With only two weeks to go until City Transport & Road Pricing Europe conference 2021, CiTTi meets speaker Milla Bruneau, executive director for the Lahti – European Green Capital 2021 project, who will discuss how the Finnish city of Lahti is offering sustainable solutions for global challenges.
Taking place on 11-12 May 2021 via virtual conferencing platform Swapcard, City Transport & Road Pricing Europe 2021 will explore the latest developments and technologies shaping urban transportation via four key content themes: road pricing and tolling; emissions and sustainability; congestion and traffic management; and transportation infrastructure.
This two-day online event will see over 20 expert speakers highlight the latest road pricing and tolling projects, discuss intelligent transport infrastructures and present urban mobility schemes being implemented in major towns and cities across Europe, from Ljubljana and Oslo to Brussels and Lahti.
Name: Milla Bruneau
Job Role: Executive Director
Organisation: Lahti – European Green Capital 2021
What is the best thing about your job?
I get to work with excellent people, I learn something new every day, and I get to share our expertise from my dear hometown to the world.
What is the biggest challenge facing those with responsibility for developing sustainable urban mobility solutions in 2021?
Dealing with fear. Not knowing or fearing the unknown make people question science and facts. The necessity of fighting climate change is not prominent to everybody, because there is not enough right, suitable or powerful ways to reach different target groups.
What’s your best piece of advice for those looking to implement sustainable urban mobility solutions?
Involving different stakeholders in all phases of the planning process. City planners are most likely always the ones taking responsibility for the planning and implementation processes, but it is very important to include businesses, shops and restaurant owners, event planners, citizens of all backgrounds and demos etc. If citizens feel like they don’t have a say in the process, it is very hard to get them committed to change.
Does legislation help or hinder development in the sector?
Legislation sets certain parameters for transportation, energy production, recycling, construction etc. to help i.e. cut CO2 emissions, but at city level I think we need to be more ambitious and do more. Cities are more flexible and agile to make bold moves and there is more room for experimentation, innovations and failure compared to government-level actions.
What will sustainable urban mobility look like in 2030?
All means of transportation are made sustainable if one chooses to make a sustainable decision. Mobility within cities, between cities, between countries, between continents, can be sustainable if one chooses to travel sustainably. We can’t force change, but we can make the sustainable mobility choices more appealing to everybody. Cities will make room for pedestrians, cyclists, private cars, bike and car parking, public transportation, and logistics equally accessible. We will see more shared mobility and more autonomous vehicles than today.
Why are you looking forward to speaking at City Transport & Road Pricing Europe 2021?
We have done a lot in Lahti to cut our CO2 emission already. Today our emissions are 70% lower than in 1990. We already have a roadmap for being carbon neutral by 2025 (80% cut), but the biggest challenges for us to win are traffic and mobility issues and low-carbon construction. I am eager to share our pioneering work, but also to talk about the work ahead of us.
At the conference you’ll also be able to hear from Continental, Transport & Environment, Greenplan, the cities of Stuttgart and Oslo, the European Green Capital 2021 project… and more! You can view the full agenda here. All times are shown in CET (GMT+1). All sessions will be available after the conference on-demand.
For partnership enquiries, please contact Robert Gouge at robert.gouge@akabomedia.co.uk or by calling +44 (0) 20 8065 0465. For speaking opportunities, please contact Claudia Davidson at claudia.davidson@akabomedia.co.uk or by calling +44 (0) 20 8037 1777.
Meet some of our other speakers at City Transport & Road Pricing Conference Europe 2021…
