Making connect ions

Mobility Hubs 2023 connected professionals developing new approaches to urban mobility

Mobility hubs are spaces where public, shared and active travel modes are colocated alongside improvements to the public realm. They enable travellers to make smooth and safe transfers between different modes, swapping private cars for shared vehicles, bikes, buses, trains, scooters or walking.

When reimagined as mobility hubs, car parks and park & ride sites are no longer just somewhere to store vehicles. Instead they become genuine interchanges. Meanwhile, the provision of electric vehicle (EV) charging points at mobility hubs supports the transition to zero-emission vehicles.

The emergence of service hubs is also seeing car parks being transformed into logistics bases for last-mile delivery services, click & collect locations and homes to dark kitchens and dark stores.

The second annual Mobility Hubs conference took place in London on 17 May. The event saw speakers and expert panels explore the design, implementation and operation of mobility, electric vehicle and service hubs. The day drew on real-world experience and showcase best practice from around the UK and internationally. In parallel to the conference an exhibition area showcased innovative systems and services for this emerging sector.

Mobility hubs: Connecting the pieces

Mobility hubs are a concept that has been embraced by local authorities, public transport operators, shared mobility service providers and car park operators alike.

Chair: Simon Lusby, technical director, head of transport & sustainability, City Science

Making a business case for mobility hubs

Trevor Brennan, project lead, England’s Economic Heartland

Mobility hubs and liveable neighbourhoods

Grace Solsby, principal consultant, City Science

How mobility hubs enable accessibility

Olga Anapryenka, principal consultant, new mobility, Steer

The importance of first-mile solutions

Julian Scriven, managing director, Brompton Bike Hire

Planning mobility hubs

Consultants, academics and technologists explored how mobility hubs are inspiring new ways of thinking about connecting more sustainable travel options with an improved urban realm.

Let’s build a mobility hub!

A panel of developers, architects, construction companies and urban designers discussed creating mobility hubs in car parks, in town centres, as part of regeneration schemes and at the kerbside.

Chair: John Dales, director, Urban Movement

Mobility hubs and transport decarbonisation

Mark Selby, director, Project Beyond Consortium

Data issues for identifying where mobility hubs should be located John Austin, researcher and working partner, University of Plymouth

Planning a mobility hub from scratch Lucy Farmer, assistant transport planner, and Freddie Lewis, graduate transport planner, Stantec

Mobility hubs as part of an urban expansion

David Knight, director, transport planning, Norman Rourke Pryme

Chair: Mark Moran, editor, Parking Review

Repurposing multi-storey car parks as mobility hubs

Fiona Petch, architect, director, Fatkin

From car park to mobility hub

Markus Lauble, managing director, HUBER Car Park Systems

Creating a kerbside hub

Habib Khan, founder & director, Meristem Design

Investing in mobility hubs

Matt Griffiths-Rimmer, director of communications and partnerships, Hadley Property Group

Things to do at a mobility hub

Experts from the transport, shared mobility and electric vehicle sectors looked at mobility hubs as locations where a range of services can be provided, including car clubs, EV charging, cafés, retail units and click & collect services.

Chair: Peter Ramsey, technical director, future mobility, WSP

How drivers spend their time while they are charging: why you need a mix of rapid and slower EV charging to benefit local shops and outlets

James Cowan, head of sales, Compleo Charging Solutions UK

Where next for mobility hubs?

The final session was a panel discussion which explored what directions the design and operation of mobility hubs could take. There was a feeling among the participants that there was merit in retaining the current flexibility of the concept, which encompasses bespoke facilities, reimagined car parks, enhanced rail stations, park & rides and an evolution of kerbside parklets.

The debate included some observations by Alex Merriman, a senior policy advisor at the Department for Transport, who made copious notes to feed into the government’s developing thinking on mobility hubs as an place where public

Mobility hub classification and accreditation

Matthew Ledbury, senior policy and advocacy officer, CoMoUK

Mobility hubs: A new role for petrol stations and motorway service areas

Kris Beuret, director, Social Research Associates transport, active travel, shared mobility schemes and electric vehicle infrastructure can intersect. www.mobilityhubs.uk

The day’s proceedings are available on the official website and already shaping the programme for Mobility Hubs 2024.