Mobility plans in Switzerland : a partnership towards a sustainable society

Abstract

This contribution refers to mobility plans, particularly developed in Geneva; their objectives are to promote solutions which are competitive, flexible and correspond to the various stakeholders’ expectations (companies and their collaborators, public authorities). This means introducing a whole range of measures to favor eco-mobility (alternatives to private cars) for commuter and work-related journeys. These mobility plans call for innovative elements, transposable to other contexts. It is now commonly accepted that commuter and work-related travel represents a sizeable part of urban traffic and causes significant CO2 emissions; because of this, planning between public authorities and the private sector becomes essential. The choices of measures can vary according to the objectives and diagnosis; solutions frequently adopted include: shuttles, carpooling, car sharing, promotion of public transport and bicycles, a new policy of attribution of parking spaces. The results are convincing but highly subordinated to the initial situation and the measures adopted; among the effects noticed we can observe: model transfer, a drop in motor traffic, improvement of air quality, reduction in costs, reduction in noise pollution, increase in overall satisfaction, better accessibility, savings in time and money.