Paris, one of Europe's most economical cities for public transport

Here's a survey that will probably put a smile on the face of the Mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo. Clean Cities is a campaign run by a number of organisations under the aegis of the British NGO Transport & Environment.. The aim is to encourage cities to move towards sustainable mobility by 2030. And to transform European cities into champions of active, shared and electric mobility.

In the introduction to its report, the NGO explains that cities hold the key to a Europe geared towards climate-friendly mobility. This is because.., almost three out of four Europeans live in urban areas. Urban transport is responsible for 23 % of the EU's greenhouse gas emissions.. According to the NGO, this is the only sector in which emissions have increased since 1990. In fact, the air pollution index is higher than the recommended air quality threshold in more than 100 cities on the continent.

The report selected five categories comprising a total of 11 indicators. These include urban planning, road safety and public transport,
charging infrastructure for electric vehicles. Or more political decisions such as areas with low or zero emissions and air quality. The cities' performance is assessed against official benchmarks (WHO or the EU's "Vision Zero" on road safety). The data was collected and analysed by Ricardo Energy & Environment.

Paris: cheap public transport and road congestion

This shows that Paris ranks rather favourably out of a total of 36 cities selected in Europe. It is in fifth place, with extremely favourable results for the low cost of transport and policies to restrict car traffic. It leads the way in terms of the density of stops and stations. On average, there are 16.7 stops or stations per 1 km2.. By comparison, there are only 3.3 stops in Rome and even 2.1 stops in Oslo.

On the other hand, it lags far behind most of Europe's major metropolises when it comes to air quality and spaces reserved for residents. Paris is even the third most congested city in Europe. 35.7% of its roads are congested, a figure only surpassed by Warsaw (36.7%) and Edinburgh (37.7%).

Lyon comes 11th while Strasbourg and Marseille performed poorly. The capital of Alsace is in 21st position while the city of Marseille finished 26th. It is particularly badly rated for its facilities for residents, the cost of public transport and its policies to reduce traffic.

Northern Europe's top cities

In the rest of Europe, Scandinavian cities unsurprisingly score best. Oslo, Helsinki, Copenhagen and Stockholm are in 1st, 3rd, 4th and 6th place respectively. Amsterdam is in second place. On the other hand, Berlin and Hamburg have rather mediocre indicators.

London does better than you might expect. The British metropolis ranks 12th on the list. But it should be noted that public transport is the most expensive in Europe. They gobble up 9.6% of average household income. Against 4% in Strasbourg, 2.3% in Paris, 2.4% in Brussels and 1.3% in Copenhagen!

However, the concept of accessible transport fares is highly subjective. It is based on the income of local households. For example, while the cost of public transport in Lisbon is among the highest in the EU, it is infinitely cheaper than in Paris by comparison. A single metro ticket costs €1.50, compared with €1.90 for the RATP. By contrast, you have to pay €3.50 for an individual ticket to the centre of Munich. This is despite the fact that it only represents 1.5% of a Munich resident's income...

Comparative table on mobility in 25 European cities

(Source: cleancitiescampaign.org)