Kielce seminar

City Hall of Kielce
UrBike
«Maximiser l’Intégration urbaine de la bicyclette»
CITIES FOR BICYCLE-FRIENDLY MOBILITY
URBIKE KIELCE ACTORS MEETING
5-6 OCTOBER 2006
Report
Participants
Local Partnership for Cycling Policy of Kielce
Kielce Local Technical Support Group of UrBike project
Kielce Cycling NGOs
Municipalities from Kielce Metropolitan Area
Municipal Transport Company of Kielce
TransExpo Exhibitors
Regional Tourist Organisation of Kielce
Interreg Baltic Sea Cycling Project
Municipality of Kraków
Municipality of Gdańsk
UrBike partners: Municipality of Sevilla – Project Leader (Spain),
Municipality of Dresden (Germany)
UrBike Kielce Actors Meeting
Cities for Bicycle-friendly mobility
Kielce Trade Fairs (Targi Kielce)
Zakładowa Street, Kielce
Summary
October 5, 2006
•
•
•
This first such broad meeting of local actors in Kielce, which
play or could play a role in the development of bicycle mobility
in the City and its souranding was combined with the annual
international TransExpo Fairs.
The first day was an occasion to:
• present to a wider audience in Poland the results of the
European INTERREG project UrBike especially to present the
pilot project of Kielce – Cycling Policy for Kielce City
exchange the information on the activities for bicycle mobility
undertaken in Kielce by different actors: public and private and
to look for opportunities to work together in a more structured
way in the future
recapitulate and express an official thank to many actors for
their engagement in organizing the European Mobility Week
2006 in Kielce
present the strategy of transport development in Kielce and to
discuss about the future of bicycle mobility in Kielce
• make the business aware that bicycle has potentiality to
become an effective mean of transport in Polish cities.
Morning session
What are the citizens waiting for?
Morning session was focused on getting to know Kielce cyclists’
needs regrading bike issues. There were 2 cyclists taking floor:
President of Świętokrzyskie Mountain Biking Association MTB
Cross from Kielce Jarosław Wojciechowski and a keen cyclist
who uses his bicycle to go to work everyday - Ryszard Kubus.
According to the cyclists, Kielce has the potential to become
much more bicycle-friendly city than it is. The major obstacle is
the infrastructure, which is missing (there is only one bicycle
path in the City with a solid surface). A comlete bicycle network
is missing. Besides, car users are not used to cyclists and there
are no enough bicycle racks in the city.
Both cyclists would like to
have much more infrastructure, more bicycle lanes on the roads
of Kielce, more bicycle racks installed and they would like to
have it in a very short time.
The need of having even temporary but quick sollutions in order
to start creating bicycle network has been recognised by the
Urbike team of Kielce.
Traffic management in the Kielce City Center – zone of limited
traffic, place for bicycles
At the occasion of UrBike meeting, the new traffic organisation,
including bike plan for Kielce City Center has been presented publically for the first time.
This plan was prepared for the Municipal Roads Management of Kielce by a private company:
EKKOM. The integration of bicycle aspects is a result of participation of Kielce in Urbike and more
UrBike – Kielce Seminar Report
2
detailed: it is the result fo participation of 2 members of
the local technical support group to the First UrBike
European Technical Seminar in Dresden in June 2006.
An integrated bike plan is something new for the
inhabitants, something they are waiting for and it should
be effectively tested and used by cyclists themselves
soon.
The whole presentation is available at the website
www.urbike.kielce.pl
The role of the police in making friendly mobility
The Head of Traffic Section of Kielce Municipal Police
Andrzej Chrzanowski talked about co-existance of cyclists and pedestrians and car users on the
roads of Kielce. He showed different aspects of the road safety and friendly co-existance.
Among the factors of danger making roads in Kielce unsafe, some are caused by bikes
themselves: many bicycles are not properly equiped for optimum riding in the city (too many bikes
do not have rings and lights!), cyclists use pedestrian sidewalk, where they are theorically not
allowed to ride, however Kielce police knows that this is due to a lack of safe bicycle facilities in the
City.
