The Safety of “Green Mobility” after the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Design and Adaptation of the World’s Urban Road Networks

Dear Colleagues,

The health emergency that we have been experiencing worldwide for over a year and a half has also had its effects on the transport sector. The mobility habits of citizens have changed drastically, both in terms of reducing the number of trips and in terms of modal preferences, which increasingly prefer forms that guarantee safety and social distancing. Thus, we have witnessed a vertical collapse in the attractiveness and use of public transport and the consequent greater attractiveness of individual travel methods, both through the classic pedestrian and bicycle movements (including by e-bike) and through the new and innovative electric scooters.

Considering that the post-pandemic impact of COVID-19 will not suddenly disappear, it is essential to review the functionality and safety requirements of road networks, which must be reflected in the planning of adaptation and new construction measures to accommodate the increased use of forms of mobility that fall under the so-called "green mobility", i.e., electric mobility (e-scooters and e-bikes), cycling/pedestrian transport and multimodal transport, which are now seen as the only ways to move more freely again after the COVID-19 pandemic. It will be necessary to create a new urban "normality" and to rethink the rehabilitation and design strategies of the roads in terms of "green mobility". New organizational models for cities have already been developed, such as the "15-minute city" or "soft city" model, based on the idea that all services available to citizens can be reached within a maximum distance of 15 minutes by foot, bicycle, or scooter. It is clear that the green connotation of the "15-minute city" will only be successful if it is supported by a high level of safety of road infrastructures to promote individual mobility based on pedestrians, cyclists, and e-scooters, essentially made up of "vulnerable users" who, as such, need to be adequately protected during their movements, especially at the nodes of the road network (intersections).

The topics of this Special Issue include, but are not limited to:

• Green mobility and road safety;
• Safety of urban mobility;
• Safety of pedestrians/cyclists at standard road intersections;
• Safety of pedestrians/cyclists at roundabouts;
• Safety of e-mobility users (e.g., e-bikes and e-scooters) at road intersections;
• Traffic calming measures for safety of urban streets;
• Smart infrastructures for safety of vulnerable users;
• Road safety in a sustainable urban mobility;
• Green mobility and social distancing;
• Connectivity, automation and road safety;
• Application of intelligent technologies for the safety of green mobility;
• Green mobility challenges for users of different transport modes;
• Preferences of green mobility (mode and route choice);
• Rethinking and redesign of urban streets and public spaces;
• Human factors and travel behavior;
• Smart infrastructures for safety of vulnerable users;
• Post-COVID transport policies.

Prof. Dr. Salvatore Leonardi
Dr. Natalia Distefano
Guest Editors

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