What is smart mobility?

Mobility problems have been on the rise as populations have been increasing in large cities. Smart mobility comes as a solution to all the troubles that inconvenience city dwellers in their daily travels.

Definition and origin of the concept of smart mobility

What we know of today as smart mobility should be understood in separate concepts. By "mobility" we understand the set of trips, people and merchandise that are produced in a physical environment. In this case, it especially encompasses the movement of people in a space that is used by different means to get around in cities. In addition, dictionaries also accept this term as a synonym for "traffic" or "road transit." Furthermore, "smart" is defined as the faculty of problem-solving. It is the ability to provide solutions to fix a problem or develop something of interest to the participants.

Joining these two concepts, we may see smart mobility as the solutions to problems deriving from the set of movements that take place in a physical setting. Thus, smart mobility proposes to right the wrongs of traffic that have arisen especially as a result of the population explosion in large cities. 

This problem is by no means new. In recent years, mobility problems have been on the rise. The concept of transport has changed over time.

It used to be easy to split it into two parts: private vehicles and public transport systems. The automobile has changed how cities used to be by reducing the spaces in intercity travel. Likewise, public transport systems such as buses, undergrounds and streetcars have been set up as accessible systems of mobility for all layers of the population. However, to solve all the problems deriving from these two systems, smart mobility arises, an essential characteristic of the upcoming Global Mobility Call conference.

Smart mobility offers new and innovative solutions by applying the latest advances in technology to transform the idea of transport and transit. More and more, users are opting for new ideas such as car sharing and personal mobility vehicles, and even choosing not to use any means of transport at all. The current trend urges us to produce new ways to get around cities, as traffic jams have become one of the greatest drawbacks of large cities. Thus, in addition to solving the inconvenience mentioned earlier, the goal is to turn cities into zero emission areas by increasing the number of electric vehicles.

The solution to the traffic problem

According to a report by Tom Tom Traffic (2019), Spain has an average of 22% in terms of traffic jams. Barcelona is the city with the highest rate of traffic jams (29%), followed by Granada (25%), Palma de Majorca (24%), Madrid (23%), and Santa Cruz de Tenerife (23%). Seville takes sixth place with 21% of time lost in traffic. Smart mobility offers solutions to lower the time spend in traffic in the upcoming years.

One of the goals of these new proposals that will be discussed at Global Mobility Call is to reduce the amount of pollution from travelling by car. Reducing the carbon footprint caused by these vehicles is one of the aims under development in every modern city.

The importance of electric vehicles in sustainable cities

Electric vehicles promise becoming one of the solutions to reducing the carbon footprint. The pollution produced by vehicles with combustion engines is, logically, infinitely greater than that of electric vehicles, as we can see in the article on the pros and cons of this type of vehicle.

Even so, many consumers are reluctant to embrace this new model of vehicles. Nevertheless, car manufacturers are still adamant about making more and more cars with rechargeable batteries as their power source.

Car sharing

Another solution offered by smart mobility is that of car sharing a car rental model in which the user uses the vehicle for short periods of time. This way, users do not need to own their own car to get around. Instead, they can rent a car on the spot to travel short distances, normally within the same city.

Ride sharing

The only way to keep traffic jams off streets that cars travel on is by reducing the number of vehicles on the roads. This can be achieved by having several different passengers share the ride. In fact, there are companies that offer different benefits to workers who commute together to their place of work.

Similarly, drivers who travel with riders enjoy advantages in different places in Spain with the VAO lane for carpooling. This lane is faster because it has fewer cars, since the only vehicles that are allowed on it are ones with two or more passengers.

Smart mobility is healthy mobility

In addition to all these innovative proposals, one can always go back to the old ways. Smart mobility also includes going on foot, not using any mechanical means of transport that increase the carbon footprint. Instead, longer distances can be covered using two wheels such as bicycles, which not only are ideal, but also improve people's health. In addition, new personal mobility vehicles such as scooters have become popular in recent years, and this has obligated cities to make special lanes for these means of transport.