How to make local transport more attractive?

Susanne Eliasson 2
Susanne Eliasson, Co-founder & Architect GRAU (Good reasons to afford urbanism) Rédigé le February 20, 2024
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“The city of tomorrow must also be a more inclusive city. And mobility is the first driver of inclusion. Why? Because it is what connects people, links neighbourhoods, and ensures that no area is left behind. For me, outdoor advertising and urban furniture contribute to this solidarity by offering free services to citizens: information, shelter, connectivity, and sometimes even phone‑charging. All of this helps make the city easier for everyone, regardless of income level. By providing high‑quality infrastructure for all users of public transport and public space, we build a city that leaves no one behind.”

In this interview, Susanne Eliasson, Co-founder & Urban Architect GRAU, explains how to make local transport more attractive.

The car is still the world's number one means of transport. Even people who criticize the car have to admit that it's an absolutely wonderful invention that's hard to compete with. If we want to help people use local transport, we need to work on several issues at the same time:

  • The question of efficiency: transport must be fast, but multimodality must also be made easier. It all comes down to small details. When I was in Arles, I saw that you could rent a bike at the station in the same place as you drop off your luggage. It's a small thing that makes the train-bike connection more efficient.
  • The question of multiplying the offer: shared transport must be made available everywhere. We need to increase the number of experiments: cargo bikes, electric bikes... The sorting out will naturally take place between what works and what doesn't. We also need to experiment in less densely populated areas, as with transport on demand.
  • The question of route quality: If we're talking about cycling, it's not the same thing to ride along an expressway as it is to ride along a planted promenade.

To sum up, I'd say that efficiency, the multiplication of the offer and the quality of the journey are three elements we need to work on. We need to get out of the tunnel and take a very broad view of the issue.

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