The sole responsibility for the content of this presentation lies with the authors. It does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the European Communities. The European Commission is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information contained therein. Involving stakeholders in mobility planning A survival guide Fabio Tomasi AREA Science Park Sofia, 21st October 2014

Participatory processes There’s a common understanding that they are a key point in the process of the definition of a SUMP but there are quite often problems: Participatory processes are time demanding and costly Often those that oppose the project have higher visibility than the silent majority of people Workshops are quite often deserted or attended just by elderly people Citizens are focused on their particular needs (NIMBY) In some countries citizens are not used to participate Plans that required a lot of efforts to develop them and that were deemed as good by experts are rejected

Do not Held participatory processes only at the very end of the project Use technical jargon

Do (1) Launch participatory process from the very beginning, if NGO are involved in the process they will feel the plan as their own Create good relations with political parties in order to get a bipartisan support Clarify what’s legally or technically possible (provide the background for your choices) Involve a large set of stakeholders

Stakeholders to be involved Politicians Neighborhood associations and similar citizens groups Local transport companies Cyclists association Employees association Employer assoications Parents associations Tourist companies (in touristic cities) Parking organizations Big companies (which have their own mobility plans) in order to coordinate their mobility plans with the municipal plans People from nearby villages

Cyclists NGO can give positive inputs in particular in relation to cycling traffic issues because quite often city planners and mobility managers do not have good knowledge in cycling traffic management and infrastructure (university curricula paid attention to this issue only in the last years)

Do (2) Create in municipality a unit specialized in participatory process or involve facilitators (if fund are available) District councilors usually have a good understanding of local needs and feelings (involve them!) Make visits on site to meet people Presentantions of the plans on local media before the meetings

Do (3) Awareness raising campaigns (in particular in schools) to support participatory process Survey on perception of actions implemented and perceived needs carried out on a regular basis (if funds are available) Present other cities experience in order to show benefits for the public Create on city’s website or social media a section to collect citizens suggestions

New media Social media cannot substitute traditional workshops because social media are not good for in deep discussion People are not willing to discuss on Facebook and those that do it often do it in the wrong way Social media could be useful at the beginning to collect some idea and raise interest on the topic but later on more traditional workshops are needed Could be in the long term useful but should be managed in a professional way and also people should learn how to use it in the proper way