2020, what’s new in urban mobility in France?

While late 2019 was marked by strikes and major transport disruption, 2020 arrived with plenty of promise for urban mobility. New transport legislation across France, support for carpooling, car-sharing solutions and even « retrofitting »: 2020 has some exciting developments in store. Naturally, Hesion, your smart parking solutions partner, has put together an overview for you. If you did not have the chance to attend the Industries du Futur 4.0 trade show or catch up on the latest year-end news, here is a round-up of the developments to watch in 2020.

Rolling out the LOM

It took the French National Assembly almost 2 years to develop the Mobility Orientation Law, also known as « LOM ». This wide-ranging legislation, adopted on 24 December 2019, aims to reform mobility management across France. All urban areas will now be required to offer residents one or more ways to improve transport and urban mobility. This should lead to the introduction of apps offering urban transport users:

• transport ticket purchases;
• private-hire vehicle bookings;
• access to carpooling offers;
• access to smart parking solutions in the city.

A strong commitment to expanding carpooling

Subsidies to promote urban mobility and carpooling are also expected in 2020. These could cover up to one return trip per day. The aim is to encourage employees in particular to choose this way of travelling. Businesses will also be able to contribute 400€ per year towards their employees’ carpooling costs. We may also see new dedicated carpool lanes in cities and on motorways. This was already trialled during the transport strikes in late 2019, but could become more widespread, much like bus and taxi lanes.

The growth of car-sharing solutions

Car-sharing solutions are expected to expand even further in France in 2020. A genuine way to ease urban traffic congestion, a shared car could apparently replace around ten individual vehicles. Easy to use, car-sharing services let users locate their nearest car, drive it and return it either to its original location or to a space within a designated area. More of these spaces are expected in smart car parks in 2020, in partnership with local authorities and private car parks.

The rise of « retrofitting »

« Retrofit » is a word of English origin. It means: « to add a component to a machine, or equipment to a place, that was not included when it was originally built ». Here, we are talking about retrofitting cars. The idea is to convert an originally diesel- or petrol-powered vehicle into a fully electric one. The government has already given its approval in principle for legalisation in early 2020. If Brussels gives the go-ahead, more than 300 000 vehicles could be converted within 5 years. We should therefore see more and more charging points installed in smart car parks and other urban parking facilities. Hesion helps you ensure that these spaces dedicated to slow or fast charging are used correctly.

2020 therefore promises a clear shift towards greener practices and better-planned mobility. Transport needs to become more responsible, as do parking solutions, which must adapt to these new ways of travelling. Smart car parks also have an important role to play. Car parks will need to provide charging points to support the growth of these new vehicles. Dedicated car-sharing spaces could also be introduced, along with pick-up points to make carpooling easier. Partnerships with local authorities will also be essential to integrate smart car parks into better urban mobility in town centres, notably by showing available parking spaces on maps in upcoming apps. In short, there are exciting urban mobility projects ahead for 2020! And of course, the Hesion team will be here to support you throughout the year!