ACEM publishes new guidance for cities to integrate motorcycles, mopeds, tricycles and quadricycles into future-proof Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans
Forty million L-category vehicles are in circulation across Europe. 6.4 million people commute on one every day. They are increasingly part of the daily reality in most European cities. In most mobility planning, however, they are not yet treated as a mode part of the overall strategy, left without a defined role, a measurable target or even a place in the conversation.
Today, the European Association of Motorcycle Manufacturers (ACEM) launches “Rightsizing Urban Mobility: The L-Category integration guide for European cities”, a hands-on guide to help local authorities close that gap and reflect L-category vehicles -mopeds, motorcycles, tricycles and quadricycles – within their Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans (SUMPs).
The guidance comes at a decisive moment for European urban transport policy. By the end of 2027, the 431 cities designated as urban nodes under the revised Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) Regulation must adopt a SUMP and begin reporting standardised urban mobility indicators to the European Commission. The frameworks being drafted today will shape how European cities move for the decade ahead, which makes this a crucial moment to ensure no relevant mode is left out of the picture.
The new guide provides cities with evidence-based recommendations across three interconnected action fields: mobility, leveraging the role of L-category vehicles in making urban mobility for citizens and small logisticsmore efficient, flexible and space-conscious; safety, recognising riders as vulnerable road users and implementing strategies to protect them; and environment, supporting the transition to low-emission urban transport. It also includes a comprehensive annex of actionable policy measures, organised by priority, that cities can implement without major infrastructure investment.
The evidence speaks to challenges every European city knows well. A 10% shift from cars to L-category vehicles could cut congestion by nearly 40%, benefiting all road users. Four motorcycles fit in a single car parking bay, freeing space for pedestrians, businesses and greenery. And a modest 5% shift of car commuters across the EU and UK would cut CO2 emissions by 2.6 million tonnes a year, helping cities meet their climate targets.
These are not arguments for replacing one mode with another. They are an invitation to look again at the full toolkit Europe already has in its hands, fully integrating L-category vehicles.
Antonio Perlot, ACEM Secretary General, said:
“There is growing recognition that L-category vehicles have a meaningful role to play in the future of urban mobility. What we want to achieve with this guidance is to help policymakers and cities translate that recognition into action by integrating motorcycles, mopeds, tricycles and quadricycles into their mobility planning as a distinct and strategic mode. This document calls for closer cooperation between public authorities and vehicle manufacturers, which would openup innovative opportunities to make European cities more efficient, more liveable and more sustainable in the interest not only of their users, but of wider society.The cities of the future are being designed now. The question is no longer whether L-category vehicles belong in that design, but how much may be lost by leaving them out”
The publication is available for download here and will be presented to municipal authorities, mobility experts and policymakers in a number of events over the coming months.
For more information, please contact:
Neus Armenjach
+32 472 26 14 77
About ACEM
The European Association of Motorcycle Manufacturers (ACEM) represents manufacturers of mopeds, motorcycles, three-wheelers and quadricycles (L-category vehicles) in Europe.
ACEM members include 16 manufacturing companies: BMW Motorrad, Bombardier Recreational Products (BRP), Ducati Motor holding, Harley-Davidson, Honda, Kawasaki, KTM, KYMCO, Peugeot Motocycles Group, Piaggio, Polaris Industries, Royal Enfield, Suzuki, Triumph Motorcycles, Yamaha and Zero Motorcycles.
ACEM also represents 17 motorcycle industry associations in 16 different European countries. About 300,000 jobs depend on the L-category industry in Europe. There are more than 39 million motorcycles and scooters on Europe’s roads (2019 estimate)