The police agrees that cyclists can feel unsafety on the roads of Kielce and consider that there
should be efforts undertaken by the Municipality in order to improve this situation.
At the end of the discussion, all participants concorded on the necessity to improve cyclists safety
on the roads of Kielce.
The initiatives of public transport and potential integration with other mobility modes
The President of Kielce Municipal Transport Company (MPK) Grzegorz Słoń noticed that MPK is
among the few innovative companies in Poland that allow to carry bicycles on the board of city
buses. In practice, a bus driver can refuse taking bicycle if it can cause any demages to other
passangers or if the bus is or will be overcroaded (a label inside the bus explains this new
regulation). This initiative is quite new and people is still getting used to.
Some local discussions opened the debate if bike is competitive to public transport, hovewer the
Public Bus Company in Kielce is aware of the benefit of promoting biking, which is an
environmental-friendly, healthy mean of transport and a contribution towards better quality of life.
Urbike partners and other Polish cities’ point of view is that public transport and bicycles are
complementary and that bike allows a higher capability of public transport networks, because bus
stops can serve cyclists up to 2 km around the bus stop, while pedestrians will have difficulty if the
bust stop is further than 500 meters, This is the approach of the public transport company of
Sevilla, that proposes its service ”Bus+Bici”.
UrBike method: integrated mobility and cooperation among transport actors in an advanced city
Kerstin Buggraf’s from the Municipality of Dreseden presentation was a perfect summing up of the
discussion started by the previous presentation. It’s been exactly a living example that public
transport bodies, as well as other actors: universities, stakeholders, schools, insurrance companies
can and, in fact should, work together with public administartion for increasing bicycle mobility and
public transport mobility and lead to a win-to-win situatuion.
The whole presentation is avaliable at the website www.urbike.kielce.pl
The Sustainable Development Transport Policy for Kielce City and Kielce Metropolis
This Policy has been prepared by the Kraków Technical University for the Board of Municipal
Transport of Kielce. This Policy has already been outvoted by the City Council of Kielce. It’s vision
is to moderate municipal public transport in order to play the key role in the transport inside Kielce
City and between its 10 sourranding communes.
There is a small part in the Policy dedicated to the bicycle, which is cohesive with Cycling Policy for
Kielce City. It’s worth to add that the Transport Policy recognises UrBike project and values its
results highly.
The whole presentation is avaliable at the website www.urbike.kielce.pl
UrBike – Kielce Seminar Report
3
The Cycling Policy of Kielce City
This is a UrBIke local pilot project of Kielce, which has been prepared by Tadeusz Kopta from
General Directory of the Roads and Highways in Kraków and it was presented by the author. The
project was consulted widely with Local Partnership for Cycling Policy of Kielce City and with
Świętokrzyskie Center for Monitoring of Health Protection, as well as with inhabitants of Kielce via
internet website: www.urbike.kielce.pl.
The whole presentation is avaliable at that website.
This presentation was warmly welcomed by the audience. Other Polish cities expressed their
opinion that having elaborated this document Kielce seems to be on a very good way to succeed in
creating bicycle-friendly city.
Thanking the organisers of European Mobility Week
Vice-President of Kielce Andrzej Sygut and local co-ordinator of European Mobility Week from
Environment Protection Department Jadwiga Skrobacka thanked co-organisers of The Week
granting them diplomas and small awards. Among the awarded institutions there were: Municipal
and Regional Police, Municipal Roads Management, Municipal Transport Board, Municipal
Transport Company, Municipal Fire-Brigade, Nature Protection League, Świetokrzyskie Mountain
Biking Association MTB Cross, Association ”MTB Kielce – Świętokrzyskie Mountain Biking”,
Highschool no 5.
