Across Europe, cities are developing Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans (SUMPs) to create cleaner, safer and more liveable urban areas.
Across Europe, cities are developing Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans (SUMPs) to create cleaner, safer and more liveable urban areas. These plans offer an important opportunity to shape the future of urban mobility. By working together, public authorities, mobility providers and local stakeholders can ensure that sustainability goals are achieved while maintaining accessibility and connectivity.
And by understanding how residents, commuters and businesses actually move, a credible SUMP starts with real travel patterns across the entire urban area, including connections between city centres, outer districts and surrounding municipalities.
Policy must reflect place
There is no universal model for an effective SUMP. A measure that works in a dense capital may be ineffective in a medium-sized city or its surrounding region.
City size, population density, public transport coverage and the location of employment and essential services all affect the alternatives available. Even where public transport is strong in city centres, connections between residential areas, business parks and neighbouring municipalities may be less effective. Smaller and medium-sized cities can have shorter distances, but also less frequent public transport and greater car dependency.
Look at complete journeys
Daily life rarely consists of a single, predictable journey. People combine work, education, care, shopping and other responsibilities. Shift workers may travel when public transport is limited. Families, carers, tradespeople and service providers may need flexibility, carry equipment, or access to several destinations.
Mobility policy should therefore consider the complete journey. For many people, the realistic solution is not a choice between the car and public transport, walking or cycling. It is a combination of travel modes.
Measure accessibility, not only traffic reduction
Reducing vehicle movements can be a useful objective, but it should not become the only measure of success. A SUMP should also demonstrate whether people can still reach work, education, healthcare, shops and social activities safely, efficiently and affordably.
That requires policymakers to test every major mobility measure against practical questions:
These questions do not weaken sustainable mobility policy. They make it stronger, fairer and more likely to gain lasting public support.
From parking policy to integrated mobility management
This is where parking operators can contribute more than parking capacity. With locations, infrastructure, operational experience and insight into mobility behaviour, we can help municipalities turn mobility ambitions into practical solutions.
Effective parking management is key. Rather than viewing parking as a problem to be removed, cities can use strategically located off-street parking and Mobility Hubs to reduce the spatial footprint of passenger cars, free up valuable public space and support seamless connections between different modes of transport.
Mobility Hubs and Mobility Zones can become connected elements of the urban mobility network, supporting interchange, accessibility, electric mobility, urban logistics and efficient use of scarce public space.
Future of urban mobilityThe future of urban mobility is not about banning cars. It is about using available space more intelligently. By moving parking off-street where possible, cities can create more room for walking, cycling, public transport, green spaces and vibrant public areas, while remaining accessible and economically attractive.
As cities develop the next generation of Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans, parking should be considered an integral part of the mobility ecosystem. A successful SUMP 3.0 balances liveability with accessibility, environmental objectives with economic vitality, and sustainable transport ambitions with the everyday mobility needs of residents, commuters and visitors.
The strongest mobility strategies create realistic choices. They recognise that different journeys require different solutions and that all transport modes, including the passenger car, have a role to play within a well-managed urban mobility system.
About Q-Park
Q-Park is a leading off-street parking infrastructure owner and operator with well-managed commercial parking facilities across seven western European countries. We operate off-street parking spaces we own, have under concession or with long-term lease contracts from public and private landlords. We focus on off-street purpose-built parking facilities at strategic locations. We operate more than 5,500 parking facilities comprising over 1.2 million parking spaces in the Netherlands, Germany, France, Belgium, United Kingdom, Ireland and Denmark. Based on publicly available industry data for our competitors, we estimate that we are a top three player, based on the estimated off-street revenues, in all the countries in which we operate. Q-Park also has numerous mobility hubs which provide access to a variety of mobility solutions. We house and support a range of activities from last mile logistics, electric vehicle charging, micromobility and car sharing services which help support urban accessibility, sustainability and liveability.
