«A city can be considered truly sustainable when it allows the freedom to choose the means of transport with which to travel, once you leave home, without necessarily having to resort to cars.” one of our interviewees told us. Freedom and sustainability, therefore, are two complementary concepts in the modern world.»
What are the means of sustainable mobility?
According to the official of the Technical Office of Public Works of the City of Legnano, as well as Mobility Manager, «Everything that is not the private car. If we wanted to make a ranking, we would have walking in first place, then the traditional bicycle, followed by the pedal-assisted bicycle, scooters, public transport such as trains, trams, buses, which transport many people at the same time, followed by the world of sharing mobility (This term means all shared means of transport, where you book a vehicle at hourly rates) and car pooling (where one person carries several people).»
“The goal of sustainable mobility is not only to limit CO2 emissions, but also to reduce traffic in cities and improve safety: this allows us to improve the quality of life in cities.”
But the long-awaited question: Would it be possible to improve the quality of public transport?
“Trains, being electric, are inherently low-polluting; buses, on the other hand, are still fuel-powered, but are slowly being converted to hybrid or fully electric, the problem is that they remain quite expensive.“, a topic that we will explore in one of the next sections.
Sustainability is synonymous with the future, but also with responsibility. It is the ability to meet the needs of the present without compromising those of future generations, and, contrary to what many believe, it is not just about the environment. In fact, we can talk about responsibility…
…social
Article 3 of our Constitution is clear: all citizens have equal social dignity and are equal before the law. […] It is the duty of the Republic to remove economic and social obstacles, which […] impede the full development of the human person and the effective participation of all workers in the political, economic and social organization of the country.
According to the UIC, for example, blind or visually impaired people are provided with concessions for public transport, including rail discounts, VAT reductions for the purchase of vehicles, exemptions from the Bollo and H stickers.
Yet, public transport is not always user-friendly for every single citizen.
“I often have difficulty moving around stations. Sometimes due to the stress of commuters, sometimes due to faults in the audiovisual signals or general malfunctions. Not to mention safety. Italy has made public transport accessible for us too, but we are far from having certainty every day.” tells us a boy from Dialogo nel Buio, the Milanese training center run by blind and visually impaired people.
The situation for those with other disabilities is no different, as daily challenges are common, particularly related to the lack of ramps for buses.
…environmental
According to the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, the Government aims to create approximately 570 km of urban and metropolitan cycle paths throughout the country.
Of great importance for the Province is the approval of the project Move On, which provides the possibility of reaching Switzerland in bicycle from Legnano (MI). The works are already underway in Castellanza (VA), in the ex Cantoni area behind the residence of the Liuc University, which has actively participated in the project.
…economic
Speaking of costs, in reality sustainable mobility is not only sustainable from an environmental point of view, but also from an economic one: walking is free, moving by bicycle requires only the cost of the vehicle, which is certainly less expensive than a car, public transport subscriptions can be expensive, but the more you use them, the more convenient they become.
However, in the public transport sector the situation becomes more complex: talking about change is always easy, but the solutions taken into consideration often have to deal with the Italian economic reality.
“Public transport needs more investment, in large cities like Milan there is a lot of it during the day, but not as much at night, while in small cities there is little and it often takes a long time to travel short distances. If few people use public transport, few funds will be invested to improve it and if few funds are invested to improve it, just as few people will use it: it’s a vicious circle.” explains the Mobility Manager.
The Pnrr includes a total of nine measures aimed at improving the sector: eight investments and one reform. A total of 9.5 billion euros are earmarked for public transport, of which 3.6 billion for the renewal of green buses and trains, but cancellations are still expected by 2026 due to obstacles in meeting deadlines.
Of the approximately 40 projects, 8 are located in Lombardy; however, Emilia-Romagna and Sicily are the regions that receive the most funding.
Legnano: a Municipality towards green
In an exclusive interview with the Director of Public Works of Legnano, she told us that «The current objectives of the Municipality start from an urban planning that guarantees the safety of pedestrians and bicycles through more usable routes.» Maps and structures accessory to the route are defined as fundamental by the official, especially the bicycle stations.
«We plan to study a system for the reduction of traffic, so as to also protect the areas currently without cycle paths. Furthermore, to reduce emissions, we want to encourage the purchase of electric cars by distributing more columns throughout the area.»
