Barcelona, Spain, October 19th / PRNewswire / -- Future mobility thinkers Lukas Neckermann, the Spanish Secretary of State for Innovation Teresa Riesgo, and the Axel Volkery from the European Commission DG MOVE will be keynote speakers at the conference as part of Tomorrow. Mobility World Congress ( TMWC ). The conference will take place from November 3rd to 5th at the Gran Via venue in Barcelona. This event is co-organized by Fira de Barcelona and EIT Urban Mobility; the latter being an initiative under the European Institute for Innovation and Technology ( EIT ), a EU agency. The conference will bring together over 240 experts from cities, governments, and enterprises to promote the transition towards sustainable urban mobility.

Neckermann coined the term “The Mobility Revolution” and used it as the title of his first work. He is also a co-founder of Urban Places Lab and the author of four books. Teresa Riesgo is the Secretary of State for Innovation at the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation, and Universities, and she also serves as the chairperson of CDTI. She will participate in a roundtable discussion on how innovators in the transportation sector can move forward in an era of uncertainty. Axel Volkery is in charge of innovation and urban transportation at DG MOVE; he will discuss how public transportation can evolve to maintain its attractiveness, accessibility, and relevance as user habits change.

Other confirmed speakers include Dublin Mayor Daryl Barron, Secretary-General POLIS Karen Vancluysen, Deputy Secretary of State for Traffic Management and Control of Buenos Aires Lisandro Perotti, Director of the California Department of Transportation Toks Omishakin, as well as Johan Cruijff Arena CEO Tanja Dik.

Public Transport: The Pillar of Daily Commuting

A survey conducted by EIT Urban Mobility among 1,503 adults in Barcelona, Munich, and Bucharest found that public transportation is at the core of urban life: 56% of respondents use it for commuting to work or school, which is higher than the proportion who travel by car (52%); moreover, those who use public transportation are twice as likely to incorporate walking into their journeys. Commuters value safety, reliability, and comfort the most.

The biggest gaps between what commuters value most and their actual experiences are traffic congestion when driving, as well as the reliability of public transportation services; over two-fifths of respondents (41%) stated that they feel completely exhausted upon arriving home. For the city and this conference, the challenge lies in sharing knowledge and exploring innovative solutions to create more livable cities.

TMWC will be held concurrently with Smart City Expo World Congress, Tomorrow, Blue Economy, Barcelona Deep Tech Summit, and Barcelona Cybersecurity Congress. The aforementioned events together will attract over 1,100 exhibitors and more than 27,000 participants.