TELLUS Newsletter 2004

Transcription

1 Transport & Environmet alliance for Urban Sustainability TELLUS Newsletter 2004 The second year Yearly Newsletter June 2004 Gdynia WHAT WE ARE GOING TO DO TELLUS, the Transport & Environment Alliance for Urban Sustainability, has brought about some very good results during the first two years of its duration. This Newsletter will give you information on some of them. Co-operation plays an important role creating positive results. Every TELLUS city knows its own collaborations. For achieving our goals, we need the help of colleagues, management, other departments and local stakeholders as well as politicians. Only because of this collaboration we will be able to implement our demonstration projects. The first results have become visible over the last year, some of which will be highlighted in this newsletter. Besides facilitating co-operation within a city, TEL- LUS provides the framework for joining the efforts of five European cities: Berlin, Bucharest, Gdynia, Göteborg and Rotterdam. By working together, sharing openly information on both problems and solutions, all participants gain useful insights. All of the cities aim at reaching the same high-level goals. And even though the cities are very different from each other, the problems they are faced to, often are identical. By sharing experiences these can be more easily overcome. The TELLUS consortium is highly aware of the world outside their five cities. The opportunity for reaching out and incorporating ideas from other players in the field was seized last September, when TELLUS organised an open workshop in Poland. Mr. Wojciech Szczurek, Mayor of Gdynia:»The TELLUS workshop Integrated planning for an attractive city, organised in September 2003 in Gdynia, provided representatives of major Polish cities with a great opportunity of sharing experience in tackling the urban transport issues. The interest in the conference was unprecedented, which proves that the already applied political, technological and also psychological approaches to clean urban transport are highly valued by potential stakeholders. Judging by the intentions expressed during the workshop we can state that Polish and other European cities are highly interested in following the TELLUS solutions in the field of integrated transport planning.«the Gdynia meeting was also successful because of the involvement of the other CIVITAS projects. The platform that CIVITAS creates for the exchange of knowledge is regarded as highly beneficial. We hope this Newsletter will inspire you to join us in our effort to stimulate sustainable transport in European cities. We look forward to working together with you as well. integrated pricing strategies new concepts for the distribution of goods integrated transport management innovative soft measures innovative forms of collective passenger transport clean propulsion technologies access restrictions new forms of vehicle use & ownership

2 TELLUS DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS»PIECES OF THE PUZZLE«OF INTEGRATED TRANSPORT AND ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY BERLIN GDYNIA BUCHAREST GÖTEBORG The 26 projects of the TELLUS.rotterdam programme help to reach for two goals of the City of Rotterdam. These goals originate from the Spatial Plan 2010 and are at the basis of the recently issued Traffic and Transport Plan: (re-)develop the city centre into an attractive residential area and the economic centre of the municipality, and create new urban developments only in areas where good public transport and/or Park & Ride facilities can be realised. Developing the city centre means generating additional traffic in an already tense situation. This means that special attention has to be given to measures that stimulate the use of sustainable transport modes. However, it is also necessary to take restrictive actions like the wider introduction of paid parking. Expansion of the city can only be realised when it does not increase the dependency of the car. Hence the focus on measures like the expansion of Park & Ride spaces, better bicycle parking facilities at major public transport stations, the introduction of the Tram Plus concept and so on. By participating in TELLUS we can implement the ideas that we think contribute to realising the defined goals. Additionally, we can benefit from ideas developed and demonstrated in other European cities. TELLUS supports the implementation of the new integrated transportation strategy»mobil 2010«. Main goals are the lowering of air pollution and noise and at the same time the maintaining of mobility of persons and goods in the 3.4 million inhabitants city. TELLUS Berlin consists of ten projects with four different focal points of action (increasing the city-compatibility of freight transport, strengthening of public transport, parking space management and car sharing). Most of the projects will support the testing of new concepts for the integrated transportation strategy. The results of some of the projects are qualified to support the forming of political positions. Gdynia is a young but very ambitious city with mobility problems comparable to those of other European cities. With regard to the last decade s rapid increase in the number of private cars, radical measures are envisaged to ensure transport sustainability. Apart from very important activities carried out within TELLUS, the city realises other crucial investments. The road network is being constantly modernised. Moreover, the city, with support of the European Funds, is willing to implement bold measures within areas such as parking and traffic management, prioritising public transport and real time information for passengers. The city authorities are also very interested in alternatives to private vehicles; hence any activities aimed at increased usage of bicycles are particularly welcomed in Gdynia. For more than a decade now, Bucharest is facing a dramatic increase of motorised traffic. That is why TEL- LUS has maintained the political support needed for large-scale implementation of some essential projects for the sustainable public transport development in Bucharest. Thus, the modernisation of the fare collection system combined with a tracking system based on the coordinates received by satellite, together with the modernisation of the fleet and infrastructure of the transport on rails, will bring the public transport service much closer to the needs of Bucharest s citizens. At the same time, the construction of large parking spaces near the traffic ring around the town centre will contribute to the decongestion of the streets that have one or even more lanes blocked by parked cars. The main task for the Traffic and Public Transport Authority is to provide the means for efficient, safe and sustainable mobility in Göteborg. The new Sustainable Transport Strategy includes, among other things, supporting the shift in focus towards more sustainable means of transportation and supporting new technologies in vehicles. These measures have strong support in the TELLUS objectives. The collaboration between the four Göteborg partners, and also internationally, has been very frequent during 2003, which had a positive effect on the progress. The projects, which have their focus on goods and the heavy vehicle sector, are in their implementation phase. Due to a political decision, however, the CNG driven ferry shuttle has been postponed and replaced by a clean vehicle project and the introduction of a totally new type of CNG/CBG heavy vehicle for waste collection. 42 CIVITAS TELLUS 2004

3 OUR LOCAL POLITICIAN S POINT OF VIEW Stefan Hulman Alderman for Transport and Culture, Rotterdam Rotterdam»I m very enthusiastic about TELLUS. Problems with traffic and environment don t stop at country or city borders; it therefore is and should be an European concern, on all levels. Already 70% of our national legislation comes from the EU, especially on the themes traffic, transport and environment. The TELLUS project gives Rotterdam the opportunity to improve not only our own but also the European policy, in a practical way. In the participating cities we can implement measures that can show whether or not anticipated European regulation will function or whether additional European regulation or encouragement is necessary. That s why I became a member of the policy advisory programme of CIVITAS. We can learn a lot from other CIVITAS cities and exchange experiences to select solutions that work. That s the good thing about TELLUS, it s about demonstration and practical solutions!«maria Krautzberger Permanent State Secretary, Berlin Ministry of Urban Development Berlin»After two years of TELLUS, first successes are visible, e.g. the spreading of clean and quiet natural gas vehicles (CNG vehicles) for freight transport in the city or the dynamic real-time passenger information system for trams. Here the TELLUS project inserts itself well into our new transportation strategy: With the increase of quality of life in the city centre we want to steer against the moving of young families into the suburban areas and the urban sprawl (disurbanisation). From our experience, innovative policy also encounters problems. But Berlin does not stand alone with the new challenges. Therefore very important for me is the exchange of experiences with the other cities within TELLUS and CIVITAS and the dialogue with the European Union.«Marek Stepa Deputy Mayor, Gdynia Radu Dumbraveanu Deputy Mayor, Bucharest Anneli Hulthén Deputy Mayor, Göteborg Gdynia»After the two years of the TELLUS project operation in Gdynia it is clear that the undertaken efforts have brought results. The slow but noticeable change in citizens transport behaviours have already had an impact on the city centre. More walkers, more restaurant tables in Swietojanska Street these are the most visible TELLUS results.«bucharest»the Bucharest Municipality is permanently concerned about increasing the quality of life for all citizens. The increased number of private cars has forced us to adopt strategies to counteract the negative effects generated by the higher pollution level and deterioration of the traffic flows. The involvement of Bucharest in the CIVITAS Initiative through the TEL- LUS project is a challenge for developing a coherent sustainable transport policy in our city.«göteborg»for Göteborg, as a centre for trade, transport and industry, it is essential to cultivate international co-operation between European cities in order to develop sustainable urban transport solutions. I also think it is important for the political level to be active in this work, and therefore I represent the City of Göteborg in the Political Advisory Committee within CIVITAS.«2004 TELLUS CIVITAS 3

