to general lockdowns. Interestingly, we can consider some mobility services (like micromobility) as one of the winners, after all.
The desired social distancing and the evolution of electric vehicles’ features (e-scooters and e-bikes) allowed us to see more micromobility users on the streets. These options have emerged as a crucial factor (aligned with the urge to foster sustainable mobility) to drive users to public transport in cities, increasing ridership, and boosting multimodality.
Thus, it is required to integrate them with public transport and understand how micro-incentives – more targeted and flexible incentives – can encourage citizens to use these services as part of the global mobility offer that is, at the same time, aligned with the cities’ policy objectives as regards sustainable mobility.
In urban and suburban areas, the most abundant common trips are those made back and forth from home to the working or studying place. In some European countries, it is already part of the national agenda to implement strategies for institutional (or corporate) mobility. It is also the case at a local level, where SUMPs have an enormous focus on this trip category. Mobility Managers become more popular and sometimes mandatory. Such is the case in Italy since 2021, where companies with more than 100 employees and in municipalities with over 50,000 inhabitants must have a Mobility Manager.
The Global Future Council on Mobility (at the World Economic Forum) in its Corporate Mobility Transport Challenge report has explained how the Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies will accelerate the typical employee commute and decarbonisation. The report also explains the difficulties of companies in investing in digital platforms that enable more equitable and sustainable opportunities to commute from home to work or school. It is relevant to think that third-party companies and organisations will design and develop innovative business models to tackle the challenge of allowing employees to go to work, and students going to school, in a more sustainable manner.
The rise of e-commerce has been accelerated in recent times. For instance, in Spain, e-commerce exceeded 13,600M€ in the second quarter of 2021, 13,7% growth compared to the previous year.
The new technology era has eased this growing trend, allowing citizens to buy the goods and services they need by using online channels. The way logistics have rapidly evolved, where consumers are now used to buying almost anything and getting it delivered at their doorstep in a few hours, needs a profound reflection from a sustainability perspective. A great percentage of cities’ traffic jams are caused or worsened by last-mile logistics, which generate more traffic and more polluting emissions.
Analysing how micro-incentives can be optimised to boost sustainable logistics (clean energy, multimodal logistics, etc.) stands as a key factor to tackle the associated challenges to improving last-mile logistics.
Plenty of challenges are ahead of us to make mobility more sustainable and accessible for all. This requires focusing on more efficient use of public transport; shared mobility becomes part of the integrated offer of public transport; corporate mobility (commuting) is better understood and better planned, and logistics are optimised through the use of more efficient and holistic strategies.
Are micro-incentives a real game-changer idea to nudge mobility behaviour to leverage the current use of mobility services, such as public transport, and future mobility (and not so future) like shared mobility? The expected efficiency gain behind the multi-criteria, highly targeted micro-incentive strategy is that it could help reduce the cost to achieve similar indicator levels in terms of sustainability and equity, with significantly lower budgets. The introduction of micro-incentives (economic, fiscal, or in-kind) to foster journeys using zero-emission vehicles, encourage intermodality or increase the use of public transport outside peak hours is an innovative formula with increasing numbers of supporters internationally, which may be key in changing habits towards more sustainable mobility.
Factual is proposing a thought leadership study to analyse the prospects for reform to allow for the micro-incentives concept to help nudge user behaviour towards more sustainable mobility, and the required conditions for this to happen in 5 European cities.
The study will be divided into 3 parts:
- Key indicators based on primary and secondary research.
- Analysis of the impact of public subsidies and the potential of micro-incentives.
- Analysis of technical and regulatory constraints.
For more information about this study, dates, and special sponsorship options for IRF members, download this document.
New IRF President Takes Up Function
IRF has chosen the International Transport Forum Summit (ITF 2022) being hosted in Leipzig to mark the start of the IRF Presidency of Mr Anouar Benazzouz. Succeeding to Mr Bill Halkias who has concluded his three-year mandate at the helm of IRF, Mr Benazzouz was elected unanimously as IRF President by the General Assembly on 29 March 2022 in Amsterdam.
“It gives me pride to end my mandate knowing there’s a great team aligned to pick up this work and move it forward” commented Bill Halkias in passing over the Presidency.
Mr Anouar Benazzouz is the Director General of Moroccan Highways (Autoroutes du Maroc) and the first African President taking the helm of IRF. With engineering studies from top colleges in Paris and London, Mr Benazzouz started his career in Engineering and later occupied different management positions in Casablanca, London, Singapore and Egypt. He also served as General Manager of Savola Morocco and as Chief of Cabinet for the Minister of Equipment and Transport of Morocco, just before his current position as General Manager of Moroccan Highways.
