Delivering bigger impact on road safety

Axel Rimbaud enrolled in EIT Urban Mobility’s Master’s in Sustainable Urban Mobility Transitions in 2021 with a specific goal in mind. Already on a mission to reduce speed-related traffic mortalities in Chile through his NGO  Movimiento contra el Exceso de velocidad Letal *(MEL), he wanted to raise the game of his technical and leadership skills to achieve a wider environmental and societal impact.

Studying across two European locations (Spain and Sweden) over two years, Rimbaud was able to study real-life challenges in Chile, proposing solutions inspired by European transport systems. These data-driven proposals included introducing Sweden’s ‘2+1 roads’, the ‘Leading Pedestrians Intervals’ initiative (giving pedestrians a head start at traffic lights), and recommendations for bus safety in Santiago de Chile. The results were presented to the Chilean Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Public Works, and some pilots will be implemented in the country over the next few years.

Despite facing opposition, Rimbaud has helped push through multiple law changes since the creation of his NGO in 2018. These changes include reducing speed limits from 60 to 50 km/h, making ‘reckless speed’ an offense, and creating an automated speed control system, which is anticipated to reduce road fatalities by more than 10% in coming years.

A Master’s programme focused on real-life issues

Rimbaud reflects on how EIT Urban Mobility’s Master’s programme has impacted his activism work: “Beyond the quality of the teachers and the course itself, the Master’s programme at EIT Urban Mobility has given me the chance to share knowledge and experiences with others who are passionate about the same topics across two European locations.”

Rimbaud found that his projects gave his fellow students in the EIT Community, the chance to work on real-life issues. He has since worked with EIT Urban Mobility to deliver trainings on the intertwined topics of road safety and sustainable mobility. Additionally he will integrate road safety into the Master’s he graduated from, as a guest lecturer in Sweden, with new locations in the pipeline. Lastly, Rimbaud has been nominated by EIT Urban Mobility for the 2024 EIT Awards in the ‘Changemaker’ category, focused on leaders that make significant positive impact.