New normalities require new ways of moving, of thinking about travel and of conceptualizing cities. What are the benefits and aspects to take into account in a mobility proposal that prioritizes pedestrians and bicycle users? We explain them in the following article.

Year after year, population growth in Latin America increases exponentially. This situation has arisen hand in hand with another particular phenomenon:  the increase in per capita incomeThat is why today we have more populated cities with greater purchasing power. The result: the same transport infrastructure, more vehicles on them, and with this, more traffic jams and mobility conflicts than we have experienced until now.

After years of study and social experiments in which urban mobility policies have worked to restrict spaces for pedestrians and prioritize infrastructure to accommodate the flow of more cars, reflection on the needs of a new mobility has become evident.

Added to the above, the current vulnerability of pedestrians and bicycle users raises the need to reinvent traffic methodologies. According to the United States Department of Transportation, 73% of pedestrian deaths and 69% of cyclist deaths occur in urban areas. 

This leads to a conclusion: more spaces for people are needed in cities. 

But this conclusion is accompanied by several reflections on the benefits that some tests in different territories have shown regarding the advantages of investing in pedestrian citizens and users of non-motorized vehicles.

Pay special attention to the following benefits: 

1. Investing in these new mobility proposals means moderating traffic, reducing speeds on roads, prioritizing and exclusively using spaces for pedestrians, and in general respecting the lives of all those involved in the roads.
2. Let's take a look at Times Square in New York. Before the pedestrianisation process in 2014, 90% of the space was reserved for vehicles; but it turns out that 90% of the users of this area were pedestrians.
   
   After analysing the audience of the place, this distribution was transformed and each participant was given the space that corresponded to the use they gave it. Today there is, without a doubt, better mobility for pedestrians and other actors in the area. 
3. Dedicating spaces for pedestrians and bicycles and prioritizing a mobility system focused on them can result in better health conditions for the population. 

According to the American Journal of Public Health, there is a direct relationship between these activities and the low rate of obesity. In other words, the territories with the highest rates of pedestrians and cyclists have levels of physical activity closer to those recommended and even lower rates of diabetic population. 

And, as if that were not enough, cases of respiratory illnesses have decreased significantly. Without a doubt, we are talking about the least polluting means of transport today.

1. According to the OECD, in Germany, sales increased by 20% in Cologne, 25% in Copenhagen, 40% in Munich, 20% in Vienna and 70% in Hamburg after implementing sustainable mobility strategies that prioritize bicycle users and pedestrians. 

Better prospects for commerce, better health conditions, reduced risk to the lives of these audiences and moderation in the relationship between spaces and their use, These are just some of the benefits that come with a mobility system designed with the public in mind, for the public and addressing collective interests.

Sources:

• OECD: https://www.oecd.org/