How can you reduce the negative impacts of urban transport planning?

1 Promote active modes

Active modes of transport, such as walking, cycling, and scootering, are not only healthy and affordable, but also environmentally friendly and space-efficient. They can reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve air quality, save energy, and enhance physical and mental well-being. To promote active modes, you can design safe, comfortable, and attractive infrastructure for pedestrians and cyclists, such as sidewalks, bike lanes, bike parking, and bike-sharing systems. You can also implement traffic calming measures, such as lower speed limits, road narrowing, and speed bumps, to reduce the risk of collisions and injuries.

2 Encourage public transit

Public transit, such as buses, trains, trams, and metros, can provide efficient, reliable, and accessible mobility options for urban residents. It can reduce the need for private car ownership and use, which can lower congestion, pollution, and parking demand. It can also support economic development, social equity, and urban regeneration. To encourage public transit, you can invest in expanding and improving the quality and frequency of service, integrating different modes and networks, and offering incentives and subsidies for users. You can also implement transit-oriented development, which is the practice of creating mixed-use and high-density neighborhoods around transit stations.

3 Manage parking supply

Parking is a key factor that influences travel behavior and mode choice. Parking can also consume valuable urban land, generate traffic and emissions, and affect the urban design and aesthetics. To manage parking supply, you can adopt policies and measures that discourage excessive parking provision and demand, such as setting maximum parking standards, imposing parking fees and taxes, enforcing parking regulations, and implementing parking caps and permits. You can also promote alternative uses of parking spaces, such as green spaces, bike lanes, parklets, and public plazas.

4 Implement road pricing

Road pricing is the practice of charging drivers for using certain roads or zones at certain times or conditions. It can be a powerful tool to reduce congestion, pollution, and road damage by influencing travel demand and behavior. It can also generate revenue that can be used to fund transport improvements or other public services. To implement road pricing, you can use different methods and technologies, such as tolls, cordon charges, area charges, distance-based charges, or congestion charges. You can also vary the prices according to the time of day, the level of congestion, the type of vehicle, or the environmental impact.

5 Support electric vehicles

Electric vehicles (EVs) are vehicles that use electricity as their main source of power, either from batteries or fuel cells. They can reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve air quality, lower noise levels, and save fuel costs. They can also integrate with renewable energy sources and smart grids, creating more sustainable and resilient energy systems. To support electric vehicles, you can provide incentives and subsidies for buyers and manufacturers, such as tax credits, rebates, grants, or exemptions. You can also develop and expand the charging infrastructure, such as public charging stations, home charging outlets, or wireless charging pads.

6 Engage stakeholders

Stakeholders are the individuals, groups, or organizations that have an interest or influence in urban transport planning. They can include transport users, providers, operators, regulators, planners, developers, businesses, communities, and NGOs. Engaging stakeholders can help you understand their needs, preferences, values, and perspectives, as well as their challenges, opportunities, and solutions. It can also help you build trust, collaboration, and support for your plans and projects. To engage stakeholders, you can use various methods and techniques, such as surveys, interviews, focus groups, workshops, forums, or participatory mapping.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?