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The need for safe pedestrian movement implies subtracting and modifying space dedicated to vehicles, especially in urban areas. Traffic control measures aim to reduce or modify the width of the carriageway and force the correct use of the space by pedestrians through two approaches: the former is hard and includes physical barriers and the latter is soft and induces psychological fashion effects on the drivers. This paper presents vertical and horizontal devices integrated by landscaping, planting, or other similar works to slow motor vehicle speed, narrow traffic lanes, and/or create smaller distances for pedestrian crossings. Mobility and boundary issues are considered to discuss their warrants and potential impacts. Indeed, the effects of speed or volume treatments should be investigated through a comprehensive multicriteria analysis without overlooking pedestrian level of service, access and connectivity to residents and emergency vehicles, drainage and snow issues, loss of on-street parking lots, and environmental goals in terms of noise and emissions to air reduction.

The need for safe pedestrian movement implies subtracting and modifying space dedicated to vehicles, especially in urban areas. Traffic control measures aim to reduce or modify the width of the carriageway and force the correct use of the space by pedestrians through two approaches: the former is hard and includes physical barriers and the latter is soft and induces psychological fashion effects on the drivers. This paper presents vertical and horizontal devices integrated by landscaping, planting, or other similar works to slow motor vehicle speed, narrow traffic lanes, and/or create smaller distances for pedestrian crossings. Mobility and boundary issues are considered to discuss their warrants and potential impacts. Indeed, the effects of speed or volume treatments should be investigated through a comprehensive multicriteria analysis without overlooking pedestrian level of service, access and connectivity to residents and emergency vehicles, drainage and snow issues, loss of on-street parking lots, and environmental goals in terms of noise and emissions to air reduction.

EBSF_2 is a three-year research project which came to an end in April 2018. The project was led by the International Association of Public Transport and funded by the European Union with the aim of increasing attractiveness and efficiency of urban bus systems. Real-life demonstrations in 12 cities addressed diverse areas for innovations, but for several test sites the main goal was to deploy and test solutions for increased energy efficiency of urban bus fleets. Optimize the energy management, lower the energy needed for on-board auxiliaries, including heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems, and thus minimizing the impact on the total energy consumption of electric buses and their operation, were the tasks to be accomplished. The paper describes how the topic energy efficiency was addressed within the EBSF_2 demonstrators. The assessment methodology designed to measure the performance variations in each demonstrator and cross-case is presented, together with the testing scenarios and the main results achieved in four demonstrators impacting the energy efficiency domain.

Making all types of public and private transport services available to users through a single and integrated digital platform is the new urban mobility paradigm called Mobility as a Service (MaaS). This scheme allows both a more sustainable urban transportation system and a more efficient transport service for users. For MaaS to be successful, its implementation should adapt to the specific features of the location covered by the service. The city maturity level has to be considered in terms of multimodality, infrastructures, regulations, user goals, and user willingness to use and pay for MaaS services. This paper discusses and analyses the results of a survey on MaaS conducted in three Italian metropolitan areas: Turin, Rome, and Genoa, which have very different and specific characteristics. The comparative analysis enables the definition of drivers, obstacles, and requisites for MaaS implementation to be successful. When it comes to cities with conservative mobility policies or cities that are new to MaaS experiences, resistance to adoption of the service might occur. The results of the research discussed in this paper can be a useful resource to enable decision makers to develop more effective and efficient transportation policies.

The increasing attention of opinion towards climate change has prompted public authorities to provide plans for the containment of emissions to reduce the environmental impact of human activities. The transport sector is one of the main ones responsible for greenhouse emissions and is under investigation to counter its burdens. Therefore, it is essential to identify a strategy that allows for reducing the environmental impact produced by aircraft on the landing and take-off cycle and its operating costs. In this study, four different taxiing strategies are implemented in an existing Italian airport. The results show advantageous scenarios through single-engine taxiing, reduced taxi time through improved surface traffic management, and onboard systems. On the other hand, operating towing solutions with internal combustion cause excessive production of pollutants, especially HC, CO, NOX, and particulate matter. Finally, towing with an electrically powered external vehicle provides good results for pollutants and the maximum reduction in fuel consumption, but it implies externalities on taxiing time. Compared to the current conditions, the best solutions ensure significant reductions in pollutants throughout the landing and take-off cycle (−3.2% for NOx and −44.2% for HC) and economic savings (−13.4% of fuel consumption).