“The openness, care and professionalism with which I have been welcomed in this Federation years ago will be also the guiding principles of my Presidency” said Mr Benazzouz. “Our sector is undergoing a revolution which is not only driven by the technology advances but also by the fact that we have reverted the order of priorities (…) People are finally back at the centre of the transportation systems that we all together, design, build and operate” he added.
Partnerships have always been the DNA of IRF, Benazzouz stressed. He has committed to push this further and make the Federation a true forum for collaboration at all levels. “A forum where everyone will feel welcome and where we create new value for our sector and beyond” he added.
In marking symbolically the passing over of a Moroccan Presidency from the International Transport Forum to the International Road Federation, H.E. Mohammed Abdeljalil, Moroccan Minister of Transport & Logistics commented “We are proud of the leadership Morocco is demonstrating at international level when it comes to innovating transport systems. We take these engagements truly at heart and are committed to contribute and to work with others to deliver a sustainable mobility to all.”
During his term (2022-2025) Anouar Benazzouz will be assisted by two IRF Vice-Presidents: Mr Dimitris Mandalozis, Chief Operations Officer of Aegean Motorway S.A. and Mr Liu Wenjie Secretary General and Vice President of China Highway and Transportation Society (CHTS).
For more information, please contact the International Road Federation at info@irfnet.ch.
Press Coverage in Morocco
Imola Living Lab Project
The Formula One Grand Prix in Imola offered the occasion to host a meeting on 21 April in the framework of the Imola Living Lab project. Under the theme "Automotive technology and mobility 4.0: safety, sustainability and inclusiveness from the 2030 Agenda to the PNRR" the conference was hosted by the Imola Councilor for the Autodrome, Elena Penazzi and for the Environment, Elisa Spada, Professor Valeria Vignali of the University of Bologna and Luciana Iorio of the Ministry of Sustainable Infrastructure and Mobility (MIMS), president of the UN Global Forum for Road Traffic Safety.
The conference is part of the Imola Living Lab action plan, a project presented to the UN in Geneva in September 2021, with a vision aligned to the 2030 agenda and the sustainable development goals (SDG). Starting from "Enzo e Dino Ferrari" racetrack, the initiative links the city of Imola, Con.Ami, Formula Imola, the Emilia-Romagna Region, the University of Bologna, and the MotorValley, as well as the Montecatone Institute, through a hub of innovation and training, focused on the themes of sustainability, inclusion, and road safety.
The conference was opened by the video intervention by Jean Todt, United Nation's Secretary General's Special Envoy for Road Safety, who highlighted the value of the IMOLA LIVING LAB project as an innovative approach to the automotive theme and the Autodrome as a place of fundamental experimentation to achieve the sustainable development goals of the 2030 agenda. A project that can become a model to be replicated in other countries.
The intervention of Jean Todt was followed by the institutional greetings of Rodolfo Ortolani, president of the Cassa di Risparmio Foundation which hosted the event, of Fabio Bacchilega, president of Con.Ami, of Marco Panieri, mayor of Imola, and Andrea Corsini, councilor for Mobility and transport, infrastructures, tourism, trade of the Emilia Romagna Region.
Susanna Zammataro, IRF Director General stressed the importance of putting people back at the centre of transport planning. She also underlined the importance of investing in human capital, cause “innovation cannot happen without skilled personnel”. The intervention of Maurizio Sobrero - Full Professor of Innovation Management and Coordinator of the University PNRR Commission of the University of Bologna, Antonio Erario - MIMS Director, ECE WP29 Chair took the floor; Luigi Carrarini - Head of the Technological Infrastructure Unit, Operations Management and Territorial Coordination of ANAS; Andrea Pontremoli - CEO and General Manager of Dallara; Simone Di Piazza - Head of Innovation and R&D Services of Ducati Motor Holding spa and Otello Valenti - HR & Legal Director of Scuderia AlphaTauri made the event a true opportunity to learn and share expertise.
Moderated by Domenico Crocco, Manager for International Affairs at ANAS, the event was also followed online by 400 Unibo students and members of the order of engineers of Bologna In addition to the guests in the room.
In closing, the jury prize of the Global Road Safety Film Festival was awarded to Omar Bortolacelli, a former patient of Montecatone and the protagonist of the movie "A race already won", made by the Imola-based company Officina Digitale in collaboration with the Montecatone Onlus Foundation and directed by Giorgio Conti.
"This event, a few days before the F1 Grand Prix, is an important step to make Imola Living Lab grow as a laboratory on an international scale, which sees innovation and research as tools for the well-being of people in line with sustainability objectives of the 2030 agenda. Now the journey continues and will see the organisation of an event dedicated to inclusion as its next step ”, underlined the Councilor for the Autodrome, Elena Penazzi and for the Environment, Elisa Spada.
