Institute for Transportation and Development Policy

Promoting sustainable and equitable transportation worldwide

Indicators for Sustainable Mobility

Many US cities are failing to connect people to jobs through mass transit, according to a new report from ITDP that uses census and employment data to establish 12 new benchmarks for how mass transit systems serve urban populations. More than one third of the US cities surveyed—all with significant climate change risk—have grown without developing any substantial mass transit systems to serve their populations.

The new report, Indicators for Sustainable Mobility, defines criteria to evaluate mass transportation systems and then uses the criteria to assess 20 cities in the US and compare the scores to those of eight cities in Canada and Mexico. ITDP developed a series of indicators based on three categories: proximity to transit, access to opportunity, and city characteristics. In other words: How far you live and work from a frequent or rapid transit corridor, how many jobs are available to you within a one-hour transit commute, and how densely organized the city is, allowing you to access more in shorter distances.

In Opportunities for Increasing Sustainable Transport: Spotlight on Dallas, Denver, Nashville, ITDP takes a more in depth look at how U.S. cities are implementing sustainable transport and shifting away from drive-alone trips.  Dallas, Denver, and Nashville were specifically selected for this report based on population growth, comprehensive plans, infrastructure funding commitments, and political leadership. The report highlights opportunities and includes recommendations for short and long term strategies to improve sustainable mobility.

 

Press Release: As Climate Change Risks Escalate, Many US Cities are Still Hitching their Future to the Tailpipes of Automobiles (doc)

Press Contacts:
Jemilah Magnusson, +1 646 380 2357 / jemilah.magnusson@itdp.org
Dan Klotz, +1 301-280-5756 / dklotz@burness.com

Streets for Walking and Cycling

Streets for Walking & Cycling is a guide that emphasizes designing for safety, accessibility, and comfort in African cities, developed by ITDP Africa in partnership with UN-Habitat.  Many cities across the continent of Africa have a large percentage of walking and cycling as a mode share for trips. Addis Ababa, Nairobi, Dar es Salaam, and Lagos all have bike and walk modes shares of more than 40%. These cities are fundamentally walking and cycling cities, but often lack the infrastructure and design to make that safe and comfortable. This guidebook seeks to give guidance on how to fix that. All of these cities, and many more across the region, are planning high-quality bus rapid transit (BRT) systems and this is an opportunity to increase last mile connectivity through cycling and walking. Sustainable Development Goal 11.2 calls for expanding access to public transport, and safer streets are critical to enabling people to reach these rapid transit corridors safely and comfortably.

The Bikeshare Planning Guide

A resource for cities to design, plan, implement, and measure the success of a bikeshare system.

Over the past decade, bikeshare has contributed significantly to sustainable mobility in cities: providing first-last kilometer solutions, replacing short trips made by car, and offering a unique way for residents and visitors to explore their surroundings, among other benefits. As bikeshare continues to evolve- integrating pedal assist e-bikes, dockless bikes, and multi-operator models- cities have to understand the opportunities and risks such innovations present, as well as how to define success and measure system performance over time.

The Bikeshare Planning Guide provides in-depth guidance to city officials, practitioners and other stakeholders about planning and implementing a successful bikeshare system. The Guide encourages cities to position bikeshare as a critical piece of their transportation network, and plan- and expand- systems that prioritize transit integration, equity, and a high-quality user experience.

If you are a member of the press, please contact Jemilah Magnusson for more information or to arrange an interview with the authors: +1 646-380-2357 / jemilah.magnusson@itdp.org

 

Optimizing Dockless Bikeshare for Cities

New technologies and innovative business models have transformed the bikeshare landscape.

Dockless bikeshare increased the visibility and ubiquitousness of urban cycling in dozens of cities worldwide. Private dockless bicycle companies claim to provide bikeshare profitably (that is, without subsidy), creating the potential for bikeshare to become a rapidly scalable transportation option in cities.

However, complex questions have begun to arise: Can a city successfully improve urban transportation with dockless bikeshare? Can they avoid thenegative outcomes of dockless bikeshare seen in many places? Can they do both by enabling profitable, competitive businesses? The answer appears to be yes, as long as cities proactively adopt policies to integrate dockless bikeshare into the city’s broader transportation system. Recognizing that cities are interested in capitalizing on those gains (and limiting negative outcomes), this policy brief provides an outcome-oriented framework for regulating dockless bikeshare —one that might also be relevant to other emerging transportation modes. This brief is not intended to be overly prescriptive, nor does it cover every possible action a city could take; instead it provides important guidance for successful dockless bikeshare.

