Urban Mobility Solutions

It’s no secret Beijing policymakers completely abandoned the bicycle decades ago, handing their streets over to the automobile in the name of prosperity. But in recent years, those policymakers have done a stunning reversal, reallocating significant amounts of that space in the name of liveability. Motivated by the COVID-19 pandemic, starting in 2020, Beijing's transportation department introduced the development concept of "slow travel first, public transportation first, and green first"; implementing a three-year plan to continually improve the quality of the walking and cycling environment. Embodying the Dutch principles of cohesion, directness, safety, comfort and attractiveness; Beijing's network plan totals 220 kilometres in six districts, including a commitment to build a bike lane on every road more than 12 metres wide, and bike priority street (or "fietsstraat") on narrower ones. "Bicycles reflect a city's sustainable development its level of modern civilization. They take the least time to travel short distances, and can be used as a connecting tool between trains and buses, thereby expanding public transport's coverage." - Wang Shuling, Beijing Transport Research Institute. The policy shift is already yielding results: according to ITDP, (e-)cyclists in Beijing now represent 23% of commuters who have shifted from a car as their primary mode. This has contributed to an annual fuel consumption reduction of 60 million litres and decrease in CO2 emissions of 240,000 tons.

🚨 Want Dutch cycling levels? Study finds that #Paris' 240% surge in bicycle traffic since 2018 is the result of 1️⃣ building new bike infrastructure, 2️⃣ making streets pleasant and 3️⃣ making car use more difficult. Details: Between 2018 and 2023, Paris experienced an incredible 240% surge in bicycle traffic, a transformation that reshaped how millions move across the city. A recent study by Alexandre Lanvin, Jean Charléty, Guillaume FERREOL, Anatole Homann, Elliot Massey, Alix Vermeulen, and Alexandre Chasse in the Journal of Cycling and Micromobility Research explores how public policies made this possible — and what truly drives sustainable cycling growth (link in comments). The findings are clear: infrastructure leads the way. The single most important factor behind Paris’s cycling success was the expansion of protected bike lanes, supported by more secure parking and a rapidly growing bike-sharing network (Vélib’). Together, these investments built trust, safety, and convenience — the foundations of everyday cycling. But the study also shows that success doesn’t come from infrastructure alone. Growth accelerated when cycling was made more pleasant and accessible through pedestrian zones, new green spaces, and the rise of e-bikes, which opened cycling to longer commutes and a broader population. Policies that made car use more difficult, such as low-emission zones and rising fuel prices, also played a role — though with social trade-offs that cities must manage carefully. Interestingly, the much-discussed ban on e-scooters had almost no effect on cycling levels. 💡 Key takeaway: Paris’s experience shows that sustainable cycling growth isn’t about a single silver bullet — it’s about creating a balanced ecosystem. Build safe, connected infrastructure first; enhance liveability and inclusivity next; and align restrictions with fairness. Paris’s journey proves that with consistent vision and investment, the bicycle can become a central pillar of urban mobility — not just a trend, but a transformation.

When I was CRO of a $200M SaaS, doing POCs almost destroyed us—months wasted, team exhausted, buyers constantly delaying. Until my VP Sales said, “Kill the POC. We’ll validate value clearly in 3 hours flat”. Here's exactly how we rebuilt our sales process and cut our sales cycle by 50%: BACKGROUND: We were selling 100% enterprise. POCs were the automatic default: Heavy, technical validation lasting 1-3 months. It was painful… - Sales Engineers were overloaded - Buyers kept delaying due to resource issues - Buyers kept wanting more “just one more test” Initially, I thought: It’s Enterprise, that’s the game right? Until our VP Sales, Idan Arealy, joined. Two weeks in, he tells me: “No offense—but these POCs are total overkill.” “Buyers don’t need these endless tests.” “They’re not doubting the tech.” “They’re doubting the value.” “And we don’t need this complexity to prove value.” So he suggested a simpler, smarter alternative: The 'Use Case Workshop'—and it changed everything. Here’s the step-by-step: —— 1. Kickoff (45 min) - AE positions the workshop immediately post-demo: “Here’s what we typically do next to help validate real-world scenarios in just hours—no heavy lift needed. Shall we set it up?" - SE runs deeper disco into problem root causes in a kickoff call - AE sets clear Mutual Action Plan (MAP) 2. Internal Alignment (60 min) - SE & AE clearly define and build initial use-case solutions - Output: Slides outlining impactful solutions & open questions 3. Use Case Co-Design (45 min) - Live session with buyers walking through scenarios - Collaboratively refine solutions LIVE (e.g. Miro, slides): “Walk me through this problem in more detail—we’ll map exactly how solving it looks." 4. Prioritization & Wrap Up (30 min) - Jointly prioritize top 3 impactful use cases clearly: "Which scenarios, solved, would immediately solve [Problem]?" - Lock down committed next steps ↳ Result? - 3 focused hours (instead of months) - Clear, confident buyers ready to champion - 100% faster sales cycles & higher win rates —— POCs are NOT mandatory. Buyers don't want endless tests. Don’t default to what most buyers ask. Design what will solve what they need— With as little friction as possible. That's: Sales Process Design 101. P.S. We built Aligned to help manage the chaos of Complex Sales. 100% FREE Deal Room used by 40K AEs to run POCs, MAPs, etc. Try it https://lnkd.in/d_49kHZE

