Mobility areas in sparsely populated areas

October 2023

Centre d’études et d’expertise sur les risques, l’environnement, la mobilité et l’aménagement (CEREMA)

To download : 1_aires_mobilite_web.pdf (2.6 MiB)

1 DEFINITION OF A MOBILITY AREA

1.1 Characteristics of a mobility area

Mobility areas are a special kind of interchange hub for sparsely populated areas. They are organised around the convergence of shared and active mobility services (such as car-pooling, car-sharing or self-service bicycles) in a single accessible location in order to promote alternatives to car-pooling.

They can also incorporate a regular public transport service. For example, a simple car-sharing area is not considered a mobility area, but it can become one by combining other mobility services and developing it into a multimodal place. Unlike traditional hubs organised around heavy modes of transport, mobility areas can be characterised by :

• light or even modular facilities

• more modest investment

• shorter development times.

Depending on the area, other terms may be used to designate these areas, such as ‘mobility hub’, ‘multi-service hub’, ‘mobility station’ or ‘connection point’.

In sparsely populated areas, a mobility area may, for example, comprise all or some of the following elements

• a car-sharing stop or area (or dynamic car-sharing terminal) ;

• a car-sharing station

• a car park, possibly with recharging points for electric vehicles;

• secure bicycle parking

• a bicycle hire service;

• a public transport, on-demand or community transport stop.

The creation of a mobility area therefore requires the development of on- and off-street rights-of-way and the installation of equipment necessary for the operation of these mobility services. The area must be safely accessible to all users (pedestrians, cyclists, etc.), particularly people with reduced mobility (PRM). To function properly, the mobility area must be associated with information services on the area’s mobility offers and services: presence of physical information media at the interchange, location of the interchange on the area’s multimodal information media (paper or digital), etc. In addition, access to the area must be planned in advance (footpaths, cycle lanes, access roundabout, etc.).

As with a ‘traditional’ interchange, the quality of service at a mobility area depends on the quality of each of the mobility services it brings together, but also on the tools put in place to facilitate multimodal and intermodal use (pricing, ticketing, multimodal information, signage, etc.) and the level of comfort offered to its users. For example, waiting areas for users are generally useful.

1.2 Main objectives of a mobility area

A mobility area brings together and connects mobility services in areas where there is little regular public transport. It therefore helps to open up the region and make it more attractive.

The aim of the mobility area is to promote and facilitate the use of mobility solutions that are alternatives to car use:

• by offering visible and identified multimodal access points to the mobility services available in the area;

• by facilitating and improving the quality of intermodal travel.

The aim of these mobility areas may be to :

• enable people who do not have access to a motor vehicle to get around easily and at a lower cost by means of adapted and interconnected mobility services;

• facilitate certain journeys to/from the region’s main attractions: a railway station, a business or employment area, a tourist or leisure destination, etc.

• to limit car use by people with cars, reduce their travel budget and encourage modal shift.

To develop its use and enhance its attractiveness, the mobility area can also include or be supported by local services and shops:

• multimodal information point (physical counter, passenger information terminal) ;

• bicycle maintenance and repair workshops, filling stations, etc.

• car wash or maintenance station, etc.

• shops, restaurants, delivery of fruit and vegetable baskets, etc.

• information points or multi-service counters (multi-service mediation information points, Maison France Service, public service counters)…

• concierge services, delivery-delivery services, etc.

• a range of facilities (library, crèche or day nursery, café, cultural associations, community centre, etc.).

The presence of these services and shops is sometimes identified at the outset of the project, in the same way as the presence of mobility services, the aim being to reinforce a centrality in the area.

1.3 Criteria for locating and sizing a mobility area

Depending on the area and the objectives of the project, the mobility area may be located :

• in a town or city centre ;

• on the outskirts of a town, close to main roads. The mobility area can be developed around an existing car-pooling area, or an intercity bus stop, for example;

• near a facility such as a shopping area, a business park or a tourist or leisure area, etc.

Mobility areas can be set up close to railway stations or stops without requiring a major project that would mobilise the land and railway operators, as is the case for ‘large’ interchange projects. In this case, the aim is often to make the most of the presence of the train, revitalise the station and improve access from the town centre and the main local travel generators.

Some local authorities are implementing a strategy to create a network of interchanges and mobility areas in order to spread access to mobility services throughout the area. This is particularly the case with the mobility hub projects of the Grand Sud Tarn et Garonne community of municipalities, the mobility stations in the Lumbres area and the Plaine de l’Ain strategy.

These ‘networks’ of mobility areas also make it possible to unify the facilities and quality of service at these locations. The preparation of ‘operational mobility contracts’ can provide an opportunity to establish such a network at the level of a mobility basin.

