The problem

European cities face four main mobility problems: congestion, land use, safety and environment. One of the main causes of such problems is the car-ownership rate. The centres of large cities address this issue combining efficient mass transits with car restriction policies but peripheral areas and smaller cities remain dominated by private cars.

CityMobil has demonstrated how automating road vehicles can lead to different transport concepts, from partly automated car-share schemes through CyberCars and PRT, to BRT, which can make urban mobility more sustainable.

Our approach

Our working group (together with 45 international partners), with CityMobil2 project, aimed to address three main barriers to the deployment of automated road vehicles (the implementation framework, the legal framework and the unknown wider economic effect) and finally to remove them.

To smooth the implementation process, CityMobil2 has removed the uncertainties, which presently hamper procurement and implementation of automated systems. On one hand, CityMobil2 features 12 cities, which have revised their mobility plans and adopted wherever they have proved effective automated transport systems. Then, CityMobil2 has selected the best 5 cases (among the 12 cities) to organise demonstrators. The project has procured two sets of automated vehicles and delivered them to the five most motivated cities for a 6 to 8 months demonstration in each city.

To change the legal framework, CityMobil2 has established a workgroup with scientists, system builders, cities, and the national certification authorities. The workgroup has delivered a proposal for a European Directive to set a common legal framework to certify automated transport systems.

Finally, an industrial study assessed the industrial potential of automated systems on European economy and any eventual negative effect and made a balance of them.

Partners

Sapienza University of Rome, EASYMILE, VisLab srl, Yamaha Motor Europe N.V., Induct Sas, Robosoft Services Robots, 2 Getthere Bv, Systematica Mobility Thinklab Srl, Municipality of Milan, Organisation Europeenne pour la Recherche Nucleaire, Novadays Sl, Fundacion Tecnalia Research & Innovation, Clickutility On Earth Srl, Arst Spa, Systematica S.R.L., Municipality of Oristano, Institute of Communication and Computer Systems, Anaptyxiaki Etaireia Dimou Trikkaion Anaptyxiaki Anonymi Etaireia Ota, Association de Gestion De L’Ecole d’Ingenieurs en Genie Des Systemes Industriels, Proxiway Sa, Commune de La Rochelle, León City Council – Ayuntamiento de León, Communaute d’Agglomeration de La Rochelle and others