Light vehicles – heavy impacts? Joint POLIS WG meeting with ACEM & LENS

POLIS Network invites your to our joint working group meeting on light vehicles, which is organised in cooperation with ACEM and the EU-funded LENS project. The two-day event will take place from 17-18 September 2024 at the premises of IFPEN in Paris, France.

L-vehicles are often an inexpensive and efficient way to get around cities, but they also cause significant noise- and air pollution. Nevertheless, this particular mode of transport is often forgotten by policymakers and city administrations. Since L-vehicles are often inexpensive, but also a polluting mode of transport, which is often forgotten by policymakers of European cities, POLIS, ACEM and IFPEN will bring light vehicles to the centre of attention with a dedicated working group meeting about this vehicle category.

Participants will have the chance to gain a holistic overview of the day-to-day impacts and externalities of L-vehicles in urban areas while having the opportunity to attend the live noise- and air pollution measurement campaign of LENS.

Register Here

Our L-vehicle focus topics

Since L-vehicles are a POLIS priority of 2024, this dedicated event will raise awareness and promote exchange between POLIS members and external participants from the LENS stakeholder & city platform. Each of the following topics will have a 75min-long session, followed by an open discussion, moderated by the dedicated working group chairs;

• Clean Vehicles & Air Quality - Infrastructure requirements for small electric vehicles

Different solutions to facilitate the uptake of clean vehicles will be discussed, which will include, among others, battery swapping and related legislative standards.

• Access & WG Parking – Parking management & road space (re-)allocation. Parking management of L-vehicles in dense urban contexts with limited curb space

L-vehicles and micro-cars used for shared mobility in urban spaces and related parking challenges are planned to be discussed.

• Urban Freight - L-vehicles as the backbone of urban goods & food deliveries

Light vehicles are an agile solution for goods deliveries in urban environments, which require strong use cases that can justify the investment into additional L-vehicle fleets.

• Safety & Security - Challenge of L-vehicles exclusion from the category of vulnerable road users

Motorcycles are a very efficient way to get around urban environments, but they can also be a dangerous mode of transport. City authorities should not neglect the safety concerns of riders in urban environments.

• Governance - Share L-vehicle operation in urban areas 

Shared ebikes and electric scooters have been the centre of attention of various European city administrations, which either welcomed or restricted these solutions. Shared (electric) motorcycles are another growing mode of shared mobility with a significant potential to transform cities by reducing congestion.

The LENS project

The LENS project has four main aims. Firstly, to perform noise- and air pollution tests in a laboratory environment to gain an overview of L-vehicle emissions. Secondly, to perform real-world road measurement tests in three cities, of which the first tests in Leuven (BE) were a success with more than 160 vehicles tested. The second live tests are undertaken in Paris in the week of the event. Thirdly, these results from laboratory and real-world tests will be summarised and transposed into policy recommendations for cities and regions to tackle L-vehicle pollution and illegal tampering. Fourthly, a publicly available digital solution for L-vehicle users to gain insights into vehicle performance and pollution levels will be provided.

Preliminary Agenda*

Subject to change and future updates

Day 1 – 17 September 2024  

Day 2 – 18 September 2024