Case Study - France

MOBASTO - Mobility Agency in Small Towns - France

Summary

In the framework of the European call for tender "SAVE" (2000-2001) two French towns (Romans and Bourg de Péage, 55 000 inhabitants) decided to initiate a Voluntary Urban Transport Plan.

First a state of the arts of car transport, public transport, bicycles and transport of goods flows has been made and their major impacts have been identified.

Beyond the safety of people and goods and the fight against the increase of particular cars use, the principle aim of the project was to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

For this purpose two main objectives have been proposed:

• Better management of urbanism to fight against urban sprawl;
• Favour the use of other means of transport particularly public transports and bicycles.

These measures should have allowed to reduce half of the greenhouse gas emissions.

A Charter has been published by Romans (France), Bourg de Péage (France), Luleå (Sweden) and Quedlinburg (Germany). A web site has been created so as to give information about less pollutant means of transport. Now a method exists allowing other middle sized towns to realise their own Urban Transport Plan.

Finally, MOBASTO replaced the question of transports in a very larger debate which is the one of mobility management.

Results

	Daily emissions of CO2 in 2000	Daily emissions of CO2 in 2001	Without measure
	163 t	173.4 t	180 t
Expected growth	--	+6.3%	+10.5%

The settlement of other means of transport than the car allows to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions.

The expected growth is only about 6.3% (it would be about more than 10% without taking measures).

Significant efforts are done particularly through the use of other means of transport:

• 2 000 travels in the large center will be done in public transport (which represents a growth of the use of public transports over 30%)
• 40% of the suburbs travels should be done in public transports (that is to say a growth of 50% of the use of public transports)
• finally the connections more distant should be done thanks to the train (+25% of travels), what would make it possible to contain the increase in the traffic to half of what it would be without transport towards the train.

Each share of market gained by public transport represents an emission about 15 kg/inhabitant/year of CO₂ in less in the atmosphere.

Moreover an employee that will no more take is car to go to work should avoid an emission of 480 kg/year of CO₂.

Every kilometre covered by public transports avoid an emission of 35 kg of CO₂.

So as to allow the success of these measures promoted by the mobility agency, a good information and communication are needed.

The mobility agency will have to help the changes of habits and will have to answer the questions of the users.