GECO - Sustainability virtual italian fair
Sustainable mobility is one of the most important issues of our time, as well as one of the thematic areas of GECO Expo. A high percentage of our emissions and therefore the possibility of achieving the climate targets set by the European Union depend on the way we manage mobility. We discussed this with Giuseppe Ruzziconi, president of federMobilità.
The FederMobilità Association was created to support sustainable mobility, with particular attention to Local Public Transport and to promote widespread and expert sharing and optimising of on-the-field experiences carried out by Local Authorities. FederMobility has relationships with national stakeholders such as the Government, Parliament, the Authority for Transport Regulation, the Market Authority.The regulation of services, the liberalisation of management, the optimisation of operations and resources have been key items on the political agenda for a long time, and federMobility has followed them up by promoting debates and exchanges on the most important issues, the results of which have been brought to the attention of Italian and European institutions. An important issue on which federMobility is working is that of high quality training at affordable costs, in the general interest of both the public transport system and the country. Our Training School was set up a few years ago in collaboration with Isfort, with the support of the Department of Computer, Control and Management Engineering of La Sapienza University and the Malena Foundation. It is an educational experience designed to meet the needs of local authorities and, in general, of all those involved in mobility planning and management and in Local Public Transport.
In our view, regional planning policies and, consequently, mobility and local public transport policies need to be changed. Brave decisions are needed to cater for the unmet demand for local public transport, in the knowledge that citizens' expectations regarding public transport have increased. The goal set by the National Research Programme will be challenging in large cities and almost impracticable in small and medium-sized areas where the overwhelming dominance of private cars is often indisputable. This is why particularly bold administrative choices are required in matters such as the long-standing issue of the commercial speed of public transport, traffic saturation, lack of restrictions on the use of private vehicles, etc. We therefore need to take action to promote collective mobility and soft mobility and, at the same time, limit the use of private cars.
Local administrators can and must contribute to improving local public transport. Every single local authority that operates a transport service must feel responsible for spending the resources it is allocated and for attaining the best possible result for the local community in terms of efficiency, effectiveness and quality of mobility and local public transport. For example, the resources earmarked for the operation of local public transport should be assessed on the basis of the achievement of specific and measurable objectives by introducing a system of rewards or penalties depending on the individual authority's targets, so that those who deliver results are rewarded. In this way, the others are also motivated to make a greater effort to avoid expense cuts. In addition, effective action must be taken with solid Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans, in order to achieve the necessary and certifiable environmental sustainability objectives and, in any case, to implement appropriate adjustments in policies when required.
The Covid-19 emergency is having a major impact on the way we live, work and interact, causing an unprecedented economic and social crisis in the country's history. As far as mobility is concerned, public transport has lost a huge number of passengers and, with it, a considerable share of its revenue. However, the whole industry has been propped up, at least partially, by public resources. I think it will take a few more years (possibly two or three) before the public transport industry can return to its pre-Covid layout.
Because it deals with everything that can be integrated into a sustainable economy. Because it promotes interest in the discovery of new ways of producing and using energies sustainably. Because, thanks to new technologies, it promotes the development of sustainable mobility for everyday use and within a MaaS environment. All this is of interest to us because it encourages new and more sustainable lifestyles. This is what we call “ecological transition".
If you are interested in sustainable mobility, we recommend that you attend GECO EXPO, You will be able to listen to many distinguished experts and meet companies that have innovated this industry.
Published on 31-01-2022
