New ACEM guidance urges cities to “rightsize” urban mobility with L-category vehicles
European motorcycle body ACEM says L-category vehicles could play a far greater role in easing congestion and freeing urban space, as it sets out new guidance for city planners.
The European Association of Motorcycle Manufacturers (ACEM) is urging city planners to properly factor motorcycles, scooters and other L-category vehicles into future transport planning. It’s new guidance sets out how they could play a far bigger role in easing congestion, cutting emissions and freeing up huge swathes of urban space.
The document, titled “Rightsizing Urban Mobility”, is aimed at helping local authorities integrate motorcycles, mopeds, tricycles and quadricycles into Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans (SUMPs).
And the clock is ticking for changes to take place, as by the end of 2027, 431 cities across Europe will need to have SUMPs in place. They will each then have to begin reporting mobility data to the European Commission. ACEM argues that the decisions taken now will define how European cities evolve for the next decade.
At the heart of the guidance is a push to recognise L-category vehicles as a distinct transport mode rather than an afterthought in urban policy and planning. ACEM structures its recommendations around three areas: mobility efficiency, road safety, and environmental performance.
On mobility, it points to the way smaller powered two and three-wheelers already contribute to daily commuting and urban logistics, but remain underused in formal planning strategies. It argues that better integration could deliver immediate gains in congestion relief and improved journey times.
It draws on research from Transport & Mobility Leuven, which found that a 25 per cent modal shift from cars to motorcycles on a Brussels–Leuven corridor would effectively eliminate congestion on that route. ACEM uses the study to support its wider argument that L-category vehicles don’t just ease pressure for riders, but improve flow for all road users by reducing overall road occupancy and decreasing the time sat still in traffic.
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One of the most striking claims is how much physical space is currently dominated by cars (be them moving or parked), and how much of that could be opened up thanks to just a small change in commuting habits. According to analysis from Oxford Economics, even a small shift away from cars could have a dramatic impact on how cities function. Replacing just 1 per cent of cars with motorcycles across the EU and UK would free up around 25 km² of parking space, which ACEM claims is roughly half the size of Luxembourg City.
Scale that to 5 per cent, and the figure rises to 124 km², an area larger than Paris. At 10 per cent, nearly 250 km² of urban space could be reclaimed, equivalent to the size of Bucharest. ACEM argues this land could then be repurposed for housing, public space, greenery or local business use, reshaping cities in ways that go far beyond transport alone.
Environmental impacts also form a key part of the case. ACEM cites figures showing that a 5 per cent shift from cars to motorcycles across the EU and UK would reduce CO2 emissions by around 2.6 million tonnes per year, delivering an estimated €308 million (around £266 million) in avoided climate costs.
It goes on to highlight that existing motorcycle commuters are already contributing to that picture. Riders currently account for around 3.4 per cent of the roughly 188 million people commuting across the EU and UK, and are already responsible for an estimated 1.8 million tonnes of CO2 savings, equating to around €209 million (around £180 million) in reduced costs.
Alongside emissions and congestion, ACEM places strong emphasis on the spatial efficiency of L-category vehicles. Four motorcycles can occupy a single car parking space, a detail the organisation says becomes more significant when scaled across entire cities. It argues that better use of road and parking infrastructure is one of the most immediate, low-cost wins available to urban planners.
Safety is also addressed in the guidance, with ACEM calling for riders to be recognised as vulnerable road users and for targeted strategies to reduce risk in mixed traffic environments.
Antonio Perlot, Secretary General of ACEM, said the aim is to move motorcycles and scooters from the margins of policy into the centre of transport planning.
“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 open up 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 guidance will now be presented to city authorities, mobility experts and policymakers at a series of events in the coming months. Whether the people that matter take heed of the advice remains to be seen.
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Simon (AKA Toad) has been working within the motorcycle industry for more than twelve years, and a member of the motorcyclist family since birth. Growing up around British-built single and twins, it was inevitable that a life on two wheels was on the cards, from a very early age!