The paper presents the findings from an assessment study focused on the feasibility of developing a Mobility as a Service (MaaS) ecosystem in the city of Rome. The research goals are the identification of the target users and their willingness to pay for the different MaaS bundles proposed, and eventually the evaluation of the city’s maturity to operate a MaaS ecosystem. A specific methodology is adopted, starting from a survey designed to assess MaaS knowledge and attractiveness among the Romans; data are processed, analyzed and results elaborated. The study is complemented by the outcomes from the application of a canvas business model, in order to specifically outline the service operational features. Although the implementation scenario appears to be conservative, there is still room for developing MaaS operations.

The maturity of a city to operate a Mobility as a Service (MaaS) ecosystem has been often analyzed in the literature. This and the consideration that MaaS is mostly found in areas with long-enforced transit-oriented policies and efficient multimodal supply raise the research question of whether it would be possible to operate MaaS in urban areas where mobility management is addressed according, on the contrary, to a conservative approach. A field study developed in Rome as a case in point, aimed at analyzing the actual feasibility of local MaaS operations, indicates that limitations are due to the citizens’ low willingness to pay. This is originated by a general underestimation of transit costs and made harsher by the inveterate use of passenger cars as the prevailing modal choice. The paper analyzes the results achieved, collected via a questionnaire, and highlights additional barriers to implement MaaS strictly related to its social acceptance, rather than to its technical viability, as to which the city, instead, is mature. The lesson learnt is that MaaS might be operationally (or technically) feasible even in challenging contexts, like Rome’s, but the prerequisite is to create supporting policies, for which a number of actions are outlined and elaborated, with the research goal to advance knowledge in this field, especially for decision-makers and potential stakeholders who might perceive MaaS as a too-demanding option for the context they operate in.

The environmental concern has become central for many bus companies, but estimating pollutant emissions can be difficult for many reasons (little knowledge or underestimation of the problem; scarce know-how; reluctance to acknowledge the pollutant potential of bus fleets because either of small size or composed by too many old-generation vehicles). To facilitate this task, an integrated, user-friendly model, iGREEN, is presented. The paper describes the methodology for the development of this tool, which is specifically designed to help transit operators in assessing the pollutants emitted by fleets where the amount of old buses is not negligible. This is not a minor issue, given the large number of obsolete vehicles still circulating and the unsuitability of some models when calculating emissions in case of buses with protracted mileage. Results from two case studies are reported and commented, with the final aim to advance knowledge farther afield. This gives rise to a discussion on the relevance of such environmental concerns also in light of the contemporary pandemic which seem to have generated different priorities in the public transport management.

While the virus keeps spreading worldwide and mass vaccinations are yet to come, transport policy makers face a dilemma: how is mobility changing? The situation is not unprecedented. But, unlike in past times when medical science was at early stages and little technology was available, counteractions currently undertaken by national and supranational governments integrate highest medical knowledge and technological skills with new, fast-adaptive lifestyles and transport patterns. The paper moves from this to present some key issues, synthesized by the ARDUOUS acronym (Adjustment, Redesign, Domesticity, Unsharing, Organization, Unsustainability, Standardization), to cope with the present situation and give rise to a new approach in the future urban transport policies. The paper, after analyzing the contemporary situation and its implications, addresses each issue in terms of both current limitations and potential to improve the future transport policies. Some directions are proposed and commented, to advance and create a reference for further transport policies, within the general research goal to contribute to advance scientific knowledge in this new transportation study topic.

Background. The salutogenicity of urban environments is significantly affected by their ergonomics, i.e., by the quality of the interactions between citizens and the elements of the built environment. Measuring and modelling urban ergonomics is thus a key issue to provide urban policy makers with planning solutions to increase the well-being, usability and safety of the urban environment. However, this is a difficult task due to the complexity of the interrelations between the urban environment and human activities. The paper contributes to the definition of a generalized model of urban ergonomics and salutogenicity, focusing on walkability, by discussing the relevant parameters from the large and variegated sets proposed in the literature, by discussing the emerging model structure from a data mining process, by considering the background of the relevant functional dependency already established in the literature, and by providing evidence of the solutions&rsquo, effectiveness. The methodology is developed for a case study in central Italy, with a focus on the mobility issue, which is a catalyst to generate more salutogenic and sustainable behaviors.

