Progress on car-free transportation options: Prague and Wroclaw top new IDTP Global Atlas of Sustainable City Transport

The Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (IDTP) have published a new interactive mapping tool "Global Atlas of Sustainable City Transport" that examines cities’ progress on car-free transportation options. Specifically it looks at 9 sustainable transport categories within metropolitan areas worldwide, with the results of the project giving insights and hints into the further development of sustainable mobility in those regions. 

Wroclaw scored well, positioning second in the list of cities for the category 'residents’ proximity to frequent transit', despite its lack of a metro system. It was found that 86% of residents live within a 500m distance of a bus or train, with a service frequency of 10 minutes or quicker. Wroclaw’s extensive tram and bus network showcases that the best urban public transportation systems are not necessarily the most modern. The top position of the category went to Prague (89%), and third and fourth place to Tel Aviv and Bogota (86% and 85% respectively).

Other categories included proximity to protected bike lanes, car-free places, bikeways & public transport, health care & education services, and high-speed public transport, as well as distance to highways and metrics for population density and walkable block density.

The focus on proximity of people to sustainable modes and services instead on measuring the size or mode of the transport systems itself provides insight into residents’ transportation choices. Taylor Reich, ITDP’s data science manager and the lead author of the project, stated: “We really hope this will help cities set more meaningful goals.” Cities like Seattle already use proximity factors (such as frequent public transport services) to measure success in transport policies. This has helped Seattle to be one of the few cities that experience increasing bus ridership figures before the pandemic. Today, Seattle has a new goal: that more than two-thirds of households have access to frequent public transport by a 10 minute walk using a sidewalk or a 5 minute bike ride using a protected bike lane. This new goal comes along with the self-set commitment to invest in active mobility infrastructure as well as in better public transport service times and frequency intervals.

Author: Claus Köllinger