Conclusion: how the cooperation between mobility actors will help to win the challenge of a good
quality of life in Kielce
Director President’s Plenipotary for revitalisation Artur Hajdorowicz presented the main traffic and
bicycle mobility problems faced by Kielce. He also presented all the municipal actors that take part
in planning and managing the transport and especially the bicycle mobility showing that there is a
lack of a common body, which would be a link between many different municipal actors. He
concluded that the collaboration is absolutely necessary and that it’s an old-fashioned way of
thinking that we can resolve traffic problem by occupyaing more space for road infrastructure.
Afternoon session
There were two bussiness sessions in the afternoon session.
Emerging market for transport sector: insertation of bike into transport networks
Raphael Calvelli – representative of the Lead Partner proved that investing in bicycles and bicycle
infrastructure can actally be a good business. He presented economical, social and health context
pointing at bike as a future mean of transport. The world bike production is not focused yet on
producing high quality city bikes, the demand, hawever, has been creating by different
municiplaities around the whole world. There are examples of services organised around bike
(renting, deliveries, touring), sometimes offered in combination with other services (advertising, car
renting) that are economically interesting. Mr. Calvelli concluded by proposing establishing
a starter group with public and private initiative.
Buses&bikes: how a leading bus company opened to a new market segment
Representatives of Scania Polska S.A. presented their new product on the market – an
environment-friendly bus for etanol. They are ready to produce buses adjusted to carry on bikes on
the board of buses, for example with folded seats, if there is a demand.
Evening program
The Gala at the Congress Hotel of Kielce was an occasion to meet the exhibitors of TransExpo
Fairs (mostly buses and bus facilities’ producers) and to get to know better one another.
There was also a program the paricipants followed such as: presentation of a new modern city bus
by Mercedes Benz, awarding ceremony for the best exhibition, awards for the nicest bus driver
selected by Kielce inhabitants during European Mobility Week 2006.
UrBike – Kielce Seminar Report
4
City Hall of Kielce
Rynek Street, Kielce
October 6, 2006
The second day was an occasion to:
• present to a wider audience the results of the European
INTERREG project UrBike especially to present the impact of
the UrBike project on the Kielce City
• gather together at the round table a few European cities and a
few Polish cities working on the susutainable mobility, in which
the bicycle plays a very important role
• discuss creation of the European Cities Support Group for
sustainable mobility
• get the feedback of Urbike partners and Polish technicians on
the bicycle track in Kielce while riding a bicycle in Kielce.
Morning session
Tendencies of European policies in urban environment and Mobility
Raphael Calvelli representing Lead Partner gave an introduction to the tendencies of the polices of
the European Union in the urban environment and the moblity with a special emphasis on the
sustainability. This presentation was mostly addressed to the local actors from Kielce participating
in the second day of the UrBike seminar.
What has been the impact of Interreg UrBike and Baltic Sea Cycling projects
Dorota Lasocka from the City Hall of Kielce summarized the impact of the Urbike project in a few
sentences: the staff involved into Urbike activities have begun to understand what ‘sustainable
transport’ is, as well as what bike mobility problems Kielce has and how they should be addressed.
The whole perception of the use of bike has been changed and strategic thinking while approching
bike issues have been initiated. Local Partnership for Cycling Policy of Kielce has been established
and it helped a lot to shape the Cycling Policy for Kielce City created in October 2006.
Collaboration with cycling NGOs have been set up and the website www.urbike.kielce.pl has
been established and it’s been changing its profile. The most important impact of the Urbike project
is however: DOING THINGS TOGETHER – STARTING PRACTICING INTEGRATED
APPROACH.
Then, Jadwiga Skrobacka from the Environment Protection Departmnet of the City Hall of Kielce
presented all the activities, which have taken place in Kielce on the occassion of the European
Mobility Week 2006. Every day starting from 16th untill 23rd of September there have been a few
actions organised by the institutions awarded during the first day of the seminar.
Kerstin Bugraff from the City Hall of Dreseden listed the most important results of the UrBike
project on the local level, which are: creation of a comprehensive network of municipality and many
local partners for the improvement of conditions for cyclists including politicians who are involved,
public awareness and decision makers’ awareness on cycling issues has been raisen via several
campaigns target at specific groups, influence of UrBike groups on the city administration is visible,
cycling traffic has become an integrated part of Dresden traffic palnning and there is a Mobility
Strategy.