Environmental issues are an imperative concern for bus companies. But, when it comes to estimating pollutant emissions, problems arise, typically: the underestimation of the local fleet potential in producing pollution (especially in case of small fleets); and the reluctance to estimate that when the fleet is composed by a not negligible amount of old-generation vehicles. To this end, an integrated emission-estimation model for bus fleets is developed and described in the paper, with the research goal to facilitate the emissions calculation task for transit operators. The procedure is embedded in a successfully-implemented software for the management and maintenance of bus fleets. The model moves from well-known assessment methods (namely COPERT and IVE) but addresses issues like long-protracted mileage and age of vehicles which make it especially useful when “old” fleets' emissions are to be assessed. A case study, in a middle-size city in Italy, is also described to highlight the model development and results.

Home-to-school routes are very sensitive areas: they represent, for children, a learning tool for their everyday activities, but if poorly designed, maintained and equipped they can expose them to traffic risks. Sidewalks' inappropriate level of service and poor maintenance, especially, are main factors contributing to walking unsuitability, thus to poor comfort and safety levels for young pedestrians, and more in general for all the vulnerable non-motorized road users. This paper deals with a methodology specifically developed to highlight the quality of the urban environment where the home-to-school routes are located, according to four main criteria: wellbeing, usage, appearance, and safety and security. Each criterion is associated with a checklist including the most relevant features to assess, with a focus on maintenance as a key parameter to create safe and comfortable routes to school. An application, a case study in Rome, where the lack of regular maintenance results into a network of unsafe sidewalks, is also presented, analyzing three different areas where a number of schools are located. Detours when approaching school premises were surveyed, due to the levels of distresses and linked to the poor comfort and safety levels. As the mutual influence of built environment over road safety and maintenance requirements for home-to-school paths is not largely investigated thus far, the paper's goal is to provide advanced knowledge for studies and applications further afield.

When it comes to simulate traffic emissions, problems arise: which is the best model to use, which data are needed and whether they are all available, whether the process is time-consuming and/or calls for expert, etc. It is not surprising, then, that public transport operators might be hesitant in estimating the emission package of the bus fleets they manage. Moreover, the underestimation of the local fleet potential in producing pollution (in case of small fleets) on the one hand, and the reluctance to estimate it when the fleet is composed by a good amount of old-generation vehicles on the other, are further elements of uncertainty. However, transit operators’ obligation to manage and maintain clean bus fleets is becoming more and more imperative and in Italy recent regulations subsidize transit companies to purchase buses with cleaner performance. The assessment of how much pollutant is the fleet to renovate becomes, then, crucial. To this end, an emission-estimation model for bus fleets is developed and described in the paper, with the research goal to facilitate the emissions calculation among transit operators. The procedure is embedded in an already successfully-implemented software for the management and maintenance of bus fleets. The model moves from well-known assessment methods (namely COPERT and IVE) but addresses issues like long-protracted mileage and age of vehicles which make it especially useful when “old” fleets emissions are to be assessed. A case study, in a middle-size city in Italy, is also described to highlight the model development.

Powered two-wheelers (PTWs) provide a suitable mode for a large portion of population in many cities due to rider's personal convenience and the vehicle supposed easiness of manoeuvring. At the same time PTWs present serious safety issues compared to other motorized vehicles. This paper reports the main outcome of study carried out in Rome, where this mode is very popular and assesses the economic efforts to make infrastructure safer for PTWs. The methodology, extensively described in the paper, includes three steps: the accident analysis, the development of economic indicators of accidents costs, the maintenance priority. In the first step the location of the PTWs local accidents are identified, then the accidents are analyzed by means of the suitable indicators and, among these the safety potential (SAPO). Lastly, according to the results of the analyzed indicators the need of infrastructure maintenance will be defined. Usually SAPO is applied to rural areas, but here it has been adapted to describe the phenomena of the urban area in hand. As a result, the estimation of the saving potential to improve the infrastructure safety levels, thus reducing the amount of accidents, is presented, along with recommendations on how to upscale the SAPO at city level. Keywords: Safety, Accident costs, Powered two-wheeler (PTW), Maintenance

The paper describes the feasibility study for the rehabilitation of a railway corridor at Lanciano, in central Italy. Although the area is not densely populated, the need to divert commuters’ flows from passenger cars to transit is sufficient to prompt the analysis, and the choice to focus on rail rather than rubber-tired modes is dictated by the willingness to operate more environmentally-friendly services. Area features and demand patterns, all described in the paper, steer the selection to light railway, and more specifically to tram-train services. Goals, requirements and the study outcomes are duly reported. The research question behind, and the goal of the paper, is to identify drivers and barriers to resume a commercial service on an abandoned alignment, with the goal to provide evidence for feasibility studies for similar cases.