4 CNG-powered vehicles at Gas-Wasser-2003-Exhibition in Berlin Modernisation of Swietojanska Street in Gdynia Support of Clean Vehicles Bicycle parking at PT location in Rotterdam CYCLING IN THE CITY The number of people that own a bike in Rotterdam is significantly lower than in comparable Dutch cities. Inquiries show two important reasons for this deviation: lack of continuing high quality bicycle routes and absence of good and safe bicycle parking facilities. Within TELLUS two separate demonstration projects try to deal with these shortcomings. The project Dedicated bicycle routes wants to increase the use of the bicycle, especially on distances between 3 and 7 kilometres. The Municipality has drafted a network for bicycle infrastructure, covering the whole city area. The project looks at two routes in the network. The routes consist of separate lanes, not accessible to cars, with special, coloured pavements. At some crossings users of the lane get priority. Realisation of the first route started in august 2002; 80% is now completed and can be used. In first evaluations users indicate that the lane indeed makes them use the bike more often. The project Integration of cycling and public transport aims to stimulate the use of bicycles in combination with public transport. The project focuses on two parts of the»bicyclechain«: parking facilities at home and quality parking at public transport locations. Work started with examining the existing facilities at metro and train stations on occupancy rate, safety and maintenance status. As a result, a strategy for the location and exploitation of bicycle parking facilities was set up. For all locations implementation plans were made. Draft plans for two guarded bicycle stands in the city centre are finished. 80% of route 1 realised and in use At 4 stations 30 up to 200 unguided bicycle parking places available BERLIN INTRODUCTION OF CNG-POWERED VEHICLES Considering that 50% of air pollution within towns is caused by motorized traffic and that Heavy-Duty vehicles have a large part in the problem, CNG-vehicles possess the capability to considerably reduce noise and pollutant emissions. Therefore, necessary financial incentives and target group orientated information is offered by TELLUS. However, the procurement of heavy CNG-lorries is difficult due to non existent market offers. Consequently intensive negotiations were and still are necessary. To prepare advertising measures, a short marketing analysis was carried out. It showed a significant lack of information of potential customers, concerning safety of gas engines, their performance or the German tax-privilege on natural gas as fuel. The main information campaign started in Some 41 CNG-vehicles are already in use and another 40 are ordered. In spring 2005 we will probably reach the objective of 100 CNG-powered vehicles for the inner city freight distribution in Berlin. 41 CNG-powered vehicles for inner city freight distribution in use, another 40 CNG utility vehicles ordered GDYNIA TRANSFORMATION OF CITY CENTRE INTO CLEAN URBAN TRANSPORT AREA The main objective of the measure implemented in Gdynia is to stimulate the use of Public Transport as being the cleanest means of city transportation with a special emphasis on the downtown area. Therefore, the municipality undertook significant efforts to reach this goal. The main city street is being constantly modernised allowing for easier and undisturbed traffic of non-polluting trolley buses. The work encompasses reorganisation of parking places in such a way that most of street-located places are shifted to outer organised parking areas. As a result, there is enough space to significantly widen the pavement and create a walking promenade. These activities have been accompanied by the installation of modern, more reliable trolley bus traction. Thanks to new pillars used for suspending the traction, trolley-bus traffic does not transmit vibration into buildings, as it did when the traction was 4 CIVITAS TELLUS 2004

5 Bicycle parking New energy-saving Bucharest trolleybus fastened directly to the walls. The city authorities are very interested in promoting the clean PT, and therefore organized celebrations this year for the 60th anniversary of trolley bus transport in Gdynia. Additionally, many other promotional activities aiming at increased usage of Public Transport were carried out. The Public Transport Authority has issued a special plan indicating all of the PT connections within its operating area. These schemes have been installed on the PT stops as well as distributed in a folded version by the special Customer Service Office. In 2003 the second part of Swietojanska Street was totally modernised Significant reduction of noise emissions Increased use of public transport Reduction of parking lots by 25% Acceptance rate of inhabitants 90% BUCHAREST CLEAN & SILENT PUBLIC TRANSPORT FLEET Within RATB s fleet (Regia Autonoma de Transport Bucuresti) the electric vehicles of high capacity are used by more than 50% of daily public transport passengers. RATB intends to increase the number of passengers by improving the electric transportation service. In this respect, its efforts are concentrated on improving the electric vehicles quality and modernizing the specific infrastructure. The modernized trams produced in the company plant represent a new vehicle generation with low level of energy consumption. The choice of intensive usage of trolleybuses is a consequence of a long tradition in exploitation, and also of the advantages they offer in comparison with the»cleanest bus«. Special attention is paid to the modernization of the infrastructure offering better exploitation performances, which thereby increases the quality of the service. In the first years of TELLUS project, 58 new energy-saving trolleybuses were procured and now they are operational. In the same period, 7 silent and energy saving trams were manufactured and were introduced into the operational tram fleet. The passengers acceptance of the new vehicles and how these vehicles improve the quality of Services offered were the main objectives of a survey. The results of this survey constituted the starting point of the marketing campaign development. 58 new energy-saving trolleybuses in operation 7 silent and energy saving trams manufactured GÖTEBORG INCENTIVES FOR PURCHASING OF CNG/CBG HEAVY DUTY AND DISTRIBUTION VEHICLES In March 2003, a CNG fuelling station adapted to the increased traffic was inaugurated. A lot of effort has been put into marketing the project and creating partnerships with the largest logistic companies and contractors in Sweden. Some of their heavy transport vehicles will be exchanged for CNG/ CBG vehicles and they will be fuelled with biogas in accordance with the so called»green gas principle«. Three companies have committed themselves to the project. 1 new filling station for Compressed Natural Gas in place, accessible for all sizes of CNG vehicles 3 net partners committed to the project nils-olof sjödén CNG fuelling station at Deltavägen accessible for all sizes of CNG vehicles 2004 TELLUS CIVITAS 5

