Redefining Mobility for a Sustainable Future

At the heart of MyFairShare’s work lies a groundbreaking definition of minimum mobility budgets. Through an extensive literature review, the project identified six essential life functions that any mobility system must support: work, education, leisure, shopping, etc. This definition also incorporates an understanding of the “law of constant travel time” – the observation that people are consistently willing to spend no more than 70 minutes daily on travel, regardless of location or transport mode.

“When we talk about mobility, we always assume it’s limitless,” explains Alexandra Millonig, the project’s coordinator. “But with climate change and the urgent need to become climate neutral in transport, we have to recognise there are limits.” The project’s research shows that to meet Paris Agreement targets, transport emissions must be reduced by 95% within the next 16 years in some European countries.

The implications of this are stark: even with an electric car powered by renewable energy, an individual’s daily travel would need to be limited to just three kilometres to stay within sustainable limits. For conventional fuel vehicles, this drops to a mere 400 meters. While these numbers aren’t meant as strict limits, they highlight the scale of change needed in our transport systems.

Mapping the Path to Fair Mobility

Building on this theoretical foundation, MyFairShare developed the Minimum Budget Viewer, a sophisticated yet user-friendly GIS tool. This free, open-access resource helps policymakers visualise and analyse mobility needs across their territories. The tool divides regions into one-kilometre grid squares and calculates the accessibility of essential services for different demographic groups.

Using open-source data from OpenStreetMap, the tool can determine whether residents in each grid square can access necessary services – from grocery stores to healthcare facilities – within acceptable time limits. It considers different modes of transport, starting with walking and cycling, and factors in the specific needs of various demographic groups, from families with young children to elderly residents.

The tool has already demonstrated its practical value. In Jelgava, Latvia, municipal authorities used it to optimise the placement of new bus stops, ensuring better service coverage for residents. By incorporating data from OpenStreetMap, the tool can be readily deployed in any European city, offering insights into where infrastructure improvements are most needed.

From Resistance to Acceptance: The Art of Fair Implementation

One of MyFairShare’s most significant contributions is its work on fairness concepts in mobility planning. Through living labs across six European, the project explored how to implement radical changes while maintaining public support. These labs ranged from intensive work with small groups of 15 participants to large-scale surveys reaching hundreds of respondents. The participants varied by context – from car drivers in London to residents sharing the same local infrastructure in Vienna, to commuters working at the same location but living in different areas in Berlin.

The project identified two main approaches to fairness: calculated fairness, which uses objective metrics and top-down planning, and procedural fairness, which emphasises community consultation and bottom-up decision-making. A comprehensive set of guidelines will help policymakers choose and implement the most appropriate approach for their context.

A key finding across all living labs was that citizens are generally more willing to accept significant changes than policymakers expect. In London, for instance, even car drivers showed openness to new mobility concepts when properly engaged. The project found that clear communication about concrete actions and their impacts was crucial – people want to know exactly what they can do to make a difference.

The Urban-Rural Mobility Divide

The project also conducted a pioneering analysis of mobile phone data in Austria, revealing striking differences between urban and rural mobility patterns. The project purchased anonymised mobile data and developed algorithms to identify transport modes based on movement patterns. Its analysis showed that while city dwellers often travel far beyond their necessary minimum, rural residents typically stick closer to their minimum mobility needs due to limited infrastructure options.

These findings challenge conventional wisdom about the 15-minute city concept. “Most cities are already 15-minute cities,” Alexandra explains. The issue isn’t creating these zones—it’s encouraging people to use them. Meanwhile, in rural areas, we need to focus on making essential services accessible within reasonable distances.”

The data revealed significant gaps between minimum necessary travel and actual travel patterns in urban areas, suggesting considerable potential for change. In rural areas, the gap was much smaller, indicating that infrastructure improvements should be prioritised over behavioural change campaigns.

Understanding Secondary Effects

MyFairShare also conducted systematic assessments of potential rebound effects from mobility budget implementation. For example, if people reduce their physical travel, they might increase their use of home deliveries. While this could reduce individual car trips to shops, the overall impact on emissions depends on delivery efficiency and urban-rural context.

The project developed detailed frameworks forthcoming to help policymakers anticipate and address these complex interconnections. These guides will help authorities understand how mobility changes in one area might affect emissions in another, ensuring that well-intentioned policies don’t lead to unintended increases in overall emissions.

Towards Fair Mobility Systems

MyFairShare demonstrates that the right tools and approaches can create fair, low-carbon mobility systems. The project’s combination of practical planning tools, fairness frameworks, and evidence-based implementation guidelines provides policymakers with a comprehensive toolkit for transforming transport systems fairly and effectively.

The project shows that while reducing transport emissions is a significant challenge, solutions exist that can be effective and publicly acceptable. The key lies in careful planning, clear communication, and ensuring fairness across different demographic groups and geographical contexts.

Note: All tools and guidelines mentioned in this article will be available at the project website, as well as the policy guidelines.