Data-driven planning of transport consumption and promotion of micromobility

Research Project, 2024 – 2027

The transport system accounts for approximately a quarter of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Historically, road transport has been the largest contributor to GHG emissions among different transport sectors. Micromobility (including private and shared bicycles, e-bicycles, scooters, and e-scooters) has the potential to reduce GHG emissions, meet people’s daily transportation needs, and promote sustainable behavioural change in various urban contexts. However, the consumption of some micromobility services, such as sharing e-scooter systems (SESS), appears to ‘damage’ transport energy efficiency by generating more emissions in specific urban areas and substituting walking.

This project will focus on two main challenges related to micromobility: adopting a system perspective for infrastructure, urban planning, and policy; and promoting the sustainable use of micromobility. The project aims to propose a framework that integrates the built environment with the social, behavioural, and psychological drivers of travel behaviour to promote sustainable micromobility. The proposed framework will address two key objectives: 1) Close the gap in understanding the social, behavioural, and psychological drivers of travel behaviour in the context of micromobility across different urban settings; 2) Deliver value to stakeholders within and outside academia (with a focus on municipalities) to support spatial planning and informed policy decisions.