A concept which promotes sustainable transport as well as the exchange of information and experience between the countries included in this programme, Mobility Management stresses light measures (information, communication, organisation and coordination of activities and existing services). In the end, these measures will have a direct effect over difficult, physical initiatives concerning urban transport planning (new tram lines, new street networks, bicycle lanes). Changing the behaviour of urban community as regards the personal vehicle is the foundation of this initiative which does not require major financial investments due to the nature of generated measures. The cost-benefit ratio will be in favour of local and national authorities and will also benefit the citizens.
Promoting these measures is even more important in new member states, especially if we consider that the citizens of these countries don’t benefit from viable alternatives to using automotive vehicles, such as public transport or infrastructure for cycling. The urban mobility concept implies the identification of clear and concrete solutions for rendering efficient and promoting public transport inside the cities, but also solutions for discouraging individual vehicle transport. An increased level of urban mobility from the point of view of safety, efficiency and environment is an essential objective for guaranteeing the attraction of passengers to public transport. Mobility management measures (compared to infrastructure measures) would not necessarily demand increased financial investments and can have a favourable cost-benefit ratio.
Mobility Management is a concept which promotes the sustainable transport and deals with the problem of demand of personal vehicles by changing the attitude and behaviour of each individual.
We have the example of Prague where until recently railway services have played a small role in the public transport of the Czech capital. However, with the implementation of “Esko” project, a new subsystem of integrated transport was developed based on the “S-Bahn” model. The members of Esko, a project launched in 2007, are Czech Railways, Dopravní podnik hlavního města Prahy (Prague Transport Company), ROPID (Prague Integrated Transport Manager) and Středočeský kraj (Central Bohemia Council).
In December 2007, a number of so-called “S lines” (referring to S-Bahn) were implemented for the transport in cities and suburbs with uniform signs for links using the “S” letter and the number of relevant lines.
The main contribution of Esko project was the development of a system representing the foundation of the railway services specific to urban agglomerations. This system means that railway transport is seen as integrated part of the public transport in Prague, not only in suburbs.
Share on:
