Project Details

Project goal

The cities of Toulouse (France), Debrecen (Hungary), Ljubljana (Slovenia), Venice (Italy) and Odense (Denmark) and their main local mobility stakeholders established a European partnership for implementing 'Mobility Initiatives for Local Sustainability' - the MOBILIS project. The partners agreed to create a new culture for clean urban mobility in the wider frame of sustainable development, ensuring involvement of all relevant stakeholders and participation of the citizens.

MOBILIS aimed to implement radical strategies for clean urban transport in all five cities, building on a broad range of policies and instruments. The project contained a total of 46 measures integrated into a detailed work programme over a duration of four years (2005-2009), which addressed all eight CIVITAS policy fields. The most outstanding activities were to:

• Demonstrate the large-scale application of alternative fuels -
  65 new and 42 converted CNG vehicles, bio-diesel operation (250 vehicles), soot filter installation (112 vehicles), bio-gas operation, 6 new filling stations (3 CNG, 3 LPG), 10 LPG boats
• optimise bio-fuel production and operation and develop enabling framework conditions for a broad deployment of alternative fuel supply and usage (including 1000 small-scale CNG supply facilities);
• Widening experiences with EGNOS/GALILEO services and implementing ITS applications for improving traffic conditions and public transport services: 3 traffic management systems, 2 PT priority schemes, 3 traveller information schemes, 2 electronic ticketing schemes;
• Managing the accessibility of sensitive areas through innovative zoning approaches: 2 access control areas, 2 environmental zones, 3 new parking schemes, 3 high-quality corridors, as well as traffic control, enforcement and public space redesign;
• Demonstrating 2 new approaches to clean urban logistics, implementing 1 new freight distribution centre operated with clean vehicles;
• Ensure social inclusion by enhancing the accessibility (physical, psychological, economic, informational) of mobility services;
• Enhance public transport quality and integration with other transport modes substantially (private car, bicycle) through innovative planning and service development;
• Provide new targeted mobility services changing dominant concepts of vehicle ownership and use (2 car-pooling services, 2 car-sharing services, 3 mobility card schemes);
• Promote sustainable mobility, modal shift (walking, cycling, public transport) and behavioural change through targeted and personal marketing, service development, information dissemination, education and training; and finally
• Contribute to Europe-wide evaluation and dissemination of the results to be put forward through the CIVITAS initiative.

The MOBILIS project undertook particular efforts in order to demonstrate the added value of developing and implementing broad integrated packages of policies and measures. Therefore, the exchange of experiences and good practices between the partners played a crucial role here. Moreover, specific coordination activities were focusing on the promotion and integration of the following five key topics across all sites and measures:

• Transition strategies towards alternative fuel production and use;
• Understanding and changing mobility behaviour;
• Implementing sustainable urban transport strategies in New Member State cities;
• Social inclusion and equity in mobility; and
• Intelligent Transport System applications for sustainable urban mobility.

MOBILIS aimed to bring about positive change in the planning culture and mobility patterns of all five partner cities, but also to provide conclusions about the transferability of practices to other urban communities across Europe.

Results

MOBILIS Project Goals

• Foster a transition process towards the broad use of alternative fuels and clean energy-efficient vehicles
• Promote modal shift away from the use of the motor car towards sustainable transport modes
• Improve the quality and fair share of public space
• Create transport minimizing urban structures
• Foster safety, security, social inclusion and equity in urban mobility
• Reduce noise and improve air quality in urban areas
• Support economic development and competitiveness
• Advance efficient planning, management and implementation processes and coordination between mobility stakeholders at different administrative levels
• Increase participation of citizens and civil society in environment- and mobility-related decision making
• Raise awareness for sustainable mobility and promote behavioural change
• Improve innovation and creativity capacities of local mobility stakeholders

Project partners

• Syndicat Mixte des Transports en Commun de l'Agglomération Toulousaine, Toulouse, France
• Communauté d'Agglomeration du Grand Toulouse, Toulouse, France
• Communauté d’Agglomération de Toulouse Sud-Est, Toulouse, France
• City of Toulouse, Toulouse, France
• Ville de Blagnac, Blagnac, France
• SEMVAT - Société d’Economie Mixte des transports publics de Voyageurs de l’Agglomération Toulousaine, Toulouse, France
• Gaz de France S.A., France
• Centre d’Etudes Techniques de l’Equipement du Sud-Ouest, France
• Agence d’Urbanisme et d’Aménagement du Territoire Toulouse Aire Urbaine, Toulouse, France
• City of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary
• DKV Debrecen Transport Company, Debrecen, Hungary
• Hajdú Volán Transportation Inc., Hungary
• Hajdú-Bihar County State Road Maintenance Company, Debrecen, Hungary
• University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary
• City of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
• Javno podjetje Ljubljanski potniški promet d.o.o. (LPP), Ljubljana, Slovenia
• TEOL, Kemična industrija, d.d, Ljubljana, Slovenia
• University of Maribor, Maribor, Slovenia
• Agricultural Institute of Slovenia (AIS), Ljubljana, Slovenia
• Regional Environmental Center, Country Office Slovenia, Ljubljana, Slovenia
• City of Venice, Venice, Italy
• ACTV S.p.A., Public Transport company, Venezia, Italy
• Azienda Servizi Mobilita S.P.A. (ASM), Venice, Italy
• VESTA S.p.A. Venezia Servizi Territoriali Ambientali, Venice, Italy
• Agire – Agenzia Veneziana per l’Energia, Venice, Italy
• Commissario Delegato dal Governo per il Traffico Acqueo nella Laguna di Venezia, Venice, Italy
• Forma Urbis S.a. S, Venice, Italy
• City of Odense, Department of Culture and Urban Development, Odense, Denmark
• Langzaam Verkeer, Leuven, Belgium
• Rupprecht Consult GmbH, Cologne, Germany