6 Truckpark Fruitport Rotterdam Construction work at Bucharest Unirii Square Parking Strategies Demand-dependent paid parking in Rotterdam TRUCK PARKING MANAGEMENT The project aims at preventing truck drivers from parking their vehicles for a longer period in residential areas. Rotterdam decided to start this project because of the nuisance that this kind of parking causes citizens in some areas close to the port. A dedicated parking area offers a solution. Besides this, the project introduces clear route signing from highways to the parking area, facilities for the truck drivers and a security system (including camera s). By now the parking area is developed according to the design. The safety system has been tested and is ready for implementation. A traffic circulation plan detailing the best ways of guiding trucks from the highways to the parking area has been drafted. It is now being discussed with future users. The project investigated thoroughly how the truck parking could best be operated. This resulted in the establishment of a public-private co-operation. area ready for use infrastructure for safety system realised traffic circulation plan ready for discussion with end users public-private co-operation for truck parking operation established DIFFERENTIATED PARKING FEES Expansion of the paid parking zones into more residential areas is one of the strategies Rotterdam uses to improve the local living conditions. The borough»nieuwe Westen«suffers from extensive parking problems. Introducing paid parking will solve most of these problems. Rotterdam will differentiate parking tariffs per street, instead of having one tariff for a complete area. It is expected that this will have a positive effect on the efficient use of parking spaces and will reduce the»displacement effect«, i.e. parking just outside the border of a parking zone where it is cheaper or free. In the Netherlands, paid parking is a local tax. The national government has set regulations to use this instrument. The local government had to make sure the new concept would fit in. By the end of 2003 paid parking was implemented in»nieuwe Westen«and monitoring of the occupancy rate started. The monitoring outcomes will lead to a tariff per street that subsequently will be introduced. regulation on demand depending parking concept paid parking effective monitoring of occupancy rates started BUCHAREST PARKING RESTRICTIONS IN THE CENTRAL CITY AREA Over the past years, the increased motorization rate has induced a great agglomeration especially in the city centre caused by the traffic and the number of the on-street parked cars. The surveys made by the specialists revealed that only in the city centre about cars are onstreet parked while about are off-street parked in special arranged places. In this respect, the Bucharest Municipality developed a parking strategy by creating a network on the inner ring, consisting of several parking facilities placed in important locations, having specific functions and offering the possibility of easy access to other transportation modes. The effects of this strategy development will be to lower the city pollution level, especially in the city centre. one parking facility with about lots under construction 6 CIVITAS TELLUS 2004

