Urban Mobility Days - Programme

All You Ever Wanted to Know About the Common European Mobility Data Space

Unlocking the potential of data is essential to transition faster towards a more sustainable and smarter transport and mobility system. Building a common European mobility data space will enable better access to transport and mobility data. The panel of experts will explain the concept and its impact on urban mobility.

Moderator:

• Dim Gkatzoflias - European Commission, DG MOVE - Policy Officer

Speakers:

• Johanna Tzanidaki - ERTICO - Chief Innovation Officer
• Daniel Serra - EIT Urban Mobility - Director Ecosystems and Stakeholders
• Peter Staelens - Eurocities - Head of Mobility
• Thomas Geier - European Metropolitan Transport Authorities (EMTA) - Policy Advisor

The Energy Needs of Urban Mobility

Recharging infrastructure is a cross-sectoral issue relevant to the domains of mobility, energy and the built environment. This year saw the adoption of the Regulation for the deployment of alternative fuels infrastructure, which will mandate the deployment-appropriate charging and fuelling infrastructure. The proposed recast of the Directive on the energy performance of buildings also supports electro-mobility by introducing minimum requirements for car parks over a certain size and other minimum infrastructure for smaller buildings.

This session discusses the changes brought by the updated Regulation for the deployment of alternative fuels infrastructure and by the future recast of the Directive on the energy performance of buildings, the work of the European Commission’s Sustainable Transport Forum and the challenges of recharging vehicles faced by local authorities, charge point operators, energy providers and urban logistics operators.

Moderator:

• Laurianne Krid - FIA Region I - Director General

Speakers:

• Alessandra Barbieri - Municipality of Florence - Manager of Fundraising and European Projects Office
• John Smith - An Post - Head of Sustainable Infrastructure and Facilities Management
• Gabriele Simakauskaite - Chargeup Europe - Policy Manager
• Paul Wilczek - Eurelectric - Head of Energy Policy, Climate & Sustainability
• Laurent Probst - Île-de-France Mobilités - Director General and Vice President of EMTA

Mobility for Sustainable Tourism

How can sustainable mobility solutions support tourist destinations? How can heavy tourist traffic be replaced by sustainable mobility options in urban and rural areas? How can sustainable mobility choices encourage tourists to choose "off-the-beaten-track” holiday destinations and stimulate the development of sustainable tourism? These are few of the questions to be discussed in this session.

Moderator:

• Sylwia Borkowska - European Commission, DG MOVE - Strategy and Policy Coordinator

Speakers:

• Bente Grimm - NIT - Head of Tourist Mobility Research
• Nina Nesterova - Stichting Breda University of Applied Sciences - Professor Sustainable Development in Tourism and Transport
• Chris Greenwood - Moffat Centre for Travel and Tourism Business Development - Senior Research Fellow
• Patrick Torrent I Queralt - NECSTouR - Vice President

Urban Vehicle Access Regulations: are Perspectives Converging?

Cities manage different types of urban vehicle access regulation (UVAR), from low emission zones to parking management, trying to support compliance with EU air quality standards and to limit congestion and traffic-borne emissions. As such, UVARs should allow for seamless and user-friendly travel across the single market, without discriminating against non-resident drivers. Different perspectives are presented in this session.

Moderator:

• Ivo Cré - POLIS - Director Policy and Projects

Speakers:

• Rosemarie Cramer - Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management - Advisor International Sustainable Logistics
• Jehan de Thé - Europcar Mobility Group - Group Public Affairs Director
• Nigel Williams - European Parking Association - President
• Carlotta Bonvicini - Reggio Emilia - Councilor for Sustainability Policies
• Raluca Marian - International Road Union - General Delegate of the Permanent Delegation to the EU

Urban Air Mobility – User Needs and Acceptance

The session centres around user needs and public acceptance of Urban Air Mobility (UAM). The following questions are to be addressed during the discussion:

What are the key benefits of UAM? What are the challenges we need to address? What are the different use cases? What are the main concerns blocking public acceptance of UAM?  

