Designs on Mobility
Q The session was based around city dwellers and how they use transport networks. What were the major themes that developed during the session?
A We had two presenters: Iain Macbeth from Transport for London and Patrick Ségal, the former Deputy Mayor of Paris. Iain gave some insights into what TfL had to do to put into place to deal with the 2012 Olympics as well as the mobility legacy the event left behind in terms of behavioural change.
Patrick, meanwhile, is a champion of the disabled and talked about the challenges disabled people face in terms of basic access to mobility and also he spoke about the ageing population.That is particularly relevant to clubs as many also have an ageing demographic. There are a billion disabled people globally and two billion people aged over 65. Put those together and you have the third largest economy in the world. So the question was: how do clubs collaborate to better champion the needs of these individuals?
Q What elements of that debate did the delegates particularly respond to?
A I think there was an appetite from delegates to say ‘‘yes, we need to be lobbying more to make sure that within mobility by design there is a design for all’’ and that they can lobby municipalities, governments, car manufactures. They are, after all, the voice of the motorists.
Q What were the lessons clubs can apply in running their businesses?
A That although clubs have a responsibility to be the voice of motorists, fundamentally they are businesses and there are opportunities in this sphere. If they create the right initiatives and the right partnerships there is an opportunity for them to play a much larger part in this kind of mobility.