The Next Frontier of Mobility

In the last edition of our 2022 newsletter, we reflect on the remarkable evolution of the transport narrative for development and discuss the biggest policy issues the sector faces in the years ahead.

For a long time, public policy in transport focused on investing in large infrastructure projects and providing access to transport services. The endorsement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development with its 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs) and the Paris Climate Agreement in 2015 compelled an overall rethinking of transport policymaking.

Because transport is a crucial enabler of other SDGs, the traditional siloed approach of the sector could no longer be sustained, and coordination with other sectors like energy and agriculture became paramount. The SDG framework also imposed new transport requirements in safety, gender, climate, inclusion, and others beyond access. The new concept of sustainable mobility was born as the simultaneous pursuit of four policy goals: universal access, efficiency, safety, and green mobility.

It took a year for the international transport community to gather and agree on the common definition of “sustainable mobility. In the journey of collective thinking, international organizations—coalesced under the Sustainable Mobility for All umbrella—were instrumental in defining this concept and devising the pathway for countries to achieve that goal.

Fast-forward, we have gathered the knowledge, tools, and lessons from the Partnership's pilot case study in South Africa to assist countries on this pathway. Countries and organizations can now leverage the wealth of learned experiences into action. Reaching that ambition globally would propel substantial economic and social benefits; one billion people stand to be connected to education, health care, and jobs by eliminating the rural access gap, 800,000 premature deaths can be avoided per year if countries reduced their road traffic fatalities to the level of the OECD countries, and global GDP could increase by US$2.6 trillion with improvement in border administration, transport, and communications infrastructure.  

Two challenges threaten progress toward the attainment of these outcomes. The first is environment and climate change. The transport sector contributes about a quarter of energy-related greenhouse gas emissions. Reducing emissions is complicated by the projected increases demand for motorized transport in the years to come.  The last few UN Conference of the Parties (COPs) have shown the complexity of reaching consensus on how to decarbonize the sector, in a way that is globally responsible, affordable, and fair.  

Second, transport has long suffered from a lack of true equity in planning, design, and implementation.  For example, gender remains an active challenge in equity, despite garnering more attention and focus in the sector recently. Many communities have been left out of the decision-making process when considering urban design and infrastructure. Yet, minority or socially disadvantaged populations generally suffer more from negative transportation impact.  Equity is embedded in the SDGs but achieving it will require much diligence, active effort from public decision-makers considering traditionally overlooked voices and communities, and corrective policies when it comes down to policy design, and implementation.

Collectively, these dynamics both make the need for a new approach in transport abundantly clear and increase a sense of urgency for action today.