Moderator:

• Pia Peitl - European Commission, DG MOVE - Policy Officer

Speakers:

• Daniel Garcia-Monteavaro - ENAIRE - Head of the Drones Business Development Department
• Astrid Szogs - Regionalmanagement Nordhessen GmbH - Managing Director MoWiN.net e.V. and Clustermanager Mobility
• Geert Van Waeg - International Federation of Pedestrians - President
• Kai Bauer - European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) - Principal Advisor to Safety Management and Intelligence Director and Project Manager for the IAM Hub 
• Patrick van Egmond - LuxMobility - Managing Director

Safe Urban Public Space for Children

6000 children under the age of 15 and a further 6000 aged 15-17 died on EU roads over the past 10 years. Children involved in a road crash are twice as likely to sustain a serious injury as the general population. A lack of road safety deters parents and caregivers from allowing their children to walk, cycle and scoot to school, with possible negative consequences on their overall fitness and health. By improving road safety for children, it follows that we improve road safety for all road users. Therefore, tackling road safety around schools should be a priority for action.

Parents, school leaders, community stakeholders, police and local authorities can all play a role in improving road safety around schools. Reducing the volume and speed of road traffic; designing safe walking and cycling routes; bringing parents together to support and promote a safe school travel culture; educating children to participate safely in traffic; and wearing helmets and reflective clothing can all make a difference.

In this session we invite representatives of public authorities that are grappling with such issues, and representatives of user groups supporting road safety to share their views and good practice examples.  

Moderator:

• Claire Depré - European Commission, DG MOVE - Head of Unit Road safety 

Speakers:

• Tracey Lydon - An Taisce - the National Trust for Ireland - Programme Manager, Safe Routes to School
• Susanna Hauptmann - Radland - Managing Director, Radland Lower Austria
• Eva Oosters - City of Utrecht - Deputy Mayor for environment and zero-emission transport 
• Antonio Granado Pérez - Ministry of Interior (Spain), Directorate-General for Traffic - Director of the Traffic Management Centre in the Southwest area
• Annemie Drieskens - COFACE - President

National SUMP Support Programmes: How to Tailor Support to the Needs of Cities

The Commission’s Recommendation on national SUMP support programmes was adopted in March 2023. In this session, existing approaches from different Member States, highlighting the benefits of such programmes and their value to national authorities are presented and discussed. City representatives explain their viewpoint on specific needs and how to tailor support to address these needs.

Moderator:

• Isabelle Vandoorne - European Commission, DG MOVE - Deputy Head of Unit

Speakers:

• Maria Perkuszewska - Ministry of Infrastructure, Poland - Plenipotentiary of the Minister of Infrastructure for Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans in Poland; Co-Leader of EGUM SUMP Sub-group
• Wolfgang Backhaus - Rupprecht Consult - Managing Director
• Alexandre Santacreu - European Metropolitan Transport Authorities (EMTA) - Secretary General
• Alan OBrien - EIB JASPERS - Senior Transport Advisor
• Manuel Márquez Pigner - Junta de Andalucía - Head of Unit 

Urban Logistics: Delivering Sustainability on Time

The increasing demand for goods and services in urban areas can create challenges in terms of emissions, congestion and road safety. Over recent years, many innovative and sustainable solutions have been developed, tested, demonstrated and implemented in living labs, pilot projects and cities, but good practice remains scattered and often fails to become widespread.

This session explores the key challenges and innovative solutions for urban freight transport and logistics, for instance encouraging sustainable last-mile deliveries, fostering collaboration between cities and operators, and shifting to zero-emission forms of transport. The panellists identify and debate strategies for accelerating more sustainable and efficient logistics systems in urban areas.

Moderator:

• Fernando Liesa - ALICE - Secretary General

Speakers:

• María Luisa Melo - DHL Express Europe - Director Public Affairs & Regulatory Western & Southern Europe
• Pieter Leonard - Colruyt - Capability Manager Transport
• Gabriela Lněničková - City of Prague - Member of the City Assembly, Committees for Transport, Urban Planning and Foreign Affairs
• Hélène De Solère - CEREMA - Logistics Project Manager
• Tu My Tran - ICLEI - Head Sustainable Mobility (including EcoLogistics initiative)

Funding and Financing Urban Mobility: Lessons Learnt and New Ideas

The transition towards sustainable and smart urban mobility requires significant investment to put in place state-of-the-art, innovative solutions. Funding and financing options need to be explored that go beyond the use of the public budget. This session looks at the ambitions and needs of cities and regions and addresses the lessons learnt from funding schemes such as the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF). It explores the role of instruments such as the Innovation Fund, the Just Transition Mechanism’s Public Sector Loan Facility, Green ASSIST and ELENA in supporting cities and regions. The session ends with the question of whether there is a need for further action and, if so, by whom? Or should cities and regions make better use of existing instruments?