7 User incentives for increased load factor Efficient inner-city freight transport in Göteborg Increasing the load factor in inner-city freight transport New concepts for distribution of goods GÖTEBORG INCENTIVES FOR IMPROVING THE LOAD FACTOR IN INNER CITY FREIGHT TRANSPORT In order to design and introduce attractive incentives for increased load rates in goods distribution vehicles in an inner-city zone in Göteborg, a voluntary agreement has been made with eight distributors in the area. There have been discussions with the companies about incentives that could be interesting, such as dedicated loading zones or accessibility to public transport lanes. During a testing period of three months, measurements will be carried out during their normal routes and conditions. These will later be compared to the measurements made during the coming pilot project with incentives and demand on load rate. The development of the technique to be used has continued and at the moment measurements of the routes by using GPS and GPRS are tested. These are complemented with notes that the drivers are making about the load rates in the vehicles. Voluntary agreement with eight distributors in the inner-city area GPS technique by Hogia Innovation AB tested and ongoing measurements of the present situation (routes and load rates) for inner-city vehicles in Göteborg GÖTEBORG CONSUMER DRIVEN GOODS MANAGEMENT FROM A MOBILITY CENTRE BASE The 16th of September 2003, a mobility seminar for locally based companies was held at the Lundby Mobility Centre. The seminar gathered almost 60 persons and the intention was to get more companies interested in the project with consumer driven goods management and to make the consumer- and supplier companies more aware of the benefit of co-operative distributions. Information about the project and the invitations to the seminar were sent to 700 companies in the Lundby area. There have been continuous visits to target companies in order to market the project and so far 22 companies have decided to participate, 5 suppliers and 17 purchasers. A web solution for marketing and information has been constructed and 3 of the 5 suppliers so far have accepted and use the solution on their websites. In November, a survey was sent out to 1200 companies in the Lundby area to see whether the companies have heard of the project and to gather their general opinions of goods management. Seminar for companies in Lundby with 60 participants development of a web solution for marketing of the project 22 participating companies so far Measurement technique at the upper right corner of the vehicle Mobility seminar for locally based companies 2004 TELLUS CIVITAS 7

8 Bucharest tram New ticketing system in Bucharest Public Transport in Berlin Increasing the attractiveness of urban public transport BUCHAREST MODERNIZING THE TICKETING AND PAYMENT SYSTEM OF THE PUBLIC TRANSPORT The aim of this project is to increase the public transport attractiveness by implementing fare integration and a flexible fare policy, making use of contactless card technology. The threshold caused by the shortcutting of the financial resources for this demonstration necessitated a reconsideration of the system s architecture in order to harmonize it with the final budget allocated. A new system s architecture was designed and the links were established with other systems in order to reach the systems integration, especially with the AVL system and the company s management system (SAP R/3). The chosen technology is based on contactless cards which are in accordance with ISO standards. Moreover, this technology will offer the platform for further applications of the smartcards for different other services payment. As a consequence, the agreement between surface and underground public transport operators has to be changed respecting in all the new requirements and re-establishing the further collaboration in order to continue the city strategy of integrating the public transportation. The system s complexity brought up different issues that imposed a new schedule of the demonstration of particular activities. After the integrator selection, the ticketing system will be implemented according to specific tasks. This system will offer advantages such as less travel time, increased trip comfort, facilities for transfers, different fare products etc. The passengers acknowledge of the system s advantages will be the objective of the marketing campaign that will focus on the benefits obtained for every actor involved. In the future, the system will be used correctly if these advantages are properly integrated. A new ticketing system based on smart cards BERLIN FUTURE MANAGEMENT AND QUALITY ASSURANCE OF URBAN PUBLIC TRANSPORT Due to European legislation regulated competition in local public transport is about to be introduced. At present a highly subsidized municipal company and the federal railways supply the market. In the future, transport authorities will act as orderers. Public and private transport companies will compete with each other as transport service suppliers. With the help of a management business game a possible organisation of the public transport market was carried out. Eight local and regional players of this market took part in the game, dealing with all relevant issues, like future functions of authorities and companies, contractual relationship, controlling and factoring. Decreasing subsidies, operational efficiency and better services were identified as challenges. Two different scenarios were created to discuss alternative political options. Competition in local public transport is a sensitive issue which effects many stakeholders since it will considerably change the framework of public services. The players consequently decided to keep the game confident while it was running, in order to maintain an independent view and an open discussion. However, towards the end of the several monthlasting game, information was leaking and the media and politicians started to intervene. Anyway, most of the strategic questions were answered. A report with detailed information about the findings is available. The next step will be to demonstrate in a study area to which extent quality standards and functional performance specifications in a tendering process may result in efficient and innovative services. In a management business game a possible organisation of transport authority and transport companies was carried out Two different scenarios were created A report is available 8 CIVITAS TELLUS 2004

