Section Lead: Elisa Veronese
Contributors: Mattia Dallapiccola, Elisa Veronese, Thomas Benedikter, Daniele Vettorato, Lukas Köster, Sascha Lindig, Robin Castellani, Cristina Polacchi
The mobility and transportation sector is the most emitting sector in South Tyrol, amounting to 45% of the total emissions (1.170 Mt CO2e out of the total 2.611 Mt). Within this sector, private cars are the largest emitters (56%) followed by heavy freight transport (32%) and light freight transport (7%). The emissions mainly come from the combustion of Diesel and Petrol, but also Methane and LPG (). Further, this type of engine is responsible for direct pollutants and noise.
Therefore, it is of highest priority to reduce the emissions in this sector. Decarbonisation measurements should be implemented in the three levels of the public administration, private sector and on citizen level.
Public Administration
Traffic reduction through micromobility
Micromobility refers to short range mobility like for instance bikes. It is key to enhance the available infrastructure to integrate public transport with micromobility concepts. These types of mobility carry many benefits beyond greenhouse gas reductions, for instance lower noise burden and increased health and fitness of the society.
Increase bike lane infrastructure and pedestrian walking options as in “Walkable cities”. Adapt traffic lights to reduce traveling time, especially when raining (giving cyclists priority).
Incentivize sustainable mobility (e.g. bici bonus, bike-to-work schemes, tax-free bike purchase incentives, school bikebuses, etc.). Compulsory sustainable mobility programme at schools and workplaces (similar to health and safety training courses)
Develop digital public services (e.g. healthcare) that allow avoiding unnecessary trips
Public Transportation
Objective and expected benefits: mobility is considered a key pillar of decent living standards but the currently dominant approach based on private car ownership is unsustainable – also if based on emission free technologies such es electric cars due to the need for finite earth metals such as lithium and cobalt – and it has additional negative side effects in particular in urban areas such as heavy land consumption, noise nuisance, traffic jams etc.. Reducing individual mobility substantially bears several benefits such as reduced traffic and congestion, reduce air and noise pollution and thus increase citizen health which reduces the burden on the public healthcare sector. Reduced traffic will furthermore decrease road accidents Replace parking lots by recreational areas to foster social relationships. Expand and invest in the public transport (train, bus, cable cars), make it (more) accessible and inclusive, affordable, convenient, extensive, reliable, electrified (clean) # Expand and invest in the public car-sharing, make it accessible (inclusive), affordable, convenient, extensive, reliable, electrified (clean) reduced reliance on fossil fuels and use of locally produced clean energy directly, reduced material consumption
How to reach the objectives:
- reactivate old and increase (partially double lane) train tracks (e.g. Bruneck → Sand in Taufers, Toblach → Cortina)
- public and active transport have to be the fastest and cheapest modes to get around (example: Japan)
- leisure activities (hiking, skiing, climbing etc.) have to become better accessible by public and active transportation (Train → Kronplatz, early busses for hikers)
- increase and invest in electric car-sharing infrastructure
- Develop digital public services (e.g. healthcare) that allow avoiding unnecessary trips
- in rural areas that are not well connected to the public transport system provide mobility-on-demand systems (Alm-taxis) and provide car sharing/rental opportunities
- public information campaigns to remove negative connotations towards public transport and ban advertisement that fetishises cars
- MIMS: decarbonize transportation (report)
- demand-responsive shared/public transport in rural areas where demand is low and therefore conventional public transport can be more energy intensive than other options (e.g. car sharing, carpooling, private but electric cars)
Traffic reduction
- The Superblock concept, that successfully reduces traffic in block-like structured cities such as Barcelona can also be adopted for non-block urban geographies.
Private Sector
Heavy freight transport
A major polluter of the mobility sector at current is heavy fright transport. Shift to train. Make heavy fright transport emission-free (BEV, FCV). Make the A22 a green corridor. A shift to micromobility (post, parcel, services) will help decrease the reliance on heavy fright transport. Establish logistic centres and use existing infrastructures (metros)
Avoid and reduce mobility
Develop smart working policies to increase accessibility to employment, that decrease congestion, especially during peak commuting hours. Incentives for off peak commuting (flexible working hours).
Citizen
Reduce reliance and use of private cars
A switch from privately owned cars to other modes of mobility like public transport, car sharing or soft mobility will have the benefit of reduced pollution, reduced reliance on fossil fuels on, however, by not just transitioning to privately owned electric vehicles we will gain additional benefits, such as reduced traffic and congestion, frees up space particularly in urban areas (e.g. parking lots) that can be used to increase the amount of recreational areas and thereby foster social relationships, decreased road accidents, reduced material consumption and reduced noise burden.
Active mobility is shown to improve physical and mental wellbeing.
Shift to battery electric vehicles
Electric cars and electric bikes reduce air pollution and are a key technology in the transition away from fossil fuels.
Travelling and flights
Rethink holiday destinations (choose destinations where you can stay on the ground). Shift to low-emission transportation (no short-haul flights, trains and busses, night trains, cycling trips)