Optimizing Dockless Bikeshare for Cities is also available in:

Infographic:

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Video: Right to Walk

Walkability is a crucial first step in creating sustainable transportation in an urban environment. It’s the most common form of transport in the world. We all do it a little differently but it is our most common way to travel. Walking is immediate, carbon free, and free.  A shift to walkable communities is a shift to healthier populations, a cleaner environment, and more efficient urban spending.

When it’s so right to walk, shouldn’t every city promote the Right to Walk?

Video with Chinese subtitles.

Women and Transport in Indian Cities

The performance of urban transport services places different burdens on women and men, with the costs of poor public transport often being borne by women. Safe, comfortable, convenient and affordable transport can play an important role in not only helping meet women’s practical needs such as access to schools and markets, but also in contributing to their strategic empowerment by facilitating access to social and economic opportunities.

While there is momentum by different levels of government in addressing women’s safety in public transport, urban transport investments are largely gender blind with a limited understanding of the interrelationships between gender and transport inequities. Sustainable urban development will remain elusive without integrating women and girls’ safety, comfort, convenience and affordability in urban transport. Addressing this, and as a first of its kind, a paper on Women and Transport in Indian Cities was created by ITDP India Programme and Safetipin.

This paper outlines the broad issues faced by women and girls when using or accessing urban transport, and recommends key measures to enable equitable access. The brief recommends gender responsive indicators, service level benchmarks and guidelines for comprehensive/green mobility plans as well as walking, cycling, public and intermediate public transport.

Guía de diseño de calles e intersecciones para Buenos Aires

Desde que el automóvil hizo su aparición hace unos 100 años, y su posterior masificación en las ciudades latinoamericanas en los últimos 50 años, el diseño de nuestras ciudades y calles ha sido adaptado de forma incremental para favorecer el acceso y movilidad de los vehículos motorizados, especialmente el automóvil particular.

Por ello estamos presenciando actualmente el desarrollo de un nuevo paradigma de movilidad, en el que el combate a la congestión vehicular se realiza a través del fomento a la movilidad de las personas y no exclusivamente la movilidad de los vehículos. Es decir, podemos reducir la congestión vehicular si es que aumentamos la movilidad de las personas en otros medios de transporte, principalmente el transporte no motorizado, el transporte público, y el auto compartido.

La Guía de diseño de calles e intersecciones para Buenos Aires, tiene como objetivo introducir y promover el concepto de calles sustentables, y busca constituirse en un documento de referencia para el diseño y restructuración de las calles con el objeto de
servir a todos los usuarios y medios de transporte.

In Yichang, China, a New BRT Connects the City (Issue 27, 2016)

A Global High Shift Cycling Scenario

The Potential for Dramatically Increasing Bicycle and E-bike Use in Cities Around the World, with Estimated Energy, CO2, and Cost Impacts

Cycling plays a major role in personal mobility around the world, but it could play a much bigger role. Given the convenience, health benefits, and affordability of bicycles, they could provide a far greater proportion of urban passenger transportation, helping reduce energy use and CO2 emissions worldwide.

This report presents a new look at the future of cycling for urban transportation (rather than recreation), and the potential contribution it could make to mobility as well as sustainability. The results show that a world with a dramatic increase in cycling could save society US$24 trillion cumulatively between 2015 and 2050, and cut CO2 emissions from urban passenger transport by nearly 11 percent in 2050 compared to a High Shift scenario without a strong cycling emphasis.

The report builds on the 2014 study A Global High Shift Scenario: Impacts and Potential for More Public Transport, Walking, and Cycling with Lower Car Use. That report provided a global assessment of the potential for increasing travel on sustainable, efficient modes while concurrently developing cities that are far less car-dependent. However, the role of cycling in the previous study could be considered relatively minor, with the global average urban mode share increasing by three percentage points in 2030 (from 3 to 6 percent of total travel). This report explores just how much is possible if we study cycling in more detail using the same approach. The result is the most comprehensive picture ever of global urban cycling activity.

The Benefits of Shifting to Cycling

Cycling plays a major role in personal mobility around the world, but it could play a much bigger role. A report, A Global High Shift Cycling Scenario, presents the potential for dramatically increasing bicycle and e-bike use in cities around the world. Read the report for detailed exploration of the CO2 and cost benefits of a shift toward cycling.

See the report
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The Potential for More Trips By Bicycle:

HSC Infographic - Potential for More Trips by Bicycle - ITDP
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High Shift Cycling Scenario Impacts:

HSC Infographic - Impacts - ITDP
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Six Ways to Make the Change:

HSC Infographic - Six Ways to Make the Change - ITDP
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