Smart City Mobility Index: Central and Eastern Europe's Progress

Introduction to the Smart City Mobility Index

The Smart City Mobility Index is a comprehensive study focusing on urban mobility trends in Central and Eastern Europe. This report, released in September, provides valuable insights into the progress and challenges faced by 25 cities in the region, including capital cities and some smaller urban centers in larger countries like Poland and the Czech Republic.

The index was created through a collaborative effort between PwC and several organizations, including the European Association for Electromobility and other NGOs interested in intelligent and sustainable mobility. Its primary purpose is to serve as a benchmark for current mobility situations in these cities and to facilitate learning from best practices across the region.

Methodology and Key Indicators

The Smart City Mobility Index examines four main categories of data:

1. Traffic Management

This category looks at several key indicators:

• Congestion levels
• Average travel time between points in the city
• Share of electric vehicles
• Current state of charging infrastructure

Congestion emerged as a significant issue for many cities. In some cases, such as Warsaw, Bucharest, and Budapest, the average time lost due to traffic jams exceeds 40%. In most of the surveyed cities, the average time required for a 10 km journey is over 20 minutes, which is considered suboptimal for efficient urban mobility.

2. Public Transportation

The second category focuses on public transport, examining factors such as:

• Cost of monthly public transport passes
• Affordability of public transport relative to average income
• Taxi fares
• Overall usage of public transport

Czech cities performed particularly well in this category, with the average cost of public transport passes being the lowest relative to average monthly income. This affordability contributes to higher usage rates of public transportation.

Across Central and Eastern Europe, the average use of public transport accounts for about 50% of all trips. Subsidies play a significant role in some cities, with Prague subsidizing up to 85% of public transport costs. Tallinn has taken an even more radical approach, offering free public transport since 2013.

3. Active Mobility Infrastructure

This category examines the infrastructure supporting active mobility, which includes cycling and walking. Key points include:

• Percentage of people using bicycles or walking
• Extent of cycling infrastructure

While this remains a challenge for many cities, some have developed extensive cycling infrastructure. Polish cities and Lviv, for example, have over 100 km of dedicated cycling paths. On average, about 12% of citizens in Central and Eastern European cities use bicycles for transport, compared to over 19% in Germany.

Walking is also a significant mode of transport in some cities, with Kyiv, Bucharest, and Budapest reporting around 30% of short-distance trips being made on foot.

4. Sustainability and Environment

The final category focuses on environmental factors, including:

• Transport-related emissions
• Air pollution levels, particularly fine particulate matter

Key Findings and Progress

The quantitative data collected was supplemented with qualitative information from interviews with various ecosystem representatives in the cities. This comprehensive approach revealed several interesting trends and best practices across different aspects of urban mobility.

Collaboration and Data Sharing

One of the most significant findings is the increased interest in collaboration between the public sector and various ecosystem representatives, including private operators, NGOs, and academic institutions. This collaboration is crucial as it facilitates data sharing and joint projects in mobility.

Electrification of Public Transport

A large proportion of public transport vehicles in most cities are now electrified or in the process of electrification. There are also experimental projects involving hydrogen-powered buses or those running on biogas.

Growth of Active Mobility Infrastructure

Infrastructure for active mobility is growing and developing across all 25 cities, with over 4,000 km of cycling infrastructure built. However, this remains challenging, especially in cities with historic centers where integrating new infrastructure can be difficult.

Digital Applications and Data Exchange

Almost every city has developed some form of digital tool, primarily for citizen use. These range from contactless ticketing systems to real-time public transport schedules. There are also excellent examples of data use for managing urban transport, such as sensors, drones, and cameras that help regulate traffic in real-time.

Shared Mobility

Initiatives in shared mobility are primarily driven by the private sector, with cities contributing through measures such as free parking for shared vehicles.

Case Study: Sofia's Participation in DEPLOY

One of the best practices highlighted in the index is Sofia's participation in the DEPLOY project. This initiative aims to create a European data space for mobility, with Sofia being one of nine cities involved. The project focuses on sharing mobility data between public transport and various shared mobility solutions, facilitating trip planning and reducing traffic.

Challenges

Despite the progress, several challenges remain:

Electric Vehicle Infrastructure

While many cities are expanding their charging infrastructure, overall coverage is still insufficient to adequately stimulate electric vehicle adoption. The private sector remains the primary driver of these initiatives, though some city administrations are becoming more active in public-private partnerships.

Air Pollution

Air pollution continues to be a major problem for many cities. Despite some progress, over three-quarters of all participants still report pollution levels two to five times above the World Health Organization's recommended threshold.

