The World Bank and Embarq- the sustainable mobility initiative of WRI Ross Centre for Sustainable Cities, held the 2018 edition of Transforming Transportation, at the World Bank Headquarters in Washington DC on January 11-12th. The theme of this year’s conference was ‘Realizing Sustainable Mobility for All in the Digital Era’. ECF & WCA were present to remind the world that cycling is essential in the transformation of transport!

Ms Laura Tuck, Vice President for Sustainable Development at the World Bank, and Mr Andrew Steer, President and CEO of WRI, gave the Welcome Address, raising key questions which set the tone for TTDC18: technology is transforming transportation, so how do we make sure this transformation is sustainable? How can new technology take us in the direction we want- towards truly sustainable mobility for all (SUM4ALL) that is cleaner, safer, more equitable and efficient?

Ms Tuck pointed out that we have to ‘consistently agree on the goals for transport’. To that, Mr Steer added that ‘We do know the transport system that we want- but what we need to agree upon its strategy for the next 10 years', thus inviting the transport experts present to engage in the discussion. Ms. Tuck then gave three key messages: (1) Think across different goals; (2) think beyond roads; (3) think about the gender dimension of transportation -- to make sure that systems works for everybody.

ECF and WCA were represented in TTDC18 by Mr. Marcio Deslandes, Global Policies Director, Mr. Manfred Neun, President of WCA and Mr. Klaus Bondam, CEO of Danish Cyclists’ Federation (ECF Member), all three actively promoting cycling as a sustainable and social inclusion means of transportation, during the meetings. 

Highlights

A great first plenary explored how we can Achieve Sustainable Mobility for All in the Digital Economy. Interventions by the panelists were met with exploding enthusiasm on social media, particularly from Mr Enrique Penalosa, Mayor of Bogota who gave his perspective on what true sustainable mobility should mean in a Latin America developing country, and a city like Bogota.

‘Sustainable mobility is first of all democratic […] someone with $50 bicycle should have the same amount of access to road space as someone who drives a $1Million car‘, he stated. Mr Penalosa pointed out that social sustainability is the key to sustainable transport. While public transport and cycling are seen as the transport modes of the poor, sustainable transport will not take off as the means of the many.

The current goal for Bogota, is to have 90% of housing within 1km of a transit line and a bike lane. 

Mr. Davis Wang, Co-founder & CEO of Mobike – a member of ECF’s PEBSS Platform, mentioned that 4 million people per day use public bike share in Beijing, while 7 million use the metro and 2 million use taxis. Mobike estimates that the combined trips made by bicycle in China remove almost 1.2 million cars from the roads per year! Sharing and its role in urban transformation was a recurring theme on this panel, which included Ms. Robin Chase, founder of Zipcar, Mr. Phillip von Hagen, Head of Investment Management, Porsche Automobil Holding SE, and D.S. Mishra, Secretary, Ministry of Housing & Urban Development, India.

An excellent plenary kicked-off the second day of TTDC18: Transport is not Gender Neutral. ITF’s Mary Crass, who moderated the session stated 'Gender is often a more robust determinant of modal choice’ since women are the planet’s largest share of transport users! Setting the tone, Ms. Crass mentioned that transport is not gender neutral, but we have a responsibility to make it gender inclusive.

Ms. Olurinu Jose, Director of Business Systems, Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority, Nigeria said 'Gender balance is not just a moral imperative, it is a business model ... the goal is not to get the men out of the business, the goal is a more balanced view'. Ms. Jose went on to discuss how more women are included in the public transport labor force in Nigeria, resulting in an improved overall performance of the sector and a better working environment.

Providing the big picture from London, Ms. Lilli Matson, Head of Transport Planning, Transport for London, talked about the 100 years of women in transport campaign, which is successfully expanding the women workforce and providing safe and convenient transport services.

Mr. Juan Jose Méndez, Secretary of Transport, Buenos Aires discussed the "Ella se mueve segura" project, with the objective to collect data on security, perception and visions of women about public transport in 3 Latin American cities: Buenos Aires, Quito and Santiago. The project is supported by CAF and the FIA Foundation. Mr. Méndez noted that ‘Gender inequity in balance was bigger than we expected, and happening in other Latin American cities […] 50% of men and 70% of women feel unsure about mass transit’.

Furthering the discussion on safety and security of public transport, Ms ElsaMarie D’Silva, Founder & CEO, Red Dot Foundation (Safecity), India presented the case of India through the research of her foundation. The problem with sexual harassment on public transport, and by extent the feeling of unsafety among women, is record high, indicating an urgent need for action.

'The onus is on women to keep themselves safe, rather than on the transport systems to keep women safe - that is not right’ she said, to loud audience applause.