Overview
PRO.MOTION aimed to facilitate energy efficient transport in residential areas and housing projects. A key element was involving residents as well as key stakeholders in housing and transport from the very beginning, in order to create solutions appropriate to the project's tasks.
The conditions for more sustainable mobility patterns from home are both very promising and conflicting at the same time. Instead of the car, bicycles, public transport and walking could be chosen for each trip. Then, the finding of a parking space would not be an issue and other decisions may be taken freely as well. Nevertheless there are severe problems since, compared to the car, the accessibility of the alternative means of transport varies considerably. While the car is parked in or very close to the home, bicycles often need to be carried in and out of the building or are parked outside without protection from the weather. Public transport might require a walk of at least several hundred metres, as well as the purchase of a ticket.
PRO.MOTION aimed to change mobility behaviour by influencing people’s travel decisions where the most important ones are made: at home. The main objective is to reduce the favourable position of the private car and to strengthen the attractiveness of sustainable transport. Additionally, a reduction of the number of trips is in the main focus as well. The main target group are inhabitants.
The improvement of sustainable transport solutions for housing areas is realised by pilot projects in 13 countries. Within these, PRO.MOTION follows an integrated approach:
- The objective conditions like infrastructural planning or organisational measures will be improved, like the pedestrian network or bicycle connections to neighbouring city districts.
- People’s perception of energy efficient transport need to be corrected and awareness for the subject will be created by showing personal benefits through e.g. individual mobility counselling or joint workshops.
- Motivating and informing people (existing and potential users to start changes) for trying and using energy-efficient modes of transport and mobility services (e.g. travel plans, car sharing schemes, demand oriented public transport) achieving change of transport behaviour.
Results
- Enlarge the group of marked actors who are aware of transport and energy savings in the field of housing. 755 trained persons in national training events creating awareness in the topic of transport
- Change people's mobility behaviour to become more energy efficient in 14 application sites as well as development of surveys on mobility behaviours
- Produce training materials and guidelines on energy savings at home including mobility as well as best practices on integrating sustainable mobility into the Local Agenda 21 framework
Other results
Lessons Learned
- Importance to involve inhabitants, stakeholders and politicians in improving conditions and in raising awareness on sustainable transport modes, to align expectations through the planning process and implement decisions quickly, to improve conditions for sustainable modes where people live and not only where their trips end, to consider the costs for intervention in relation to benefits
- The best way to increase the use of sustainable modes is if both infrastructural issues and awareness raising is integrated within the planning process from the beginning. This way it is possible to make it easy for inhabitants to choose sustainable modes. 2 Guidebooks to help decision makers and planners to integrate sustainable mobility either in their Local Agenda 21 or in the conception of new neighbourhoods were produced as well as tools to integrate mobility into other planning aspects.
- The aim and effort to communicate and reach the audience for a European Project is made easier if the dissemination is combined with national partners’ case studies and events as PRO.MOTION did in the very successful Newsletters. Another recommendation is that dissemination will be improved if partners co-operate with local communication agencies or similar.