New Technologies for Sustainable Urban Transport in Europe

TL;DR

This paper reviews recent technological innovations aimed at enhancing the sustainability of urban transport in Europe, focusing on new public transit modes and private vehicle technologies to improve efficiency and safety.

Contribution

It provides an overview of recent European projects exploring innovative transport technologies and their potential to improve urban sustainability.

Findings

Guided buses and PRT can form high-capacity, flexible networks at lower costs.

Cybercars enable fully automated urban driving and carsharing.

Advanced vehicle technologies enhance safety and efficiency in private transport.

Abstract

In the past few years, the European Commission has financed several projects to examine how new technologies could improve the sustainability of European cities. These technologies concern new public transportation modes such as guided buses to form high capacity networks similar to light rail but at a lower cost and better flexibility, PRT (Personal Rapid Transit) and cybercars (small urban vehicles with fully automatic driving capabilities to be used in carsharing mode, mostly as a complement to mass transport). They also concern private vehicles with technologies which could improve the efficiency of the vehicles as well as their safety (Intelligent Speed Adaptation, Adaptive Cruise >.Control, Stop&Go, Lane Keeping,...) and how these new vehicles can complement mass transport in the form of car-sharing services.