Urban mobility is essential to ensure the fulfilment of rights, extend essential services to the entire community and facilitate people's movement.
Urban mobility is an expression that encompasses transportation systems, works related to circulation and the alternative ways of getting around that exist within a city.
It is clear from everyday life that the movement of people and/or goods is incessant in large cities. That is why it is essential to have sound urban planning (also defined as urban planning ), an infrastructure that meets the needs and growth of each community, as well as plans and policies that are aimed at ensuring both road safety and road safety education.
It is also necessary for the world to move towards a healthier, more respectful, pleasant and beneficial reality that offers the best possible quality of life without neglecting the importance of caring for nature. Transforming cities under the criteria of urban sustainability constitutes one of the ambitious challenges that must be overcome to achieve places that, despite having a considerable population density, are efficient, comfortable, safe and environmentally friendly when traveling through them.
Types of urban mobility
When investigating what urban mobility is like in different corners of the planet and what categories feed it, two large segments appear: that of motor resources and that which includes non-motorized transport options.
Regarding this last group, it is interesting to refer to the so-called active mobility , a modality that describes the transport system that is made possible through the physical activity of human beings. By bicycle, walking, running, skating or even rowing, people and products can be transported.
In recent years, the idea of sustainable mobility has also been gaining ground. In various countries, the purchase and use of electric vehicles and the use of fuel-efficient vehicles are being encouraged. Travelling in shared vehicles , walking and cycling are other recommended alternatives for reducing the carbon footprint and, in this way, achieving a significant reduction in pollution .
When listing the options available to citizens for travelling, it is inevitable to highlight the coexistence of private transport (private cars), public transport (buses, subways, trains, trams) and transports that, for the moment, are not so common given that their use is not so widespread (shared electric scooters, hybrid vehicles).
Public transport includes trains, subways and city buses, among others.
Main problems
The main problems associated with urban mobility can be summarized in high levels of environmental pollution recorded in many cities, vehicular chaos at certain times, a large number of traffic accidents, insecurity on public roads for pedestrians and/or drivers, and a lack (or insufficient number) of means, services, environments or structures that allow universal accessibility .
When the streets are crowded with vehicles , for example, it takes longer than usual to get from one destination to another and pedestrians often find it difficult to get from one side to the other. Traffic congestion (or traffic jam ) is also stressful, leads to wasted fuel, wears out vehicles and is a major source of pollution . Unfortunately, during these long waits to move forward, it is common for violent scenes (due to bad maneuvers, impatience, anger, etc.) to occur, as well as accidents or criminal acts.
Individuals with disabilities, on the other hand, suffer from multiple impediments and complications when travelling or moving through public spaces, as there is still no real inclusion on a global scale. Unfortunately, not all public transport or all urban environments are accessible to the entire population today.
Traffic congestion causes certain streets and avenues to collapse, creating a chaotic environment that causes delays in traffic, among other consequences.
Pyramid of urban mobility
In order to stimulate and establish sustainable urban mobility, an ideal organizational model has been designed that indicates, in a graph with the appearance of an inverted pyramid with steps, what the priorities for movement or transportation should be to guarantee sustainability .
On the upper level, the widest of all, there are pedestrians . Walking should be the most popular option since it is not polluting and benefits health through physical exercise.
Below them are the users of cycle paths or bike lanes , that is, those who prefer to travel by bicycle . This means of transport, in addition to stimulating physical exercise, is economical and environmentally sustainable .
Cyclists are followed by the space reserved for public transport . When many people travel simultaneously in the same vehicle, less space is taken up on the roads and polluting emissions are lower compared to the percentages that arise if each person drives their own car individually.
The pyramid then includes the level of transport of merchandise ( goods and services ). At this point, the need to regulate and limit the times and places for loading and unloading is highlighted in order not to hinder or obstruct vehicular traffic in certain areas and time slots.
The two remaining lower levels are completed, on the one hand, by shared private vehicles (the essence of the practice known as carpooling ) and, on the other, by motor transport for individual and private use (which, preferably, should be low fuel consumption vehicles ).