Encouraging pedestrian and bicycle mobility, key to a more sustainable region
The Degree in Civil Engineering of the Universidad Católica of Murcia has gathered mobility coordinators and managers of passenger transport companies, political representatives, the General Directorate of Traffic and industry experts, at its Los Jerónimos Campus for a conference in which it was concluded that, despite the work being done in road safety and sustainability in cities, there is still much to be done
"Mobility is a social right, and it is essential that it is clean, healthy and inclusive", concluded Pedro de los Santos Jiménez, Vice-Dean of the UCAM Degree in Civil Engineering. He went on to describe the importance of working on road safety and more sustainable mobility at the 7th Conference on this topic, which was held this morning at the Los Jerónimos Campus. Marina Munuera, Regional General Director of Mobility and Coastal Areas, and Alberto Menchón, Deputy Provincial Traffic Chief and Senior Traffic Technician of the DGT (Traffic Department) of the Region, gave the master classes.
Pedro de los Santos called for a 'mobility pyramid' at an urban level, placing "pedestrians at the top, followed by bicycles, public transport, cargo transport, carpooling and, at the bottom, motor vehicles, which we have to reduce to the absolute minimum possible". He also stressed that UCAM is working, through its Chair of Mobility and Sustainable Transport, on safety and mobility in the metropolitan area of Murcia, and stated that the Region of Murcia is improving in this area, since "both the Regional Ministry and the city councils, especially in the metropolitan area of Murcia, are aware that mobility must be improved, but there is a lack of real coordination between all the bodies involved".
Regarding the improvements in inter-urban public passenger transport in the Region of Murcia, the General Director of Mobility and Coastal Areas presented Movibus, "the new connected, accessible and digital transport system that is operating in 17 municipalities in the metropolitan area of Murcia and Cartagena", and which replaces the previous one "which was not adapted to the real needs of citizens". He also stressed that this type of event organised by UCAM is "key to being able to analyse the mobility policies we want to implement in the future, training great professionals who will make a much better transport system".
As for the sustainability of regional traffic, according to Alberto Menchón, Deputy Provincial Traffic Chief and Senior Traffic Technician at the DGT, we are facing a time of change: "Previously, the DGT's perspective was to ensure road safety for four-wheeled vehicles, but today, in view of two-wheeled vehicles, road safety is oriented more towards the protection of the vulnerable users - bikers, cyclists and users of PMVs (personal mobility vehicles).