Recommended reading! About Walking-Centred Communities The 21st century's "cult of speed" is harming human wellbeing and planetary health. Despite the Netherlands' cycling reputation, car dominance prevails: 45% of trips by car, 25% by bicycle, only 20% on foot. Daily walking distances dropped from 15km in 1900 to 1.1km today. Arjanne van der Padt's (Delft University of Technology) action manual offers urban professionals a compelling framework. Her research shows walking isn't just transport or leisure - it's a powerful tool for healthier, sustainable communities. A pleasure to read and beautifully illustrated. The Four Pillars of Walking-Friendly Design 1. Meaningful: Integrate walking into daily routines through storytelling, branding, and campaigns that connect walking to work, learning, and socialising. 2. Normal: Redefine walking as a desirable component of good living, linked to shared values of freedom, comfort, safety, and sustainability. Car-free developments can accelerate this cultural shift. 3. Easy: Create compact, walkable, connected spaces with clear wayfinding and inclusive "walk & roll" accessibility for all mobility levels. 4. Enjoyable: Design for diversity guided by eye-level experiences of liveliness, greenery, and weather protection. The City of Zwolle case study exemplifies these principles in action, transforming a mono-functional car-oriented area by converting parking spaces to housing and reimagining the A28 highway as a green boulevard. This demonstrates the "traffic evaporation" principle - reducing car space leads to behavioural adaptation rather than just traffic displacement. The research introduces innovative methodologies including "Walking as a Method" for gaining embodied insights, persona-based design for diverse needs, and performance codes that focus on how spaces function rather than strict zoning. This approach requires urban professionals to expand beyond traditional traffic flows and functional zoning. Success depends on integrating spatial, social, and policy actions while designing around quality and locality values rather than speed and efficiency. The shift from rapid delivery to slow, participatory research may require more time initially, but creates "places to live, not places to leave" - fundamentally changing how communities experience urban space. This comprehensive approach offers urban professionals a roadmap for creating environments where walking becomes a natural, enjoyable part of daily life, contributing to both individual wellbeing and broader sustainability goals. Van der Padt's complete thesis 'Steps towards Slowness: Planning and design to promote walking for wellbeing in a post-growth future in the Netherlands' is well worth exploring and can be found at File_97018301-fc4d-4bba-ac3a-787777181ee8 #UrbanPlanning #SustainableMobility #WalkableCities #PublicSpace #UrbanDesign #PostGrowth #SlowCities #HealthyCommunities #ClimateAction #UrbanWellbeing #TUDelft #PlanningPractice