Moderator:

• Herald Ruijters - European Commission, DG MOVE - Acting Deputy Director General

Speakers:

• Ángeles Marín - Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda (Spain) - Director of the Mobility Strategy Office
• Françoise Guaspare - Île-de-France Europe - Senior Policy Advisor
• Paloma Aba Garrote - CINEA - Director
• Valentina Oriol - City of Bologna - Deputy Mayor
• Emil Boc - European Committee of the Regions - Chair of the COTER Commission

Plenary 2 – Cycling into the Future

Cycling has multiple climate, social and health benefits, being at the same time one of the most affordable, inclusive and sustainable mobility solutions. Bicycles and e-bikes are also getting more and more attention across Europe, including at the EU level.

This plenary session addresses the following questions:What measures are the most effective to boost cycling in our cities? What are the infrastructure needs? How do we convince car drivers in cities that increasing the number of cyclists on the streets means less congestion and better road safety for all? What are the next steps?

Moderator:

• Marinda Hall

Speakers:

• Herald Ruijters - European Commission, DG MOVE - Acting Deputy Director General
• Manuel Calvo Salazar - EstudioMC (Seville) - Ecourbanism and Sustainable Mobility Consultant
• Karima Delli - European Parliament - MEP
• Jill Warren - European Cyclists Federation (ECF) - CEO
• Maria Jose Rallo - Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda (Spain) - General Secretary for Transport and Mobility
• Georges Gilkinet - Federal Public Service Mobility and Transport (Belgium) - Deputy Prime Minister + Minister of Mobility

Sustainable Urban Mobility Indicators: Good Practice in Collecting Data

The proposal for a revision of the TEN-T Regulation includes the obligation for urban nodes to collect mobility data in seven selected areas: greenhouse gas emissions, congestion, accidents and injuries, modal share, access to mobility services, and data on air and noise pollution.

In this session we share the latest development, explore good practice examples and present the experience of some urban nodes in collecting such data.

Moderator:

• Ines Hartwig - European Commission, DG MOVE - Policy Officer

Speakers:

• Thomas Lymes - Eurocities - Co-chair of SUMP sub-group of Expert group on urban mobility 
• Polona Demšar Mitrovič - Ministry of the Environment, Climate and Energy of the Republic of Slovenia - Secretary 
• Peter Munnery - Sofiaplan - Expert - Transport Infrastructure, Planning & Mobility 
• Neri di Volo - EIB JASPERS - Principal Advisor and Lead Transport Specialist

How to Integrate Shared-Mobility Solutions in the Urban Mobility Ecosystem

Shared mobility is a broad term: it can refer to shared use of transport modes, such as shared rental vehicles (e.g. bicycles, scooters, cars), ride-sharing/car-pooling (i.e. shared space within a vehicle) or transport-on-demand services (e.g. ride-hailing services like taxis or platform-based services). The increased interest of the younger generations in shared-mobility schemes, instead of vehicle ownership, is a practical example of a change in the culture of mobility and the environment. But there is a growing need to integrate the various shared-mobility services by improving links with public transport and bridging the last mile where access to public transport and frequency are low. An integrated offer, such as MaaS applications, would also make the services more attractive and improve the overall availability of mobility options, in particular for people living in remote areas and commuters.

This session addresses the following questions:

How can we integrate shared mobility solutions within the urban mobility ecosystem? How can we make shared mobility complementary to public transport? What are the best examples for cities and their surrounding areas? To what extent is shared mobility a part of the solution towards decarbonising the transport system?

Moderator:

• Thomas Avanzata - UITP - Spokesperson of the European Union Committee

Speakers:

• Gregor Beiner - Taxis 4 Smart Mobility (T4SM) - Chairperson
• Eirini Zafeiratou - Bolt - Vice President Global Public Policy & Regulation, representing Move EU and MMfE
• François Hoehlinger - Intermobility - Mobility leader & Co-founder
• Ana Ariño - Bird Spain and Portugal - Managing Regional Director 
• Marijke De Roeck - City of Antwerp - Communication & Participation Manager

Best of Mobility Management Actions

Mobility management plans can help businesses, retail centres, tourist attractions, educational/health institutions and civil society organisations play their own important role in addressing congestion and environmental issues in urban centres.