The paper deals with an innovative Predictive Maintenance (PdM) system to assess the quality of the engine oil for buses, tested in Ravenna within the European Bus System of the Future - EBSF_2 project, funded by the European Union. The system relies on a PdM software linked to oil sensors and filters, installed on a test fleet, and on an IT architecture, specifically designed. The system enables a continuous assessment of the oil quality, which is highly predictive of the engine performance, thus detecting potential breakdowns and planning the replacement of spare parts ahead of regular schedules; the system also detects which substances and problems cause the poor quality of the oil.

ELIPTIC (2015–2018) is a project funded by the European Commission to develop 20 new concepts to demonstrate that the further take-up of electric vehicles can be done in a cost-efficient way, with tangible effects on the urban environment. The concepts are divided into three thematic pillars: (i) safe integration of electric buses using existing electric public transport infra-structure; (ii) innovative energy storage systems to increase operational efficiency, and (iii) multi-purpose use of electric public transport infrastructure.

EBSF, 3iBS, ZeEUS, EBSF_2 and ELIPTIC are research projects funded by the European Commission, with the aim of developing a new generation of buses across Europe. For all, the common task is two-pronged (i) it is necessary to develop innovative solutions to increase the attractiveness of this mode and (ii) to operate more environmentally-friendly vehicles. Prototypes with more comfortable and accessible internal layouts, advanced ITS-based solutions, new engines designed to save fuel and eco-driving are key working areas. The environmental concern is behind the majority of the tested innovations. These projects are based on demonstrators, that is the innovative measures are tested in real urban environments. The assessment is a classical before-vs-during the implementation of measures comparison. A transferability study is aimed to assess the theoretical exportability of the tested measures across Europe. Results so far stressed contrasting aspects within a common vision for the development of a new generation of buses: although stakeholders are willing to innovate bus fleets by introducing more sustainable propulsion systems, conventional modes are still favoured and the environmental concern is not a driver to export the tested measures. The objectives of the paper are to describe such outcomes, identify reasons which prevent a wider exploitation of cleaner buses, provide possible explanations and suggest recommendations to develop “green” awareness among bus stakeholders.

Powered Two Wheelers (PTWs) provide a convenient mode for a large portion of population in many cities. At the same time PTWs present serious system problems, the most important being poorer safety if compared to other motorized modes. But even when lower safety levels are acknowledged, problems behind are far from being solved. Rome is an example: although PTWs accidents rates are not negligible, the need for a specific safety policy is still unmet. Therefore the local Mobility Agency appointed the authors of this paper for a study of PTWs accidents occurring in the urban area. An assessment of the associated health care costs was also required. The objective of the paper is to report the main outcomes of this study highlighting recurring features of PTWs accidents, the high health care costs and how to quantify the economic resources to improve safety. The methodology was based on three steps: i) an analysis of the causes of PTWs accidents, which resulted into the location of black spots and assessment of the severity of the events; ii) the estimation of health care costs after a scientific literature review; iii) the association of health care costs to black spots and accidents severity to rank interventions to improve PTWs safety. This led to a final list of roads where PTWs accidents of the highest severity occurred and the required economic resources to improve their safety level. This stressed, for the first time, the unaffordable expenditures due to PTWs accidents. In conclusion, the issue whether the awareness of such costs can be used as leverage for more mindful behaviors among the riders is addressed. Language: en

Revamping abandoned railways is often associated with leisure functions and non-routine trips. When areas evolve from rural settlements to conurbations with mixed land use and high travel demand, the reuse of no-longer-operational rail services can prove to be appropriate to meet such new requirements. This is the case of an abandoned railway in central Italy, the Sangritana Line, whose rehabilitation could serve a former rural area, now under continuous development. The paper outlines operational features of the new service, starting from the available Sangritana infrastructure, in order to highlight the drivers and barriers associated with the reopening of operations. The goal is to provide scientific corroboration for similar feasibility studies and stress the relevance of rehabilitating railways in urban regeneration processes according to a vision called the Multiple Rs, which associates the new rail supply with the possibility of requalifying several components of the urban environment. To this end, along with the initial description of the status quo and the local constraints, the paper elaborates the methodology adopted for this feasibility study, the main operational findings, with a focus on the potential environmental benefits, and the implications according to the Multiple Rs approach.

