The challenges of peri-urban mobility

Peri-urban mobility: the facts

First of all, it is necessary to review the current state of  peri-urban transportation. Today, lifestyles are driving many people away from large cities, and territories are now very large. People are completely dependent on rapid transport modes to get around. However, with little or no transportation available, people living in suburban areas are forced to use their personal vehicles for all their trips. Whether it is for a ride home-work trip, for leisure or to access various services, the car is king.

Several problems arise:

• The impact of car use on congestion in large cities, and on the environment;
• The divide between those who have a vehicle and those who walk everywhere (access to employment and services).

This inevitably leads to the need to rethink peri-urban transportation, in order to facilitate travel, relieve congestion in large cities, and preserve the environment.

The actors of peri-urban mobility have then several missions, which answer 5 essential stakes.

Today, rural areas are extremely dependent on cars, and are over-motorised. Rural mobility has therefore become a priority of the LOM law, because the issue is societal, economic and environmental.

1. Accompanying users during the first and last kilometre

Peri-urban areas often benefit from a very limited transport offer, consisting of school transport and largepublic transport, such as departmental buses or rail transport.

Although these modes of transport are widely used, they are not sufficient to meet the demand for mobility, particularly for the first and last kilometre. It is important to be able to offer mobility solutions, such as Demand-Responsive Transport (DRT), that allow people to join existing and structuring transport systems, such as the RER, TER or Transilien, but also to travel the last few kilometres between the last public transport stop and their home.

2. Decongesting the roads

The lack ofmobility options in peri-urban areas hasa direct impact on urban areas. With users having no choice but to use their personal vehicles to get to work, city centres suffocate and road networks suffocats. Already saturated with car-hungry city dwellers in urban areas, cities are being overrun by cars and other vehicles from suburban inhabitants looking for mobility solutions, causing traffic jams and creating major parking problems. Thechallenge of peri-urban mobility here is to be able to relieve congestion at city centres by offering collective travel solutions.

3. Reduce the city-periurubanity divide

Low-density areas also suffer from the exclusion of certain populations. Indeed, dependence on the car weakens categories of people who do not have the possibility of driving or own their car. This is particularly true for people with reduced mobility, the elderly, young people, and the most disadvantaged households. Without a car, and with insufficient transport provision, these people do not have the same access to services and employment as others. This creates a divide between peri-urban areas and the city, marginalises a large part of the population and puts them in a precarious situation. Thus, setting up a Demand-Responsive Transport service is one of the solutions that can help to reduce the divide between city and periurbanity.

4. Reduce the ecological footprint

As we all know, the automobile has a dramatic impact on our environment. Greenhouse gas emissions have increased considerably over the last 30 years, and the number of vehicles has doubled. Peri-urban areas are particularly concerned since they represent the most motorised territories.

The issue is therefore also environmental, and peri-urban areas aim to reduce the use of personal vehicles. This will have a direct impact on CO2 emissions and energy consumption. For this, the Demand-Responsive Transport is also a cleaner solution, which allows tooptimise everyone'stravel .

5. Strengthen intermodality

Intermodality consists of using several modes of transport to make a single ride. It is perfectly suited to peri-urban areas, where the supply of transport is inadequate. By completing the network with alternatives to the private vehicle, peri-urban areas succeed in limiting the use of the car and favoring a more gentle form of mobility. These solutions can take the form of carpooling or Demand-Responsive Transport, and allow peri-urban travelers to reach the main transport lines without having to take their car out of the garage.

The MaaS (Mobility As A Service) is part of this approach by offering users, through a mobile application, the creation of customised itineraries, taking into account all available modes of transportation.

Theissue is therefore also environmental, and the peri-urban areas aim to reduce the use of personal vehicles. This will have a direct impact on CO2 emissions and energy consumption. For this, the Demand-Responsive Transport is also a cleaner solution, which allows tooptimise everyone'stravel .