CASE #3: MOBILITY ON DEMAND

It was in 1989 when Strasbourg initiated its ecological transition, tackling the issue of mobility. This awareness allowed the city to reduce the use of the car in the city center and create an alternative transport system. Thus since 1995, the image of Strasbourg, in addition to the cathedral and its UNESCO architectural heritage, includes its tram and 650km of cycle paths. Today the Eurométropole wants to achieve another goal: the ‘Mobility Revolution’, a new model which will allow each territorial scale to adopt solutions that are most suited based on three pillars: 1) A more convenient and more accessible mobilities package, throughout the territory; 2) Intermodality; 3) Free public transport for under-18s.

The political will is to give everyone the right to a wide spectrum of mobility services.

The instrument that allows that is a political project co-created with all the territorial stakeholders (residents and economic players) that goes beyond the traffic restrictions of the ZFE (Zone à faible émissions) which concerns 33 municipalities: the attention is given to the most vulnerable people with the aim to support them, either in replacing their private vehicles with more efficient models, or by offering them alternatives to the car. The Mobility Revolution is a global vision for the mobility policy and includes: a process of consultation to adapt the system, to respond to expectations and questions, and to reassure and amend the program accordingly

a plan of communication to keep the various stakeholders informed throughout the implementation of the scheme. To this end, they have set up political monitoring committees (with representatives of all political groups), territorial monitoring committees (social, citizens, associations) and economic monitoring committees (with representatives of the various sectors).

From a financial point of view the project counts on the availability of an unprecedented budget of €50m supporting a number of tools, among which is a mobility wallet (an account credit with up to €2,000 valid for three years, integrating other existing grants and giving access to a range of ‘à la carte’ mobility services, in partnership with mobility operators such as public transport, bicycle rental, car-sharing) and car conversion aid. The financial aspects are then combined with the introduction of planning measures to ensure accessibility and on-demand transport services. They include:

1. A mobility package for dense urban areas zones (Strasbourg and its inner ring)
Extensions to the main public transport lines towards the peripheries in all directions.
See Chron hop 2023

2. A mobility package for peri-urban areas and villages (outer ring). These improvements also include the extension of the cycle track network to offer better accessibility and improved possibilities for cycling to work and for leisure, through electric bikes, which offer an efficient support for the modal shift towards carbon-free travel.

3. A mobility package for a wider population zone on a cross-border scale – the third ring. These connections with the ‘third ring’ of neighbouring inter-communities also include cross-border train and bike lane connections between Strasbourg and Kehl in Germany (in this case, financial support comes from both towns).

All in all, €500m for the mobility revolution. Considered a pioneer example for mobility service and infrastructure, Strasbourg will host the Mobility EXPO 1-3 October 2024, a unique opportunity for presenting and sharing the innovations which have made the Eurométropole the most efficient public transport networks in France.

Please visit the page Metropolitan Partnerships in action across Urban and Rural to read about more cases of metropolitan partnerships from across Europe.