Although electric passenger cars tend to capture the lion's share in visioning and designing cleaner mobility patterns, research continuously provides directions to support cleaner public transport systems and in recent times electrification has become more and more a core field of study. An example is ELIPTIC (2015–2018), a project funded by the European Commission, with the aim to develop new concepts to optimise existing electric public transport infrastructure and rolling stock on eleven use cases across Europe. The goal is to demonstrate that electric vehicles are cost-efficient and beneficial to the urban environment. The ELIPTIC outcomes are assessed according to a specific methodology and via a User Forum involving public transport stakeholders. The paper therefore describes the ELIPTIC concepts under test and the adopted methodology, along with the outcomes from the assessment procedure. Recommendations for upscaling electrification of public transit fleet across Europe are drawn, to provide advanced knowledge for further applications beyond this project.

The European Bus System of the Future (EBSF_2) is a research project funded by the European Union with the aim of developing a new generation of buses across Europe. The goals are to increase the attractiveness and efficiency of buses by testing advanced operational and technological solutions. Among these are more comfortable internal layouts, the implementation of a standard IT architecture, intelligent garage procedures, energy-efficient auxiliaries and green driving assistance systems, all of which are being tested in several demonstrators. This study focuses on the innovative features of the methodology and test process adopted in Ravenna, Italy, where a demonstrator is being used to improve predictive maintenance management. The demonstrator involves maintenance software used to analyse data from CANbus and sensors to assess oil quality, detect potential breakdowns and, on this basis, replace spare parts in advance. The system also detects which substances contribute to poor oil quality. The study describes performance before and during the implementation of the demonstrator in relation to various impact areas: maintenance, operations, fuel consumption, costs, staff training and the efficiency of the intelligent transport system in processing data. The achieved results are reported with the aim of providing advanced knowledge for applications beyond EBSF_2.

This work presents the results of the overall design of the first Italian roundabout with jointed plain concrete pavement. The examined case study complies with current international standards and practices for geometry of roundabouts and road pavements. The construction of a concrete pavement in an urban roundabout will better manage and slow down fast vehicular flows, and increase traffic fluidity in an important junction, trafficked by heavy vehicles, where maintenance works should be reduced to avoid queues. The design of the roundabout involved several competences for: defining the geometry of the four-arm junction, designing the thickness of the jointed plain concrete pavement both on the circular crown and the arms, studying the mix design of a high resistance concrete. As regard to the pavement, the result of the study was an un-dowelled concrete pavement composed of square slabs laid on a cement concrete subbase and a granular layer. The shape of the slabs has been designed to optimize the structural performance of their material, which is a high strength concrete mix derived from an extensive laboratory test work. In general, the results summarized approaches typical of different design conditions: urban ones for traffic flow and safety needs; high-traffic ones for the chosen pavement type; airport ones for the absence of dowel and tie bars at the joints. Indeed, the article has highlighted that the design process of a concrete roundabout requires multiple analyses to consider various features and correctly re-design an existing urban junction. Its geometrical design, the structural design of the concrete pavement and the theoretical and experimental design of the concrete mix were the main phases of this process and they needed different competences to conduct comprehensive and appropriate analyses.

The European Bus System of the Future (2008–2013) was a project funded by the European Commission within the seventh Framework Program. The core of the project was to develop a new generation of bus systems to increase the attractiveness and improve the image of this transport mode. Seven European cities were selected to test the innovative measures described in this paper: Bremerhaven, Germany; Brunoy, France; Budapest, Hungary; Gothenburg, Sweden; Madrid, Spain; Rome; and Rouen, France. The results served as a basis to develop the transferability exercise, that is, the assessment of drivers and barriers that might endorse or hinder the transferability of the measures to other cities. The transferability exercise required a specific method to define what was transferable from the experience of the seven cities (the use cases) and “to which contexts,” according to the panel of stakeholders who took part in the transferability exercise. The paper describes how the method was applied and the outcomes of the transferability exercise, which simulated the transferability of the experience of the seven use cases to a cluster of target cities across Europe. The resulting key factors for transferring (or not) the innovations and for developing a new generation of buses far beyond Europe's borders are reported.

