Soft and sustainable mobility: what model for rural areas?

Caroline Gallez and Alain L’Hostis, City Mobility Transport Laboratory (LVMT), Gustave Eiffel University

In a context of climate emergency and transport decarbonization, how can we ensure better service and better coverage of sparsely populated areas? What action levers can be taken to guarantee equal access to public services? Response elements with Caroline Gallez and Alain L'Hostis, researchers at City Mobility Transport Laboratory (LVMT).

With 33% of households living in rural areas and a third of employed workers living there¹, the question of mobility in sparsely populated areas cover numerous societal, economic and environmental issues. Public authorities need to take more account of these issues. The scarcity of services, the lack of access to healthcare and the closure of small railway lines in these areas increase dependence on the use of cars. With a median home to work distance of 12.5 km (compared with 6.1 km for urban residents), 86% of rural workers use their car to get to work (compared to 70% of urban residents).

“We must stay away from our dependence on cars,” assures Alain L’Hostis, research director at LVMT (École des Ponts ParisTech / Gustave Eiffel University). But to achieve this, we need to offer different alternatives that are not only better for the environment, but also convincing and competitive". Among other solutions, the researcher suggests developing rail transport by extending TER lines. Another lever is to encourage micro-mobility, whether shared or not. "It's important to work on making station areas more cycle-friendly", specifies the researcher.

According to the researcher, who specializes in the interaction between transport and urban planning, there cannot be a single can be no one answer to the issue of mobility in sparsely populated areas: "We must remove from the diagram (a problem, a solution) approach. Neither cycling nor car-sharing alone can solve the problem. Instead, we need to increase the number of alternatives and move towards the creation of mobility hubs where users can access a range of facilities such as electric bikes, scooters, cargo bikes, car-sharing, etc.".

At the same time, faced with rising house prices, many people are deciding to leave the city centers for the suburbs, which has the effect of increasing the number of people who are dependent on the cars," points out Caroline Gallez, research director at the LVMT. Added to this is a decline in the supply of public services in these areas, which further amplifies the phenomenon". The researcher also points out that "there can be no solution to the major challenges of ecological transition without taking into account social and gender inequalities".

We do not move in the same way whether we are a man or a woman, whether we have a high or low income, whether we belong to a minority or not. “Gender inequalities in particular are particularly strong in terms of access to public services” continues Caroline Gallez. Inequalities highlighted in a report from the Jean Jaurès Foundation published in June 2023. Title “Accessing public services in rural areas: women on the front line? »,This report highlights that women are those who carry out the vast majority of procedures for access to public services in rural areas. Most often responsible for household domestic and administrative tasks, they are the first to suffer from the scarcity of public services in rural areas. “If services are lacking or if their time slots are reduced, women are forced to travel longer to get there. The report also highlights the impact that this can have on the professional lives of women who often opt for part-time work due to organizational and family life constraints,” comments Caroline Gallez.

To overcome these problems, the researcher suggests acting upstream, in particular by improving the supply of affordable housing in urban areas as well as guaranteeing a network of public services in sparsely populated areas. “It is essential to ensure better access to everyday amenities, whether they are places of care or education. »

Sparsely populated area: defined according to the communal density grid of the French National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies, which distinguishes 4 categories of communes: densely populated, intermediate density, sparsely populated and very sparsely populated. Sparsely populated communes account for almost 53.7% of French communes, with 29% of the population living in 59% of the territory. 90% of them have between 200 and 3,000 inhabitants and an average population density of 51 inhabitants per km² (2017 figures).

Micromobility: soft mobility based on light transport vehicles driven by individuals: electric or non-electric bicycles, electric or non-electric scooters, etc.

Amenity: in the original sense, friendliness, charm. In urban planning, an amenity is an economic, cultural or leisure amenity or advantage that is attractive to residents. Amenities contribute to a place's quality of life.

¹ Source : Insee, 2020

The interview was conducted by the Kogito agency.