They offer a highly adaptable approach by promoting sustainable mobility alternatives at transport hotspots, often complementing other initiatives put forward by local authorities.

Join this session to hear about successful mobility management actions and share your own mobility management experience.

Moderator:

• Robert Thaler - Senior Sustainable Mobility Expert, former Head of Department Active Mobility and Mobility Management at the Austrian Ministry of Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology (recently retired), former President of the European Platform on Mobility Management (EPOMM) 

Speakers:

• Katharina Paoli Brunat - Nudgd.io - CEO / Co-Founder 
• Marcin Domański - Metropolia GZM (Winner of MOBILITYACTION Award) - Deputy Director, Transport Department
• Melanie Schade - National Focal Point Mobility Management, Federal Institute for Research on Building, Urban Affairs and Spatial Development (BBSR) within the Federal Office for Building and Regional Planning (BBR), and Vice President of the European Platform on Mobility Management (EPOMM)
• Hannah Hook - EIT Urban Mobility Fellow - Postdoctoral Researcher in Social and Economic Geography
• Juan Caballero - Campaign Manager - European Mobility Week (Eurocities)

Project Pitches

A fast-moving, fact-filled presentation of major aims and achievements by the representatives of selected projects. One minute, one slide, one chance to catch your attention!

Project Pitches Order:

1. GEMINI - Shaghayegh Rahnama - Researcher - ITAINNOVA 
2. GREEN-LOG - Akrivi (Vivian) Kiousi - Senior Business Innovation Manager, Head of Transport Lab RID Department - NetCompany-Intrasoft 
3. SOLUTIONSplus - Oliver Lah - Coordinator - Urban Living Lab Center 
4. eBRT2030 - Flavio Grazian - Project Manager – Knowledge & Innovation - UITP - International Association of Public Transport 
5. USER-CHI - Ángel Moya - Project Manager - Department of Technology - ETRA I+D 
6. SHOW - Clarisse de Cerjat - Project Coordinator - Eurocities 
7. ULTIMO - Ricardo Alcala Farrugia - Southern Europe Business Developer - Padam Mobility (Siemens Mobility) 
8. ORCHESTRA  - Runar Søråsen - Senior Business Development Manager - ITS-Norway 
9. TANGENT - Arka Ghosh - Research Associate - Universidad de Deusto 
10. FRONTIER - Pol Torres Álvarez - Data Scientist & Researcher - EURECAT 

Plenary 3 – Just Transition and Skills in Urban Mobility

The European Year of Skills gives a fresh impetus to lifelong learning, empowering people and companies to contribute to the green and digital transitions, supporting innovation and competitiveness.

The discussion focuses on urban mobility related needs, in particular training and upskilling to ensure that the available skills match employers’ needs and the green and digital transition, while taking into account gender balance in the urban mobility sector.

What type of jobs are we expecting in the future? How will traditional jobs in the urban mobility sector change in the near future? How do we design attractive careers for young people?

Moderator:

• Marinda Hall

Speakers:

• Jaime Moreno - Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda (Spain) -  Director-General for Land Transport
• Livia Spera - European Transport Workers' Federation - Secretary General 
• Maria Tsavachidis - EIT Urban Mobility - CEO
• Kevin Mayne - Cycling Industries Europe - CEO

Conclusions

Urban Mobility Days has focused on priority areas from the Urban Mobility Framework, including public transport, logistics, modal shift, access regulations and space for people – as well as the establishment of national SUMP support programmes across Europe, as major cities prepare for the future TEN-T Regulation.

We’ve had plenary sessions on ‘Support for Urban Mobility in Ukraine’, ‘Cycling into the Future’ and ‘Urban Mobility Skills’

Before closing this year’s conference, it’s time to look back and summarise the main points and link all of them to the European Year of Skills 2023.

Moderator:

• Marinda Hall

Speakers:

• Heral Ruijters - European Commission, DG MOVE - Acting Deputy Director General
• Teije Gorris - DTV Consultants - Team Lead Capacity Building
• Brechtje Walburgh Schmidt - DTV Consultants - Consultant Capacity Building
• Uli Lerche - DTV Consultants - Consultant Capacity Building