Road safety is a central issue in many political agendas virtually worldwide, scientific literature on road accidents prevention abounds as the consequent awareness of the higher vulnerability of Powered Two-Wheelers (PTWs). Not the same can be said about the assessment of the economic side of the problem: decision-makers seem to underestimate the relevance of public health care costs to recover and rehabilitate those involved in road accidents, especially riders. The paper, thus, deals with a specific approach to assess the current methods to estimate health care costs due to road accidents, with the goal to have a special focus on the problems arising when the PTWs are involved. The motivation for such approach is due to the unsuitability of these current methods, which underestimate the health care costs. Therefore, the paper reviews some references for health care costs, which often are parts of the calculation of the overall road safety social costs. Although the effectiveness of these methods is undisputable, more specific criteria and indicators are required to have health care costs properly assessed, especially about PTWs, since no univocal cost items are considered; consequently health care expenditures markedly vary. The paper, then, analyzes the road accidents occurred in Rome, Italy, from 2010 to 2012, as a case in point of this problem, defines the health care costs occurred and revises results taking as leading criteria the level of vulnerability of the involved PTWs victims and the severity of the event, in order to provide more accurate estimations of such costs.

The European Bus System of the Future — EBSF_2 (2015–2018) is a research project funded by the European Union with the aim to develop a new generation of buses by combining new vehicle technologies and infrastructures with operational best practice. Among the several demonstrators involved, the paper focuses on the methodology and the test process adopted in Ravenna (Italy) where a demonstrator is under test to improve predictive maintenance performance. More specifically, this demonstrator is currently testing a maintenance software to analyze data coming from sensors for lubricants to assess the oil quality, therefore detecting potential or prospective breakdowns and replacing spare parts in advance; the system also enables to understand which substances or problems concurred to the oil poor quality. The paper describes the performance prior to and during the implementation of the system; such variations are measured by a series of Key Perfomance Indicators corresponding to different impact areas (maintenance, operations, fuel consumption, costs, staff training, efficiency of the ITS to process data). The paper also highlights prospective environmental consequences, and reports the results thus far achieved, with the research objective to provide advanced knowledge for further applications beyond the EBSF_2 project field.

This paper focuses on the efficiency of one-to-many distribution processes in urban environments. An in-depth 8-month survey of commercial vehicle tours leaving from an Urban Distribution Centre (UDC) located on the outskirts of the city of Parma (Italy), was carried out, merging information from a GPS-based dataset and a wider operation dataset. Tours were classified according to UDC–customer distances in order to prove the clear correlation between the efficiency of the distribution process and the size (and the network characteristics) of the area being served. When such area covers the city center, available data highlighted how vehicle routing is affected by constraints which strongly prevent the optimization of routes and occupancy rate. Through continuous approximation models, the relative impact of the time-dependent parameters of the delivery process, particularly maximum tour travel times and preferred time slots for deliveries, was analyzed along with the effects of traffic congestion on commercial vehicle tours. The resulting scenario analysis allowed to assess a significant increase in the number of tours needed (+34,3%) and the total distance travelled (+9%), to serve a given set of customers in the city center, when travel time variability and tour duration constraint become stricter.

The Walking Suitability Index of the Territory&ndash, T-WSI is an innovative methodology to assess walkability. Unlike other methods and tools in this field designed to evaluate walkability on given origin-destination paths, T-WSI is conceived for area-wide assessments, typically at the neighborhood level. This can be achieved by visual surveys to collect data, which are easy to perform at street level, their further process via an algorithm, and their aggregation to assess the walking performance levels of the test area. The paper describes such methodology, which includes the development of 12 indicators associated with four main evaluation categories (Practicability, Safety, Urbanity and Appeal), and its application to a case study in a medium-size town in central Italy. Results are described and elaborated to highlight T-WSI&rsquo, s contribution to help decision makers in the urban governance process, typically in the fields of land use, mobility management and maintenance, coherently with the research objective to enlarge the potential of walkability methodologies thus far available up to area-level assessment.