India's urban congestion is escalating due to the rapid rise in private vehicle ownership. The Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH) reported a 9.5% annual growth in vehicle registrations, with Ahmedabad alone seeing over 1.5 lakh new vehicles yearly. This surge calls for a paradigm shift in how we approach urban mobility. Financial sustainability is key to transforming public transport systems into self-sustaining entities. Revenue diversification is crucial, and successful models like Transport for London, which generates substantial revenue through advertising and corporate partnerships, provide valuable insights. Indian systems are adopting similar strategies—premium services, advertising, and monetizing public spaces in metro and bus terminals are becoming vital revenue streams. Public transport networks can also play a role in logistics. The Indian Railways’ shift towards freight corridors, earning more from cargo than passengers, exemplifies this potential. By using existing bus and train networks for cargo, developing parcel hubs, and collaborating with e-commerce platforms, India's transport systems could not only ease urban congestion but also create new revenue streams. The future of mobility lies in multi-modal transport solutions. These integrated systems—comprising buses, trains, cycling, and shared mobility—offer the way forward. Projects like the Ahmedabad and Mumbai Metro expansions are pivotal in this vision. Mumbai's suburban trains, carrying over 7.5 million passengers daily, reduce the need for private vehicles. If replicated across cities, such solutions will be key to alleviating congestion. Cycling presents an untapped opportunity. Global cities like Amsterdam and Copenhagen have set the bar, with over 40% of commuters cycling daily. Indian cities like Indore, Pune, and Bengaluru are already integrating cycling lanes and bike-sharing systems, promoting eco-friendly mobility. This shift can reduce fuel costs, lower pollution, and enhance public health, but challenges like safety concerns and inadequate infrastructure must be addressed. Shared mobility and electric vehicles (EVs) are transforming urban transport. Cities like Paris, where e-scooters replace millions of car trips annually, offer a glimpse into the future. Bengaluru and Hyderabad have already seen a 20-30% increase in shared mobility adoption. India is accelerating this shift with over 2,000 electric buses deployed under the FAME-II scheme in Gujarat. Digitalization plays a critical role in enhancing the efficiency of urban transport. Real-time passenger information, smart ticketing, online payments, and AI-based route optimization are now part of modern transport networks. The evolution of urban mobility in India is not just about reducing traffic but about creating a sustainable, efficient, and integrated transport ecosystem for the future. #publictransportation #electricvehicle #logistics #metro #multimodaltransport

Transit ridership in the US has struggled to come back from the pandemic. In new research at Urban Institute, I investigate how the situation compares with France by exploring pre- and post-2020 ridership trends in both countries' largest urban areas: https://lnkd.in/ePKvMVpE Key facts: —Before the pandemic, ridership in French urban areas was on the rise—as it plateaued or declined in most US urban areas. —During the pandemic, ridership fell MUCH more in US urban areas than in France. —Since 2020, ridership in French areas has more than recovered, while it's still down in the US. What's interesting is that these trends extend across many different urban areas. While ALL large US urban areas saw declines in per-capita transit use from 2015 to 2024, most French urban areas actually saw an increase! That's especially true in places like Bordeaux, Nice, and Rennes. One big problem that I highlight is that US transit agencies simply aren't providing the level of service they did pre-pandemic! Almost all US urban areas had less transit service provided in 2024 than in 2019. The Denver urban area is particularly bad. That's hitting ridership. Check out the full research, which includes an interactive graph, here: https://lnkd.in/ePKvMVpE

Barcelona turns subway stations into power plants How? By using regenerative braking 🌎 Barcelona is advancing sustainable urban mobility through the implementation of regenerative braking technology in its subway system. This process captures the kinetic energy produced when trains decelerate, converting it into electricity that powers the transit network. The initiative is part of the MetroCHARGE program, which utilizes otherwise wasted energy to operate trains, station amenities, and electric vehicle (EV) charging stations. Currently, 33% of the subway system’s energy needs are met through regenerative braking, reducing CO2 emissions by 3.9 metric tons annually. The initiative has also lowered tunnel temperatures by nearly 2°F, improving passenger comfort and operational efficiency. With 13 additional inverters planned, the program is expected to provide 41% of the energy required to operate the system, demonstrating the scalability of regenerative braking technology in urban transit. The financial model underpinning MetroCHARGE ensures its long-term viability. The €7.8 million investment is projected to be recovered in under five years through reduced energy costs and revenue from EV chargers. This approach highlights how innovative energy management can enhance sustainability while maintaining cost-efficiency, offering a replicable framework for other cities to consider. As cities worldwide face mounting energy demands, Barcelona’s example illustrates the potential of regenerative braking to improve energy efficiency and reduce emissions. With strategic planning, including retrofitting older systems and aligning infrastructure investments, urban transit networks can adopt similar solutions, contributing to global sustainability efforts. #sustainability #sustainable #business #esg #climatechange  #climateaction

