NEWS

13 May 2020

Over €127 million awarded to Horizon 2020 Transport projects

INEA has signed grant agreements with 22 projects that had been selected for H2020 Transport funding. Some projects have already started, whereas others will be launched by September 2020 at the latest.

The successful projects will contribute to smart connected mobility and logistics of the European transport system under the Mobility for Growth call (topics LC-MG-1-10-2019, LC-MG-1-5-2019, LC-MG-1-8-2019, LC-MG-1-9-2019, MG-2-6-2019, MG-2-7-2019, MG-2-8-2019, MG-2-9-2019). They will receive EUR 127.254.346,74.

Example:

SAFE-UP: Innovative technologies for safe connected automated vehicles

The arrival of Connected Automated Vehicles on our roads raises a lot of safety concerns. SAFE-UP aims to address these by developing innovative technologies, testing and assessment methods. The project will analyse in traffic simulation environment scenarios of highly automated and mixed traffic. From these conclusions, the project will test 4 Demos looking at new seating positions in car and detection of bikes, pedestrians and Powered Two wheelers. The project will also look into safety solutions based on C-ITS to enable timely warning provisions to driver.

The new technologies are expected to reduce fatalities in urban areas through active safety systems. SAFE-UP will also develop targeted education and training schemes for the implementation of automated driving functions and future road safety challenges.

EU Contribution: € 7.9

Total cost: € 7.9

Topic: MG-2-7-2019 – “Safety in an evolving road mobility environment”

Duration: 36 months

Partners: Belgium, Spain, France, Germany, Netherlands, Greece

Further Examples

06 May 2020

The impact of COVID-19 on transport and mobility

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the World Health Organization has underlined the benefits of cycling and walking as a means of transport as they both allow for physical distancing and enable exercise.

As authorities and companies prepare for a relaxation of lockdown measures, plans to reshape mobility are beginning. The Spanish cities of Barcelona and Valencia have budgeted €4.4 million to create 21 kilometres of bike lanes and 12 kilometres of pavements. The Italian city of Milan has announced that 35 kilometres of roads will be transformed to accommodate cyclists and pedestrians. In order to encourage active mobility and ease users' way out of lockdown, the UK city of Brighton has opened up more of its seafront to pedestrians and cyclists. E-scooter company ‘Bird’ has developed a warmup mode, to reduce e-scooter acceleration, in order to ease people back into riding.

Public transport is also likely to undergo changes as passenger numbers increase, but physical distancing rules still apply. Public transport can have an average passenger density in peak hours of between 4 and 6 people per square metre. However, in order to allow for physical distancing this will need to fall significantly, closer to 1 person per square metre. Hence, if passengers are required to stay one metre apart, public transport will be at capacity if demand recovers to just 25% of pre-COVID-19 levels. The solution to this problem is still unclear but the Trade Association for the Emerging Markets have called for additional subsidies for public transport to help the sector cope.

Many companies have been asking for a green recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, putting climate goals at the forefront of reconstruction plans. Frans Timmermans has said, ‘We strongly believe at the Commission that a green recovery is possible.’ Even with these positive words some of the European Green Deal initiatives could be delayed. The ‘Farm to Fork’ strategy is likely to be delayed as important lessons in food security need to be learnt from the pandemic. The strategy for sustainable and smart mobility could also learn some lessons from the pandemic. 

If you would like to learn more about maintaining essential mobility during a pandemic check out our guide here.

Source an more Information: https://www.eltis.org/in-brief/news/4-may-2020-weekly-summary-impact-covid-19-transport-and-mobility

30 April 2020

From China to Austria by rail

RZD Logistics, Sinotrans, and Far East Land Bridge (FELB) have launched a new train container service that runs between the Chinese Shenyang and the Austrian Enns via the border crossing in Zabaykalsk.

Traction via the wide-gauge network is provided by RZD Logistics, while across China and Europe by FELB.

The first set, loaded with industrial raw materials, left China on 14 March, arriving in Austria on 1 April.

"Expanding the geography of transportation is one of our priorities for the development of the company in the container transit segment. That is our first transit service from Shenyang to Austria. We have long been working on traditional routes for the company from this province to Hamburg, Duisburg, Małaszewicze, Warsaw and Milan, so adding Enns to the list of delivery cities is a logical development of a successful service," Dmitry Murev, General Director, RZD Logistics, commented.

Source: http://baltictransportjournal.com/index.php?id=1117

20 April 2020

How has COVID-19 affected mobility

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has called for people all over the world to stay at home to reduce the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19). National governments across the globe have responded by imposing new and varied legislation to ensure that this vital advice is taken.

Helping to reduce the number of key workers who travel by bus and train, the Berlin-based bike rental provider ‘Deezer Nextbike’ has been offering bicycles free of charge for the first half-hour of use. This offer applies to multiple loans a day and will be available until 19 April. Virologists have emphasised the effectiveness of riding bicycles instead of using public transport and have stated that it reduces the risk of infection threefold;

1. firstly, by reducing the rider’s chance of contracting the virus; 
2. secondly, by reducing the number of other travellers an asymptomatic infected person will encounter, and; 
3. thirdly by making buses and trams less crowded, making it easier to maintain a distance from fellow travellers. 

The Deputy Public Transport Minister of Greece, Yiannis Kefalogiannis, has announced new measures applying to all public transport – buses, trams, trains, and ferries – lasting until at least 30 May. These measures set a limit on the maximum capacity of vehicles - restricting them to 50% to ensure social distancing rules can be followed. Taxi cabs with up to five seats can now only carry one passenger, although a parent can accompany a minor.

The whole of Romania has been put under quarantine with the military deployed to ensure that quarantine requirements are being adhered to. As a result, the Bucharest subway and bus services have been left almost empty. The state of emergency will continue for another month and for the first time in 30 years, over the Easter weekend, all public transport was closed, including the subway, buses, trolley-buses, and trams.

With a variety of mobility restrictions in different countries, travel data has been used to gain insights into the average daily distances covered by citizens. CEO of OnAudience.com, Maciek Sawa, said ‘Political, social and economic changes strongly influence our mobility’ and the data analysed by the company shows a significant decline in movement in France, Spain, and Poland after the WHO officially labelled the outbreak a pandemic. In Italy movement remained high until restrictions were imposed on 7 March. Britain was the last of the studied countries to implement restrictions and falls in movement have only been observed over the last few weeks.

With restrictions on movement in place, Italian environmental association ‘Legambiente’ has taken this opportunity to study solutions to pollution. The Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research published a study showing NO2 concentrations in the Po valley decreasing by 40-50% in just one month. It is expected that greenhouse gas emissions across Italy in the first quarter or 2020 will be 5-7% lower than in the same quarter of 2019. While more time is needed to study the effects on particulate matter levels this information will be crucial in future solutions to climate change.

For more information please see the following websites:

• Bicycle shops remain open, nextbike rental bikes are cheaper;
• How is coronavirus affecting the global transport sector? Live updates;
• Europe in Isolation: a New OnAudience.com Mobility Report;
• Legambiente: we use these unfortunate days to study solutions to pollution.

Source:
https://www.eltis.org/in-brief/news/how-has-covid-19-affected-mobility