European cities are being urged to rethink their approach to urban mobility, with a new guidance from the European Association of Motorcycle Manufacturers (ACEM) calling for a greater role for L-category vehicles in easing congestion and cutting emissions.
The document, titled 'Rightsizing Urban Mobility', aims to help local authorities integrate motorcycles, mopeds, tricycles, and quadricycles into Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans (SUMPs), which will be mandatory by the end of 2027.
By recognizing L-category vehicles as a distinct transport mode, cities can unlock significant benefits in terms of mobility efficiency, road safety, and environmental performance.
ACEM argues that better integration could deliver immediate gains in congestion relief and improved journey times, with research from Transport & Mobility Leuven finding that a 25% modal shift from cars to motorcycles on a Brussels-Leuven corridor would effectively eliminate congestion on that route.
The guidance also highlights the potential for L-category vehicles to free up physical space currently dominated by cars, with analysis from Oxford Economics suggesting that even a small shift away from cars could have a dramatic impact on city function.
Replacing just 1% of cars with motorcycles across the EU and UK would free up around 25 km² of parking space, equivalent to roughly half the size of Luxembourg City.
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Scale that to 5%, and the figure rises to 124 km², an area larger than Paris, which ACEM claims could be repurposed for housing, public space, greenery, or local business use.
Environmental impacts also form a key part of the case, with ACEM citing figures showing that a 5% shift from cars to motorcycles reduces CO2 emissions by 10%.
As cities prepare to meet the deadline, they must prioritize integration and planning to unlock the full potential of L-category vehicles in shaping sustainable urban mobility.
The guidance is a significant step towards recognizing the value of L-category vehicles in urban policy and planning, and its implementation will have far-reaching implications for European cities in the years to come.
The decisions made now will define how European cities evolve for the next decade.