India’s Economic Survey 2025-26 dedicates an entire chapter to urbanisation. The framing is sharp, where cities are no longer supporting the economy, rather, they are the center of the economy. Today, India's top-10 cities contribute 28% of GDP with just 9% of the population. But a large economic drag is the mobility problem. A new TomTom Traffic Index (2026) has been released but the story is the same, - 6 out of the top 10 most congested Asian cities are Indian. While Mumbai city has been improving, from #1 in 2019 to #18 in 2026, the Mumbai metropolitan region is still the 3rd most congested globally. Bangalore and Pune have gotten worse, now part of the Global top 10 for 4 straight years. India’s metros lose USD ~22 billion annually to congestion. Bengaluru commuters average just 16.6 km/hour and Mumbai commuters waste 126 hours in rush hour traffic - that’s half a month of working hours lost to just traffic!. Mobility at scale is about moving people, not vehicles, and the Union Budget’s infrastructure capex does seem to signal a shift toward metros, stronger bus systems, and transit-oriented urban development. Singapore offers a strong reference model for this kind of an integration. Under its Land Transport Master Plan, it targets 8 in 10 households within a 10-minute walk of rail, backed by 1,000 km of continuous walk and cycle links feeding directly into MRT and bus hubs. Transport and land use are planned together, so housing, jobs and transit grow as one system instead of competing with each other. If cities are the engines of India’s growth, mobility is the efficiency of that engine where it's a core pillar of economic strategy. (Link to sources in comments)

Many think that low-density areas can’t support public transport. But Helsinki has another approach. The secret? Buses. 🚇 Helsinki operates a single metro line extending into distant suburbs, yet the line serves over 300,000 riders daily thanks to the bus. 🚍 For example, Espoo's western suburb now has a robust network of feeder buses. Helsinki’s buses provide frequent, reliable service that feeds into metro stations. ⏳ These buses run every 5-10 minutes (!), drastically reducing wait times and making public transport a viable alternative to driving. 🏢 Great transit allows Espoo to grow and densify, which will support all this investment in the future. Paul Mees put it perfectly: "Arguments that [higher] densities are needed before transport trends can change are really just arguments for continuing with automobile dependence." Helsinki’s approach to public transport shows that even suburban areas with low population density can achieve high levels of public transit usage. Link to the great video by George Liu PhD and Jedwin Mok on EIT Urban Mobility - Urban Mobility Explained (UMX) in the comments. Featuring Jonathan English.

"We've been working this deal for 8 months and it just went dark." (Ouch!) Last week, I had three different sales leaders tell me versions of this same story. Big enterprise deals that seemed "sure things" suddenly stalling or disappearing completely. Here's what's really happening: You're selling like it's 2015, but buyers have fundamentally changed how they make decisions. Seriously, the old playbook is dead: → Build relationship with one champion → Demo your product extensively → Negotiate on price to close → Wait for their "decision timeline" Why this fails in modern enterprise selling? #1 Committee-based buying Average enterprise deal now involves 6-8 decision makers. Your single champion can't drive consensus alone, no matter how much they love your solution. #2 Risk-averse buyers Post-2008, post-COVID, buyers are terrified of making bad decisions. They'd rather stick with status quo than risk their careers on your "game-changing" solution. #3 Budget complexity Money exists, but it's trapped across departments. Your champion in IT loves you, but the budget owner in Finance has different priorities. Here’s how elite enterprise sellers win these days: A. Multi-thread from Day One Map the entire buying committee before you pitch anything. Identify the economic buyer, technical evaluator, user champions, and potential blockers. Build relationships with each. B. Sell business outcomes, not features Stop talking about what your product does. Start quantifying the business impact of not solving their problem. Make the cost of inaction higher than the risk of action. C. De-risk the decision Provide case studies from similar companies. Offer pilot programs. Create implementation roadmaps. Give them ammunition to defend the decision internally. D. Control the process Don't ask "What's your timeline?" Tell them "Based on your goals, here's the optimal implementation schedule." You drive urgency, they don't. Here’s a real life example: One client was stuck on a $400K deal for 6 months. We mapped 8 stakeholders they'd never engaged. Built business cases for each department. Deal closed in 45 days at $650K. The difference? They stopped selling a product and started orchestrating a business transformation. Enterprise deals aren't won in demo rooms. They're won in boardrooms, budget meetings, and implementation planning sessions. Sales leaders, how are you implementing this across ALL your reps? Want to talk about how we could help? Go here: https://lnkd.in/ghh8VCaf