The European Mobility Week is currently under way. At the heart of the event, which runs until 22 September, are the ten lessons drawn from lockdown for better urban mobility. Ten points that we asked an equal number of key figures from the 4th National Conference on sharing mobility to comment on. The crisis linked to Covid-19, as Luigi Onorato, senior partner at Deloitte Italia, points out, is a crisis without experts and with a strong emotional dimension that is changing the way customers, operators and institutions view mobility: "In this context, we are witnessing an acceleration in demand for sustainable mobility (+335 per cent in cycling traffic in Turin during Phase 2, four thousand more shared electric scooters in Milan since May 2020), accompanied, however, by lower use of public transport (-50 per cent use of the Rome metro in September compared to the pre-Covid period) and an increased tendency to use privately owned cars for daily journeys (around 70 per cent)."

In this situation, what is needed is "a strategic plan for relaunching mobility, to be implemented at both local and national level, one that — mindful of the specific characteristics of our territory (77% of Italians live in municipalities with fewer than 100,000 inhabitants) — aims at developing infrastructure, guarantees safety, promotes intermodal mobility and defines legislative measures to regulate new forms of mobility. All of this through the systematic integration of private and public expertise, translating into the activation of concrete, value-generating projects."

1. Public space is precious; it is more important than ever to manage cities with people in mind rather than cars (parked or moving on multi-lane roads). It is possible to adopt strategic changes over a relatively short period.

For Sara Venturoni, head of stations at Rete Ferroviaria Italiana, "the awakening of urban metabolism after lockdown and the constraint of social distancing have forced a rethinking of public space, putting people — rather than vehicles — back at the centre. We must move towards polycentric and resilient cities, shortening distances to places of production and services, transforming all neighbourhoods into more liveable and attractive places in which to harmonise different functions: homes, offices, schools, healthcare facilities, sport, culture, commerce and leisure. Stations, always places of high accessibility, can foster the urban regeneration of the contexts in which they are located and define new mobility hierarchies, reorganising flows on the basis of near/real-time big data analysis — essential for capturing actual dynamics and identifying new needs, which can then be matched with an expanded and diversified range of services."

1. We have recognised the value of essential workers, who until now were invisible; among them, public transport employees and all those who contribute to our mobility. Since transport capacity has been limited, it is important to give priority to those who need it most, but we must also restore trust in public transport, which is fundamental to safe and sustainable urban mobility.

Gino Colella, director general of Agens, highlights that "workers and all local public transport operators have been a constantly running engine oriented towards recovery during and after lockdown. These have been, and continue to be, months of difficulty and concern, to which companies have responded with concrete choices in favour of citizens (from sanitising environments with attendant social distancing to service frequency), workers with their commitment, and institutions by adopting regulations and allocating resources for the sector. We need to continue our shared commitment, directing every effort towards greater modal integration, sustainability, digitalisation and planning adequate, coherent investments to ensure appropriate renewal. Together, we have been capable of holding on; and together we must press on with the efforts made so far."

1. The invisible has become visible: noise and air pollution rates from daily commuting fell to unprecedented levels. For a time, Europeans breathed cleaner air and lived in quieter urban spaces, and expressed a desire for this to continue. How can we maintain this situation, at least in part?

"The health emergency," explains Giusy Lombardi from the directorate general for climate, energy and air at the Ministry of the Environment, "provided an opportunity to rethink mobility policies and triggered a realignment — cultural as well — with the changed conditions. Values such as improved air quality and the absence of noise pollution became perceptible. Evidence of this new awareness was the extraordinary public attention given to the experimental programme Buono Mobilità 2020, which incentivises cycling — including e-bikes — the use of electric segways and bike-sharing services and shared individual mobility in general. The common goal is to have less polluted, less noisy cities. For a better environment and a better quality of life."

1. Our world was moving too fast, but there is no reason to rush; let us slow down by imposing speed limits in urban areas set at 30 km/h or even lower.

Thirty-kilometre-per-hour cities, in the view of Anna Parasacchi, coordinator of the Green City Network, represent "a true celebration of slowness! Slowness as a way of experiencing the city's spaces differently. Soft mobility strategies — cycling, scooters, cars moving at walking pace — allow a different perception of the city, one made up of details: we notice the paving, the use of greenery and its upkeep, public spaces, street furniture. We must recover what we call environmental wellbeing, precisely because it relates to the space and environment in which we are immersed — including through a sharp reduction in journeys from one part of the city to another, in home-to-work commuting, and in the large volumes of daily travel for shopping, education and leisure. The slow city also means functional mixité, finding all services within walking distance: the city of quality of life, of relationships, of the social dimension."

1. Respiratory health and an active lifestyle are now more important than ever; early research suggests that pollution and obesity significantly increase the health risks from COVID-19. We must therefore find better ways to stably help people get around on foot or by bicycle in our cities without risk. Each of us should make an effort to stay fit and do sport, so it is no surprise that gym equipment sold out in many shops; however, the best gym of all is walking or cycling.