9 Tram stop information in Bucharest Intermodal Travel information in Rotterdam Dynamic real-time passenger information in Berlin Traffic Information INTERMODAL TRAVEL INFORMATION RegioTIC is an existing service that aims to support mobility by informing the public on the actual traffic and transport situation in the Rijnmond region. It provides information that includes, for example, the location of traffic jams, road obstructions, availability of parking spaces in parking houses and so on. Until now the focus has been rather on the conditions on the street which is at greatest interest to car users. Within TELLUS the aim is to also include real time information on public transport and thus extend the target group. The information stems from the dynamic travel information system (TELLUS project 11.3) from the RET. The data transfer between RET application and the RegioTIC application has been successfully tested. Within the next months of the project the RegioTIC website has to be adapted: the new intermodal information has to be presented in a comprehensive way to the public. Like all information on the site the idea is to show it on a graphic display. First test with data transfer between applications successful BERLIN DYNAMIC REAL-TIME PASSENGER INFORMATION FOR TRAMS AND BUSSES The information about the real departure-times at tram- and bus-stops is considered an important characteristic for service quality. Main goal of the TEL- LUS project was the acceleration of a pilot realisation for the dynamic information of passengers at tram stops. The tram tracks in Berlin are 180 km long, with 375 stops. Existing software had to be adapted and tested. For demonstration, tram line 6 was selected. It runs on a track partly shared with other lines and has interchanges with 12 other tram lines along the track. These other tram lines will be included in the system and also displayed on the information panels so that at least 100 information panels will be installed at 40 tram stops and 4 bus stops. Information about destination and real departure time will be given. The development of the prototype interface RBL-DAISY was finished at the end of 2003 and the first panels at tram stops have been installed. Some are switched on for the public and are working well after several tests. The whole installation of the panels will probably be completed in the first quarter of Before starting the implementation of the system, a passenger survey was made in May For May 2004, after the complete implementation of all panels, a second survey is planned. A system of real departure-time displays at tram- and bus-stops was installed on one tram line 6 and has started operation A passenger survey before the installation was accomplished BUCHAREST FLEET MANAGEMENT BY GPS Bucharest intends to implement an integrated traffic management system in order to improve the traffic conditions. In this respect, the public transport fleet management based on GPS technology is seen as an important step to reach this goal. By shortcutting the financial resources for this demonstration, the system s architecture was remodelled and more links were introduced with the central management system. The integration of the ticketing with the company s management systems must be preserved and reconsidered including new requirements. All the advantages of this system are very easy to perceive: decreasing travel time, better information for transfer points, a platform for integration with the ticketing system, the possibility of providing information using a variety of channels (WAP, internet), an accurate image of the fleet deployment in the transport area, a better communication in emergency cases and the possibility to divert to other routes in special situation caused by bottlenecks etc. In this respect, an internal communication strategy will be developed in order to diminish the nonacceptance risks from the employees. About 2000 vehicles endowed with GPS devices Real time information system in Bucharest 2004 TELLUS CIVITAS 9

10 Van-Pooling Rotterdam CharterCab in Berlin Innovative mobility services EXPANSION OF VAN-POOLING FOR COMMUTERS Project partner Vipre wants to offer an alternative for the car on routes where a public transport alternative is lacking. The company has introduced Van- Pooling: a maximum of nine employees share a van for commuting, with 1 employee acting as driver. The concept saves costs for both employer and employee. Van-Pooling also tackles the problem of limited and costly parking space. One vanpool can save up to 8 of those expensive parking spaces. Until now Vipre could introduce only two new vans. The introduction is being obstructed by the current economic situation and the demand for flexible workforce. In order to counteract the conditions, Vipre has to focus on expanding and increasing the benefits and flexibility of the concept and on decreasing the costs. One of the ways of increasing the benefits of Van-Pooling is by granting the vans the same status as public transport or taxis. This would mean that at some crucial spots the vans could get access to bus lanes, to get round traffic jams. One way of cutting the costs is also related to the status of the van in comparison to public transport and taxi. If vans had the same status the company could have a fiscal advantage. So far, Vipre s lobby for getting the required status has not been successful. Vipre will continue the lobby work and in addition also start a promotion campaign to highlight the advantages of the Van-Pooling concept. 2 vans introduced BERLIN CHARTER CAB INCLUDING CUSTOMER AND USER PARTICIPATION The so called CharterCab is a mixture between a cab and a bus and is intended as an alternative to mass transportation, especially in low density city districts with a limited public transport service or in times of low demand. The CharterCab picks up passengers at home like a taxi, collects additional copassengers like a bus and builds the bridge to mass transportation, e.g. the Berlin underground. Originally it was designed as an additional offer to the regular bus service and not integrated into the public transport system tariffs. Before starting the demonstration the relevant target groups were identified by user participation. The operational consortium adopted existing technologies and developed some interfaces, tools and modules itself. All cars are directed by GPS and communication between the directing centre and the cars runs via data communication by radio. Late November 2003, the testing phase has passed 12 months of operation. The number of average daily users is far less than predicted. But new software tools to coordinate demand-orientated transportservices have been successfully implemented. Two main problems for the disappointing demand were identified: the limited resources for marketing and, more relevant, the problem of lacking integration in the local public transport services. These two problems were the main critical points in the perspectives of users and residents, too: The Charter- Cab was not accepted as a reliable alternative, although generally the new transport service was highly appreciated. Following attempts to integrate CharterCab into public transport by substituting regular bus services did not succeed. Nevertheless this approach is still promising but needs a different business strategy and plan. It could not be developed within the defined framework of TELLUS. 12 month test phase in 2003 showed low demand, due to limited marketing resources and lacking integration into local public trans port services; solving these problems, probably would improve the demand considerably 10 CIVITAS TELLUS 2004

