Overview
Industrial areas are often difficult to reach, frequently located on vacant land on the periphery of medium-sized cities and so the car becomes the only means by which workers can reach them. The Mobility Management for Business and Industrial Zones (MoMa.BIZ) project aims to alleviate this problem and reduce substantially car use through the implementation and promotion of sustainable mobility.
The main aim of MoMa.BIZ is to contribute towards the promotion and dissemination of sustainable mobility in business and industrial zones across Europe through the creation of:
- an innovative methodology for the development of mobility plans at BIZ;
- Boxed Solutions: a set of guidelines, flexible and easy to adapt for the successful planning and implementation of standard mobility actions at BIZ across Europe;
- a mobility labelling system designed for BIZ.
The long-term objective is to replicate the methodology throughout the EU, contribute to energy efficiency in transport and decrease greenhouse gas emissions. European BIZs face similar mobility issues as there are usually few alternatives to private car for home-work mobility (80% car use).
The approach employed in MoMa.BIZ centered around the activation of Local Mobility Groups coordinated by area mobility managers; a participatory planning of the actions locally; home-work mobility surveys; training on mobility management for decision makers.
The project engaged businesses on five business and industrial zones in BG, ES, SP and IT, which represent some 1400 businesses with around 17,000 employees.
Funding
Results
- Mobility labelling system for Business and Industrial Zones.
- "Boxed solutions" guide for sustainable mobility in Business and Industrial Zones.
- Established Local Mobility Groups in participating BIZs and developed and implemented action plans.
Policy implications
The possibility of creating a Local Mobility Plan and implementing depends very much on the existence of a governance structure in the BIZ. Without a clear structure in place it is very difficult to engage businesses and change the mobility situation of the estate.
Mobility and Efficiency of Transport is not a priority for most business managers and decision makers. The improve the prospect of success a mobility plan has to widen its scope from mobility to "services" in general, thus including security, green area management, internet provision, waste collections, etc.
Political support from the local authorities is a major factor of success. It is an excellent practice to bring together the various stakeholders i.e. companies, employees, politicians,local authority technicians, cyclist associations, public transport operators etc., in order to discuss common problems. It is important for representatives of different interest groups to be able to discuss common problems and understand each other’s viewpoints.