1.4 Sizing a mobility area

The size of a mobility area depends on the local context and potential demand (proximity to major networks with the potential to ‘massify’ flows, ease of access by active modes, attractiveness and ‘practicality’ of mobility services depending on the location of the centre). It is therefore essential to carry out a diagnostic study to identify the needs in terms of services to be deployed and their size. Some mobility areas in sparsely populated areas, such as the mobility stations in the Pays de Lumbres and the mobility hubs in the Plaine de l’Ain, do not include car parking: a hundred square metres or so is all that is needed to install the equipment. In other cases, parking spaces are provided, requiring larger areas of land (120 parking spaces for the Héric mobility area in Loire-Atlantique, on an area of around one hectare, which also includes two bus platforms, secure bicycle parking, etc.). The appeal of these small interchanges also lies in the fact that they can be designed to be scalable and modular, particularly for cycle and car parking. Mobility services and the associated facilities are sometimes small-scale, with the aim of adapting them and increasing the service offered, depending on usage and the success of the first few months. This principle necessarily involves monitoring and evaluating usage.

2 PLAYERS, COSTS AND FINANCING OF A MOBILITY AREA

2.1 Players involved in a mobility area project

A mobility area project requires the development of infrastructure, equipment and mobility services, the competencies of which are held by different players.

This type of project is therefore a partnership project, involving in particular :

• the project leader, who acts on behalf of an area of responsibility that he or she is responsible for (mobility, parking, etc.); this may be the local authority, the intermunicipal authority or the local AOM, for example;

• road managers (in this respect, it is very common for the département to be involved) and local authorities with responsibility for parking;

• owners and managers of land, buildings and equipment;

• the local mobility organising authority (AOM), which may be a local authority or the Region;

• often the Region, as the lead authority for mobility and as the regional AOM;

• operators of mobility services or user services.

Today, it is increasingly common for representatives of target users to be involved in the design of the mobility area: companies serving a business park, the tourist office serving a tourist attraction, etc. At Luitré-Dompierre, local residents were consulted on several occasions at citizen cafés and during a mobility survey to define the services to be developed as part of the mobility area project.

2.2 Costs of a mobility area

The costs of developing a mobility area in sparsely populated areas (investment costs) vary according to :

• the characteristics of the site on which it is built ;

• the ambitions for the development of the public space;

• opportunities for refurbishing old buildings;

• the mobility services installed.

For example, among the multimodal interchange projects located in communities of communes, winners of the 2021 call for projects ‘Exclusive right-of-way public transport and multimodal interchange hubs’, the four projects that are not attached to a railway station have an investment cost of less than €1,300,000.

In some cases, part of the connection costs can be reduced (bollard planned as part of an IRVE master plan). An additional investment of €5,000 is required to make the bollard accessible to people with reduced mobility (compulsory in some cases). The costs of developing access to the mobility area should also be anticipated: footpaths, cycle paths, signposting, modifying junctions, making the terminal accessible to people with reduced mobility, etc. In addition to these investment costs, there are the costs of operating the site: maintenance of the roads, infrastructure and equipment, etc.

2.3 Financing a mobility area

Depending on the terms of cooperation and project management defined, and according to their areas of responsibility, the municipality, inter-municipality, département and region may contribute to the funding of the interchange. A mobility area project in sparsely populated areas may also be eligible for aid to finance developments or human resources to help define and implement the project, including :

• France Mobilités (TENMOD) calls for projects, which provide funding for the definition and implementation of mobility services (e.g. a mobility officer post);

• the ‘AVELO’ programme, the 2nd edition of which in 2021 funded the recruitment of active mobility officers and the testing of bicycle services;

• the ‘ALVÉOLE PLUS’ programme, which finances secure cycle parking;

• the European funds Feder (which can finance actions relating to mobility, intermodality and decarbonisation) and Leader (aimed at rural areas);

• the ADVENIR programme, which finances the installation of charging points for electric vehicles.

2.4 Mobility area project approach

The development of a mobility area in sparsely populated areas varies depending on the starting point: the presence or absence of facilities, pre-existing mobility services, a railway station, an intercity bus stop, a greenfield site, and so on. A mobility area project always involves clearly targeting the mobility needs that we are seeking to satisfy. A mobility analysis (of varying degrees of detail depending on the ambitions of the project) is therefore necessary for this purpose, if it has not already been carried out as part of an overall mobility strategy. The diagnosis and project definition phase can be organised by involving partners and users.

Mobility area projects in sparsely populated areas can :

• be iterative, experimenting with services or facilities,

• or involve an architectural or design mission for the layout of the various modules.

The partnership organisation of the project and the financial package are a key stage in ensuring the project’s success. It is preferable to avoid a partial and fragmented design of the project and to favour an overall plan validated by the various partners (contracting authorities in particular). The project needs to be evaluated and monitored over time in order to make any necessary adjustments: once the project is up and running, ‘corrections’ can be made to the planned facilities, equipment and services, in particular through careful observation of user practices on the site in operation, or by carrying out qualitative user surveys.

4 CONCLUSION

Mobility areas make it possible to highlight, coordinate and improve access to mobility services in an area. This type of facility provides the basis for developing a multi-modal service package for all local residents.

Sources