11 Soft Measures GREEN COMMUTER PLANS AND MOBILITY MANAGEMENT The Vervoer Coördinatie Centrum Rijnmond (VVCR) provides information on mobility management. VCCR used to target almost exclusively employers. Within TELLUS the organisation now actively addresses employees, as well. Providing information and giving targeted (personal) advice might just tip the scales in favour of sustainable transport. The new strategy is supported by the introduction of a new website ( The site offers all kinds of transport related information in order to stimulate employees to make their choice of transport mode consciously and flexibly. VCCR has selected companies in the region that will participate in the project. The participating companies are requested to make available a link on their intranet to the VCCR website. A publicity campaign makes the employees aware of the website and the services that VCCR can offer. VCCR aims at a 1000 visits to its website on a yearly basis including information requests. Website on-line Fileplan in Rotterdam Green Commuter JOINING FORCES TO BATTLE CONGESTION Fileplan, which translates as Traffic Plan, beliefs only a shared view on mobility can solve regional accessibility problems. Therefore Fileplan facilitates intensive co-operation between the local, regional, provincial and national authorities, public transport companies, the police, lobby organisations, private companies and relevant institutions. Fileplan organises interactive workshops with users and authorities. This dialogue generates an overview of bottlenecks and possible solutions. Fileplan also sets up various communication campaigns informing road users about their on-road behaviour, supports the promotion of projects and stimulates new ideas and initiatives. The most important of the Fileplan meetings is the so-called»fileplan ontbijt«(breakfast meeting), a yearly high profile network-meeting, including participation of the Dutch Minister of Transport, mayors and high level representatives. Last years event, on the theme»chains in mobility«, was attended by almost 200 persons. 5 studies the»fileplan ontbijt«2 workshops 1 information-scheme 2 directives 2004 TELLUS CIVITAS 11

12 CONTACT: Mirjam van Oosterhout The Municipality of Rotterdam Galvanistraat 15 NL-3002 AR Rotterdam The Netherlands Ph Fax The CIVITAS Initiative is co-financed by the European Union BERLIN Dr. Friedemann Kunst Senatsverwaltung für Stadtentwicklung Am Köllnischen Park 3 D Berlin Germany Ph Fax friedemann.kunst@senstadt.verwalt-berlin.de GDYNIA Maciej Warszakowski Municipality of Gdynia European Integration Department The City Hall of Gdynia Al. Marszalka Pilsudskiego Ave 52/54 PL Gdynia Poland Ph Fax m.warszakowski@gdynia.pl BUCHAREST Lucia Cristea Regia Autonoma de Transport Bucuresti International Projects Department Bd. Dinicu Golescu 1 Sector1 RO Bucuresti Romania Ph Fax lucia.cristea@ratb.ro GÖTEBORG Lisa Sundell Traffic and Public Transport Authority Köpmansgatan 20 Box 2403 SE Göteborg Sweden Ph Fax lisa.sundell@trafikkontoret.goteborg.se Imprint Publisher Editor Senatsverwaltung für Stadtentwicklung Am Köllnischen Park 3 D Berlin Germany