Even the organization of Legnano parking lots becomes a strategic system, which aims to encourage people not to move around the city by car, but to prefer public transport or to move on foot, also promoting health.
«Of course, the car is a status symbol, and we must understand that citizens will tend to use it even beyond convenience.» she concludes.
From fossil fuel to electric: Italy is hesitant
According to the latest Smart Mobility Report conducted by the Polytechnic University of Milan together with Energy Strategy, a quarter of the cars registered in 2023 in Europe are electric. This amounts to approximately 3 million cars, including full electric and plug-in models. Leading the way are Germany, Sweden, Denmark and Finland.
Our country, on the other hand, seems uncertain about this fundamental step, and is struggling to reach the level of other states. In 2023, there was even a 0.2% drop compared to the previous year.
Scandinavian countries seem particularly convinced of the importance of the electric transition. In Oslo, the “Electric Car Capital”, starting from November 1st only electric taxis will be allowed to circulate. Norway has long adopted various measures to reduce emissions and promote a more sustainable transport system, including new infrastructure and incentives: in 2022, almost 80% of cars sold were electric.
The Mobility of the Future
How the Mobility Report Will Change the Way We Move
Presented on July 9th, the Mobility Report 2024 is more than just a document on transportation: it’s a glimpse into how people will move in the coming years. Moving beyond traditional manual counts and paper analyses, the solution is already here: it’s called Darwin, a digital platform that gathers and analyzes real-time data, transforming it into a tailored transportation system.
The Heart of Modernity: Big Data
With Darwin, every movement becomes a resource for data collection. From commuter flows to tourist flows, Big Data is used to define routes, schedules, and mobility preferences with unprecedented precision. Services can thus better respond to user preferences, especially based on age, residence, or travel reason: a mobility that adapts to citizens, rather than the other way around!
The New Lombardy: Connected, Sustainable, and Dynamic
According to Trenord’s forecasts, by 2032, total journeys within Lombardy will reach nearly 17 million—one million more than pre-pandemic levels. The future of the region will almost certainly see unprecedented expansion, resulting in new rail connections, expanded roads, and renewed urban areas. Key initiatives include the closure of Milan’s Area C to polluting vehicles and a direct rail connection to Bergamo Orio al Serio Airport. This strategic vision places people at the center, aiming to redefine the nation’s map.
Steps Towards Demand-Driven Mobility
The Mobility Report helps us identify the two aspects of mobility: local movements, or communities, which move mainly within their own areas, and main flows, or corridors, that converge toward urban centers. With advanced Community Detection algorithms, Darwin can adapt services to real needs rather than to simple theoretical models.
And what about the future? A demographic winter is on the way, which will reduce traffic but could also threaten the economic sustainability of public transportation.
The Key to New Mobility: Innovation
The real challenge for the future is not only to increase services but also to enhance their efficiency. This term recurs in many interviews we’ve collected, but achieving it is still a long way off. We will likely witness the first system capable of understanding where and how we want to move, adapting in real time to changes and needs.
Ecco la traduzione in inglese:
The Olona Valley and Opportunities for the Environment
From Transit Zone to Recreation Area: A Great Example for the Future
In recent years, many cities and regions have rediscovered the potential of abandoned spaces, transforming them into areas for gathering, recreation, and sustainable growth. The redevelopment of these spaces is a trend that not only revitalizes forgotten areas but also contributes to creating a more inclusive and ecologically conscious urban network—a world that is increasingly green.
Encouraging Tourism and Reducing Emissions
An example is the Olona Valley, which has transformed from a simple transit zone into a recreational area. Through a redevelopment project, the valley has been equipped with bike paths, designed with sustainable materials and integrated into the natural environment, surrounded by trees and mostly unused factories. These paths not only promote sustainable tourism and physical activity but also help reduce environmental impact by lowering the need for polluting transportation.
Waterways as the Highways of the Future
The Olona, like other waterways, has always been available to us. In the past, as now, it should serve as a vital springboard for a more sustainable future. The importance of its redevelopment is both current and essential—the highway of the future travels on water!