Climate Goals

Achieving climate goals by 2050 is seen as difficult and ambitious by many city administrations. Key challenges include access to funding and a lack of capacity and expertise in developing and implementing urban mobility projects.

City Rankings

Based on the quantitative and qualitative data, the index groups the 25 cities into three main categories:

1. Leaders: Cities that have achieved significant progress in intelligent mobility, primarily Polish and Czech cities, as well as Tallinn.

2. Progressing Cities: Capitals of many Central and Eastern European countries and smaller Polish cities that have made substantial progress in recent years.

3. Early Stage Cities: Cities still in the early stages of development but making successful steps forward, including Romanian cities (Bucharest and Cluj-Napoca) and capitals of some non-EU countries.

It's important to note that this grouping is not intended as a strict ranking, as each city has examples of good practices that others can learn from.

Key Lessons and Conclusion

The primary lesson from the index is the strong correlation between the level of maturity, performance, and progress achieved, and the willingness of various ecosystem participants to collaborate. This collaboration is at the core of all achievements in urban mobility.

The ecosystem participants are diverse and include:

• City administrations and the public sector
• Energy operators providing infrastructure
• Transit operators
• Organizations whose activities depend on mobility (e.g., emergency services)
• Financial institutions
• Academic institutions and universities

The role of city administrations is particularly crucial, with the most successful cities seeing themselves as facilitators of ecosystem-wide collaboration.

In conclusion, the Smart City Mobility Index provides a comprehensive snapshot of the current state of urban mobility in Central and Eastern Europe. It serves as a valuable foundation for discussions on future progress and highlights the importance of collaboration in achieving sustainable and intelligent urban mobility solutions.

Implications for Future Urban Mobility

The findings of the Smart City Mobility Index have several implications for the future of urban mobility in Central and Eastern Europe:

Increased Focus on Collaboration

Given the strong correlation between collaboration and progress, cities should prioritize creating platforms and mechanisms for different stakeholders to work together. This could involve regular forums, shared data platforms, or joint project initiatives.

Investment in Digital Infrastructure

The success of digital applications in improving mobility suggests that further investment in this area could yield significant benefits. Cities should consider developing comprehensive digital strategies that integrate various aspects of urban mobility.

Prioritizing Active Mobility

The growth in cycling infrastructure and the high percentage of walking in some cities indicate a trend towards active mobility. Future urban planning should prioritize pedestrian-friendly designs and extensive cycling networks.

Addressing Air Quality

Given the persistent air quality issues, cities need to develop more aggressive strategies to reduce pollution. This could involve stricter emissions standards, more extensive low-emission zones, or incentives for cleaner vehicles.

Capacity Building

The identified lack of expertise in developing and implementing urban mobility projects suggests a need for capacity building programs. Cities could partner with universities or international organizations to develop training programs for city officials.

Sustainable Financing Models

With access to funding identified as a key challenge, cities need to explore innovative financing models. This could include public-private partnerships, green bonds, or accessing EU funds dedicated to sustainable urban development.

Electrification Beyond Public Transport

While progress has been made in electrifying public transport, attention should now turn to private vehicles and last-mile delivery services. This will require a coordinated approach to expand charging infrastructure.

Data-Driven Decision Making

The success of data sharing initiatives suggests that cities should further leverage data analytics in their decision-making processes. This could involve creating centralized urban data platforms or partnering with tech companies for advanced analytics solutions.

Integrating Shared Mobility

As shared mobility services continue to grow, cities need to develop frameworks to integrate these services with existing public transport systems. This could involve creating mobility hubs or developing integrated payment systems.

Focus on User Experience

To encourage the use of sustainable transport modes, cities should focus on improving the overall user experience. This could involve real-time information systems, seamless ticketing, or improved comfort and reliability of public transport.

Conclusion

The Smart City Mobility Index for Central and Eastern Europe provides a comprehensive overview of the progress and challenges in urban mobility across the region. It highlights the importance of collaboration, data sharing, and innovative approaches in creating more sustainable and efficient urban transport systems.

While significant progress has been made, particularly in areas like public transport electrification and digital applications, challenges remain, especially in air quality and achieving long-term climate goals. The index serves as a valuable tool for cities to benchmark their progress, learn from best practices, and identify areas for improvement.

Moving forward, cities in the region will need to focus on building more integrated, sustainable, and user-friendly mobility systems. This will require continued collaboration between various stakeholders, investment in both physical and digital infrastructure, and a strong commitment to environmental sustainability.

By addressing these challenges and building on the progress already made, cities in Central and Eastern Europe can work towards creating urban mobility systems that are not only efficient and sustainable but also contribute to a higher quality of life for their residents.

Article created from: https://youtu.be/tAWe_mzztlw