Urban freight transport is capable of generating “temporal-related utility” in the urban economy by providing the goods required by the end-consumers at the right time in the right place. This paper focuses on the time sensitivity of one-to-many distribution processes in urban environment. An in-depth 8-month survey of commercial vehicle tours leaving from an urban distribution centre, located in the outskirt of the city of Parma (Italy), has been performed, merging information between a GPS-based dataset and a wider operations dataset. Through continuous approximation models, the relative impact of time- dependent parameters of the delivery process, particularly drivers’ working time and favourite time slots for deliveries, has been analysed along with the effects due to traffic congestion.

EBSF — European Bus System of the Future (2008–2013) and the recently started EBSF_2 (2015–2018) are two research projects led by UITP and funded by the European Union with the aim of developing a new generation of buses across Europe. If the (accomplished) goals of the former were to increase the bus attractiveness by testing innovative vehicles (e.g. providing improved comfort and accessibility for drivers and passengers, and making smart use of energy on board) integrated in the European urban scenarios (e.g. adapted to different cities, featuring new services for passengers and operators, and being the core part of the whole transport network), the latter is committed to raise the image of the bus through solutions for increased efficiency of the system, mainly in terms of energy consumption and operational costs. More comfortable and accessible bus layouts, advanced maintenance tools and processes, energy management, interoperable IT solutions based on European standards and ecodriving are key working areas in both projects. All of the above relies on demonstrators, i.e. the innovative measures are tested on vehicles operating in real urban environments, and performance are independently assessed. The paper describes the methodology and the test process adopted in both projects, and reports the many results so far achieved and the new challenges ahead, with the research objective to provide advance knowledge for further applications beyond the European projects field.

The development of a new generation of bus systems was the goal of the European Bus System of the Future (EBSF) project, funded by the European Commission within the 7th Framework Program. To accomplish this, a series of very different innovative solutions for buses (such as new vehicle layouts, advanced remote maintenance systems, improved on-board communication systems, more performing bus stops and eco-efficient engines) were simultaneously tested in seven Use Cases (UCs) in Europe (Bremerhaven, Brunoy, Budapest, Gothenburg, Madrid, Rome and Rouen). All the tested measures had to increase the attractiveness and improve the image of the mode. The efficiency of all of them was assessed as well as their transferability to other European contexts. The paper describes the tested solutions and focuses on the assessment methodology, the main results achieved and the drivers and barriers for the transfer of such solutions across Europe.

The key of mobility in urban planning is not in dispute. Integrated strategies that take into account the interrelations among land use, transport supply and demand and the different transportation modes are more necessary than ever. In Europe, regulatory tools such as local mobility plans or traffic plans have been enforced for a long time, evolving into so-called sustainable urban transport plans (SUTP) – that is, plans that merge urban planning, mobility governance, social awareness and environmental safeguards to develop a vision based on sustainability and equity. Indeed, SUTP are aimed at solving typical problems in current land use, such as urban sprawl, which make clear the need for a paradigm shift from transport (or mobility) planning to land use (or city) planning, thereby producing urban mobility plans that are fully aligned with integrated urban development plans. This paper describes how SUTP are articulated across Europe according to four case studies: Peterborough (UK), Chambéry (France), Ferrara (Italy) and Pinto (Spain), to highlight variations and commonalities, both among the four national legal frameworks and the actual planning processes at the local level. Objectives, measures and indicators used in the monitoring and evaluation phases have been analysed and the results assessed. The main conclusion of the paper is that, as seen in these real-life examples, the lack of integration between spatial planning and transport strategies results in the unsustainability of urban areas and, therefore, in a significant loss of competitiveness.

SaferBraIn (an EC-funded project within the FP7) aims at increasing the level of safety of the road transport systems, focussing on Vulnerable Road Users (VRUs) in India and Brazil. A Decision Support System (DSS) ([Geographic Information System (GIS)]-based application) is developed to select safety measures to reduce risk of accidents of VRUs, realize corrective and preventive analyses and road safety audits. The “corrective module” relies with analyses of VRUs accident data, identification of causes of accidents, possible countermeasures basing on Cost-Benefit and Cost-Effectiveness Analyses and monitoring of results. The “preventive module” realises road safety inspections and audits with a special focus on VRUs.