VI UBC GENERAL CONFERENCE

Commission on transportATION

Activity Report NOVEMBER 2000 – September 2001

At the UBC Executive Board meeting in Kolding, November 2000, Goteborg was made 
responsible for leading the Commission on Transport. 

In assuming the responsibility, Goteborg declared an ambition to focus on urban mobility. Further, the interest was to develop attractive regional centres with well functioning traffic, fulfilling high demands on safety and environmental sustainability.

In February 2001, an invitation to all UBC member cities was distributed to join this work. Member cities and individuals representing these cities were asked to respond, indicating if they would like to be involved in future meetings and projects of the Commission on Transportation. 
The letter offered an opportunity to influence the development of the work of the Commission. The member cities were asked to respond, indicating their priorities of interest and the most interested were invited to attend a meeting in Goteborg, in June to discuss the future activities of the Commission. 
Governed by the responses to the letter, an agenda was set up for the June meeting, and some of the interested cities offered prepared introductions on the topics selected for further elaboration. 
The Commission on Transport met in Goteborg June 25-26, for a two-day meeting to discuss the priorities for the commission. Present at the meeting were sixteen individuals, from nine member cities, in six different countries. 
On the agenda were introductions by the city representatives on topics that had attracted most interest in response to the letter send to all member cities. There was also ample time for further discussions on priorities and desired activities. The draft action plan is a result of the meeting and consultations following since then. 
A full report of the meeting is available from the Goteborg office at email: transcom.ubc@trafikkontoret.goteborg.se. A brief report is found at www.ubc.net/commissions/ transportation.html. 

Action Plan 2002-2003

This action plan is the result of a process where member cities have contributed by submitting written comments and suggestions during the spring 2001, and of a meeting in Goteborg during June 2001 where nine member cities were represented. 
Activities described below are the results of a process were important issues have been selected and expressed in terms of an activity that may assist member cities in dealing with each issue. 
1. A conference on “Worst practices in managing public transport systems ­ mistakes we have made, for others to avoid”. 
This activity is to channel the interest in management of public transport systems. It appears that public transport systems are going through institutional changes in most member cities, and many painful and expensive mistakes are made. We would like to exchange such experiences, but also learn how mistakes were successfully corrected. 
Managing public transport systems should include preparing for them in urban planning processes, managing the system as well as the operation of the vehicles. 
Riga has expressed an interest in hosting such a conference. Possibly this conference will be organised in connection with a meeting of the Commission on Urban Planning during April 2002. Goteborg will co-operate in the organisation of the meeting. 
2. A seminar on the benefits of increasing bicycling and the means to succeed. 
Many member cities are engaged in efforts to promote bicycling as an economically efficient mode of transport in cities. There is an interest identifying and assessing the advantages of bicycling and to learn about how to really increase bicycling by different improving city planning, road construction, traffic legislation and other efforts to improve the conditions of cyclists. 
Cesis has taken on to host this seminar during 2002. (We expect Kobenhavn to contribute to the contents but their engagement is not confirmed as this is written). 
3. A meeting to exchange experiences and ideas on mobility-management tools. 
There is a strong interest in many member cities to manage the mobility development at large with co-ordinated efforts of many kinds to create cities that are attractive and available by efficient sustainable transport systems. Such mobility management functions of cities in co-operation with companies dependent on mobility as well as mobility service providers is evolving in some member cities. 
This meeting is intended to facilitate the exchange and further dissemination of the experiences of the most active cities. 
Vaxjo has taken on to co-ordinate a group of interested cities, including Helsinki and Goteborg and Kobenhavn, preparing for a meeting to be held in spring of 2003. 
4. A scheme for exchange of personnel in public transport management and operation between member cities. 
There was a desire to have the UBC Commission of Transport contribute to the competence of member cities operation by conveying experience to the individuals engaged in the development of the public transport system. The idea of organising a scheme to facilitate the exchange on personal for periods of a few weeks to learn from each other was identified as one potentially fruitful activity to that end. 
Goteborg has taken on to investigate how such an activity could be organised and financed.