Similarly, old buildings like abandoned schools or factories can be transformed into social centers or cultural spaces. Renovating these buildings not only preserves architectural heritage but also reduces the consumption of natural resources compared to new construction. For example, an old school acquired by Varese News has become a gathering center for youth and families, offering educational, social, and cultural activities. These renewed spaces become places of connection and exchange, with a positive impact on the community and the city that hosts them.
The goal of these projects is clear: on one hand, to improve people’s quality of life by providing safe and welcoming spaces; on the other, to promote ecological and sustainable practices, such as using recycled materials and adopting low-energy technologies. Redeveloping old spaces is thus an act of civility and responsibility towards the environment and a significant opportunity to create stronger bonds within the communities that inhabit them.
An international opinion
Commuting between desks
Between constantly delayed trains and overcrowded buses, students struggle to find a compromise with public transport.
This is one of the many reflections of students and workers who daily face what seems like a mission impossible towards their destination. Certainty, or rather, uncertainty is the key word to describe the topic that we will explore in this article.
School and urban vehicles are not working well together
Transport delays are often a justification – or, according to many teachers, an “excuse” – always present in the students’ registers. Of course, it is fair to walk in teachers’ shoes who, day after day, are forced to start the lesson half an hour late because the class is not
yet full: it becomes easy, therefore, to point the finger at the negligence of their students. Althoughthere are always exceptions to the rule, we are here to deny the accusations.
According to Codacons, 1 out of 5 trains in Italy is late. Unpleasant accidents, fires, line and computer system failures are just some of the frequent and disastrous reasons that make the journey of millions of Italians uncertain every day.
But what do young people think? We asked them directly.
Out of a group of about 100 interviewees, about 70% of them say they regularly use the train to go to school, work or university, while just under 15% use the bus.
The worrying data, however, are the those: over 80% frequently encounter problems and delays related to public transport, while, of the remaining 20%, only a small part says they have never encountered them. So, is what we are talking about really a justification, or perhaps a problem that should be eradicated at the root rather than pointing the finger at those who suffer from it every day?
An efficiency problem
But what is efficiency, concretely? It is defined as the ability to perform and respond to one’s own purposes (Treccani’s definition). Trenord’s mission is “to put the traveler at the center, to improve their quality of life by offering quality services”, that of the Italian Railway Network “to safely manage rail traffic, to keep the infrastructure fully efficient with its dense network of lines and stations”.
How can it be possible to meet these objectives efficiently if the conditions of our country do not allow it?
Almost 90% of our interviewees believe that, on a scale of 1 to 10, the efficiency of the Italian transport system is less than 6, while only 1% went as far as rating it higher than 8.
And safety?
Another sore point that is often touched upon in the fundamental purpose of companies operating in the transport sector is that of safety.
Marco (fictitious name, on request of anonymity), controller at Trenord, told us about the challenges he faces every day during his work shift. «I don’t think safety will exist for much longer. Or at least, not the one everyone means,” are words that open up a great starting point for reflection, given that “commuters are not the only ones who are afraid to go to the station or to open the news.”
What was once simply a task of checking tickets has transformed into a real race for safety.
“It happens that you are offended, threatened and sometimes physically attacked by passengers. I know colleagues who, after any day of work, have returned home with fractures.” It is therefore a dystopian reality that is taking hold in stations throughout the region.
Our solutions
Education and awareness campaigns
Children and young people are now aware of the consequences that pollution and global warming will have on their future.
However – beyond the classics of recycling and reducing consumerism – they are often not given concrete actions to take to do their part. Starting with transport
(with a view to a future in which they will have to move independently, but also to encourage parents to do the same) can be a valid option: why not organize meetings with schools to raise awareness on the issue? Encourage them to reduce the use of private vehicles, providing valid alternative solutions and opening them up to the world of public transport, before having to discover it on their own when they are forced to rely on it.
Traffic control and reduction systems
As already stated by the Director of Public Works of Legnano, implementing technologies to reduce congestion in the city and better manage the flow would help manage both the time of citizens and the amount of emissions in the urban territory.
More flexible transport
A system of almost on-demand transport – including shuttle buses or mini buses – that can act as taxis capable of transporting a greater quantity of people on request (so as to exploit the distribution of the cost on the number of passengers to reduce the high prices of taxis, but at the same time pollution).