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More sustainable transport in Central European Cit.. (Central MeetBike)
More sustainable transport in Central European Cities through Improved integrated bicycle promotion and international networking.
(Central MeetBike)
Start date: Feb 28, 2009,
End date: Feb 27, 2014
PROJECT
FINISHED
Everybody knows that feeling of total frustration when you get stuck in the traffic jam on your way home from work. Traffic jams have become part of our daily routine and with growing car ownership this situation is only going to get worse. Therefore there is an absolute need for finding solutions to this problem. Encouraging residents to cycle to short distances and improve cycling paths and conditions would be one them. The bicycle used in combination with public transport can be a very effective solution to overcrowded roads not only now but also in the future. But the success of this solution lays in the integration of cycling into urban setting and creating a good conditions for it. In comparison with West Europe is Central Europe lagging behind and its cycling policies are still only in an infancy stage.The project Central MeetBike aims to create really good conditions for cycling in Central Europe using good practice examples already successfully implemented in Germany. The project will tackle the problem on several levels (local, regional and national) and with all respective bodies involved (policymakers, stakeholders, urban & traffic officers, urban & traffic planners and local active citizens/bodies) and on the basis of transnational experience using German example as a backbone and applying it in the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia. Achievements: The Central MeetBike project aims to change the approach to bicycle transport and its planning as well as the general perception of cycling, all based on the experience of Germany which was, 15-20 years ago, in a similar situation as the Central MeetBike project partner countries, i.e. the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia, are today: there were more and more cars and the traffic situation in cities was worse and worse due to the increasing individual car transport. To apply the German experience in the Czech Republic, Poland and the Slovak Republic, it is important to know the current system and its differences not only in comparison with the model Germany but also with individual countries where the experience should be applied. The situation is different in each of the partner countries, both at the government and at the local or regional level, which has proved at the beginning of one of the key project activities - a survey in the cities. Since all the important analysis, seminars, workshops and educational field trips were carried out in the first project period, it was possible and desirable to start with concrete visible activities at both local and national level. The Czech and Slovak Republics are engaged in the preparation process of national cycling strategies. All available media channels are used to gain as many key stakeholders as possible for the cooperation. A strong partner network is forming gradually with the aim to ensure future successful implementation of the two documents. In addition, at the local level, the partner towns and cities apply acquired knowledge into practice. First, local cycling strategies were elaborated to be followed by specific technical plans, using new and innovative approaches, with an emphasis on integrated transport and land use planning. Some of the towns and cities proceeded to the third phase, which is the actual implementation of the cycling infrastructure:the best media tool. To understand the promotion of pro-cycling measures as a part of sustainable transport solutions is important for our methodology and strategies in terms of the ideological basis. This idea is central to all other methodologies and strategies that are processing within the project Central MeetBike and that will be its main outputs. This idea is the basis of strategy for the cities. . This is the concept promoted at various levels by the Central MeetBike project partners through the idea of VISION 25 which seeks to equalize individual modal shares in a stabilized, primarily urban transport system, where cycling plays an important role. The achievement of integrated approach, however, relates to training of professionals with a new thinking and an interdepartmental overlap that are necessary for effective cooperation. The Central MeetBike project guides all efforts towards this goal.