Urban mobility and its transport systems are being affected by the changes of the digital age but also by the overcrowding of large cities, all of this represents a challenge for sustainable mobility.
Thanks to the digital revolution, tools such as big data and concepts such as carsharing are vital to create smart cities with efficient and sustainable mobility systems.
Big data, for example, is a key tool since it allows the data generated by vehicles, pedestrians, traffic lights and other elements and circumstances of urban traffic to be collected and analyzed at all times.
But for more efficient mobility, the new smart cities have to have three key elements:
Performance and resilience. Cities must guarantee the good condition of their roads and transport infrastructures, offering different integrated mobility options with the aim of minimizing traffic jams.
Vision and leadership. Urban mobility requires innovation and investment, as well as good management that coordinates the different parties.
Service and inclusion. Urban mobility has to be accessible to the entire population. Cities must guarantee the punctuality and adequate rotation of public transport, offer affordable options to all budgets and facilitate access to the entire range of transport.
Among the trends that are revolutionizing the urban transport sector include:
Sustainable mobility. Electric vehicles represent the mobility of the future. This is reflected in its growing sales figures. A key factor in this boom is innovation when it comes to batteries, which are becoming cheaper, more efficient and autonomous.
Shared mobility. This type of mobility reduces traffic and the emission of polluting gases. Even so, with the coronavirus crisis, the viability of this trend can be questioned, either because of the fear of contagion or because the new disinfection protocols will add extra costs.
Autonomous vehicles. They are vehicles that, thanks to Artificial Intelligence, can move without the interaction of the driver. An autonomous car can pick up a user and drop him off at his destination, always using the best route. Among other advantages, it reduces traffic and parking spaces in order to improve air quality.
Connected mobility. Thanks to IoT, we can now make all elements of the circulation communicate with each other: vehicles, traffic lights, signals, etc. In addition, with the massive deployment of 5G, cars will be able to receive information about free parking spaces or about dangers outside their field of vision, while traffic lights will be able to self-regulate based on traffic and the presence of pedestrians, among other advantages.
In the not too distant future we can hope that the transport sector has been completely transformed, most transport systems will be intelligent, fully autonomous vehicles where the driver can take a nap ... We will see a real revolution!
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