Raquel Framiñan from the Municipality of Sevilla presented a project about intermodality of bikes
and public transport in the City of Sevilla under the UrBike project. The main goal of the
Municipality of Sevilla is to integrate bikes with transport: public transport + pedestrians + bike.
Mrs Framinan talked about integration of bike parks in all parkings for cars and about the need of
creating the network, which connects all bike roads to public transport and main services (places of
work, public offices). Sevilla has been working also on the creation of a planning of bike parks in
the city.
UrBike – Kielce Seminar Report
5
Marcin Winniczuk from Suwałki Chamber of Commerce presented a ’twin’ Interreg project - Baltic
Sea Cycling. BSC focuses on the strategies for more bicycles in the transport system with focus on
attractive and sustainable townscapes. Twenty two project partners from the Baltic area are
working on the development of urban integrated transport systems. Common policies and action
plans will be developed until autumn 2007. On the local level in Suwałki, Baltic Sea Cycling aims at
raising attractiveness of towns and regions through development of bicycle paths of Suwałki
Region and development of transborder tourism as a chance for young people on the European
labour market.
Thematic bicycle route – route of military architecture
Agnieszka Pabis from Regional Tourist Organisation form Kielce presented shortly a thematic
bicycle route of military architecture, which has been financed by the Ministry of Economics. The
route will lead via 10 countees of Świetokrzyskie Province, it will have a lenght of about 400 km
and there will be about 40 pieces of military architecture on its way. The project will be finished in
November 2006.
Good examples of Polish cities involved in sustainable development
Director President’s Plenipotary for Constructing Bicycle Roads from Gdańsk Antoni Szczyt
presented impressive works undertaken in order to create a bicycle network. Gdańsk made a
significant progress towards becoming bicycle-friendly city and it is an unquestionable leader in
Poland now. Mr Szczyt presented a concept of constructing bicycle roads in Gdańsk. Majority of
the new roads have been built thanks to the funding from Global Environment Facility Fund.
Andrzej Buszek and Krzysztof Rudzki from the City Hall of Kraków shared their experience from
the ’struggle’ for financing bicycle infrastructure in the city. Kraków has successfully implemented
the procedure of bicycle audit and majority of the bicycle tracks have been financed thanks to the
audit. In Krakow there will be about 100 km of new bicycle tracks constracted before the 2010.
Teaching the new generation of municipalities of road technicians
Prof. Gerd-Axel Ahrens from Technical University of Dresden presented the trends in the world
motorisation and challenges to face. Dresden still needs to increase the percentage of bicycle trips
in order to get closer to the other more bicycle-friendly German cities. Professor explained what is
a transport planning, how planning can be integrated with management, he showed defined
working areas in transportation and the separate transport networks: public transport network, road
network, bicycle and walking network.
Draft Presentation of an European Cities Support Group for Sustainable Mobility
The support group is being developed for UrBike continuation and it has been presented to the
cities represented at the seminar (Kielce, Suwałki, Kraków, Gdańsk, Sevilla and Dresden). The
general needs are: providing technical services for cities, supporting development of better
policies, organizing circulation of the information. All present cities considered this presentation
and expressed a positive opinion about it. This will presented to the Final Urbike Conference in
Sevilla in November, 2006.
Afternoon technical part
Technical part started from updating on the activities implemented by every partner in their cities. Then,
Urbike partners, local technical support group members, Local Partnership for Cycling Policy of Kielce
members, representatives of Kraków and Gdańsk municipalities, a few members of cycling NGOs form
Kielce, representative of Baltic Sea Cycling and Radio Kielce had a two-hours bicycle ride via the bicycle
track and some roads of Kielce with many stops on the way. Organisers received prescious technical
feedback from Gdańsk, Dresden and from the Lead Partner - Sevilla.
UrBike – Kielce Seminar Report
6