For Gianluca Pin, commercial director of Bicincittà, "bike sharing is a great opportunity to discover active mobility: cycling is a healthy way to combat obesity, cardiovascular disease and pollution, to make getting around the city enjoyable and fun, while saving time and money. If integrated with the public transport network and given the limited capacity of vehicles, bike sharing is a concrete solution for offering passengers an alternative – a last-mile travel solution that is streamlined, quick and guarantees the necessary social distancing. Bike sharing keeps you fit, gets you there faster, costs little and helps contain the spread of infection: now is the right time to get in the saddle."

1. Working from home has become normal and possible for many people and reduces the need for commuting, a source of congestion and pollution. At the same time, some employees need to travel to their workplace. Employers, urban mobility experts and urban planners must therefore work together to find solutions that help us pursue a safe recovery.

"The explosion of agile working and remote conferencing," explains Carlo Carminucci, research director at Isfort, "are the leading edge of a process of organisational and social innovation in which it is worth investing massively, given the undeniable positive impacts produced on everyone's quality of life: rationalised and better structured mobility, fewer peak hours and less congestion, less pollution, greater safety, and improved quality of life for all. But at the same time, accompanying the push of these new paradigms means driving innovation, digitalisation and planning with a far greater intensity than that experienced in recent years. It is clear that not all workers can carry out smart working, not all commercial and public service activities can revise their opening and closing hours, and not all mobility behaviours can be channelled on the basis of pre-defined regulatory schemes. What is needed here is a great leap in quality and a major mobility management project that only adequate professional and interdisciplinary expertise can ensure, together with the firm will of political decision-makers to support such ambitious and radical objectives for reorganising mobility and everyday life."

1. Children who go to school by car with their parents contribute considerably to road congestion. They instil in other children the idea that walking or cycling is dangerous, so their parents will also take them by car: a vicious circle! Distance learning or e-learning can help reduce the number of journeys, but we need more sustainable alternatives for getting children to school.

Nicole Hable', senior adviser on economic affairs and sustainable mobility at the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, explains that "research by Loendersloot Groep has shown that taking children to school by bicycle gives them more freedom, creativity and happiness. They develop a better sense of traffic and become more independent. To achieve this goal, in addition to safe cycling infrastructure, a change of mindset is needed in schools, among parents and among motorists. Speed limits of 30 kilometres per hour, speed bumps, safety measures around schools and the cycling licence – which is part of standard education at Dutch primary schools – are also important. A further benefit is that those who learn when young will also have a more favourable attitude towards active mobility later in life, which is good for health and the environment."

1. Digital tools are fundamental for the efficient use of transport systems, but they must work for everyone. For many years, mobility experts have been talking about MaaS (Mobility as a Service) to promote a multimodal lifestyle. Apps that provide real-time information on less crowded options can be useful; transport planners can indicate walking routes as alternatives to multi-bus legs. Digital literacy and accessibility are necessary to make the most of these tools.

"The spread of MaaS (Mobility as a Service) services," comments Matteo Antoniola, business strategy manager at 5T, "promises to revolutionise the way we think about mobility, offering us in the future solutions for every travel need in a simple, digital, integrated, multimodal and flexible way. All available where and when we want it, in a single app and on demand. The challenge today is to govern this digital transformation so as to produce social and environmental benefits for the whole community: the role of central and local public administration will be decisive in this process."

1. Shopping online was one of the solutions during lockdown, but shall we talk about deliveries? Remember the potential of cargo bikes for bringing us closer to zero-emission logistics!

"For deliveries in the city," says Anna Donati, mobility coordinator at Kyoto Club, "we need efficient sustainable urban freight logistics services using electric vehicles. Not only that, the distribution system itself needs to be reorganised, through transit points, multi-product delivery services, bookable loading bays and local distribution centres: the goal is to reduce traffic. Third-party haulage and electric vehicles should be promoted, with incentive schemes governing access rules for ZTL restricted traffic zones (hours, tariffs). Administrations must support the development of pedal-powered logistics, cargo bikes with dedicated bays and spaces. Finally, service innovations are needed for the delivery and collection of products purchased online, through the installation of lockers, collection points and spaces spread throughout the city where people pass through or live. All these actions must be included in the Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan, in a chapter dedicated to sustainable logistics."

1. Some groups of people are more vulnerable than others: let us build cities with transport systems free of mobility barriers, because a city that is accessible to wheelchair users is a city that is accessible to everyone.

Christian Previati, brand manager at Key Energy, is convinced that "rethinking and reprogramming the accessibility of urban centres through sustainable mobility and city digitalisation tools is a way of placing the human being at the centre of attention." And at the same time of "breaking down barriers and responding to the needs and expectations of people across all user groups, including the most vulnerable, who require greater protection."