17 November 2008

Today in Verona, Italy, the International Association of Public Transport (UITP) and the Italian Public Transport Association (ASSTRA) have joined forces with Veronafiere to launch a new biennial event dedicated to the topic of public transport in small and medium-sized cities and rural areas.

The collaboration agreement was signed today by UITP President, Roberto Cavalieri; ASSTRA President, Marcello Panettoni; and VeronaFiere Presdient, Luigi Castelletti. The Mayor of Verona, Flavio Tosi, was also present.

“Often when we think about mobility and public transport, we automatically imagine a large city with crowded metros, trams and buses running at a high frequency. This however is only part of the picture. Smaller cities have a different reality. They represent a significant part of the population and we should ensure that their mobility is given the attention it deserves,” stated UITP Secretary General, Hans Rat.

Indeed, currently one half of the population of Europe lives in small towns of 1,000 to 50,000 people, one-quarter in medium-sized towns of 50,000–250,000 people and one-quarter in cities of more than 250,000 people (UNCHS, 2001, The State of the World’s Cities).

Providing sustainable transport solutions in small cities and rural areas is not without its own special challenges. There are quite difficult conditions for public transport operators, with lower and more heterogeneous demand than in larger cities (fewer people dispersed over a larger area). Travellers are less captive to public transport than in larger urban areas. Public transport is generally limited to surface transport, in particular buses, which usually run in traffic alongside private modes. In this context it is not surprising that public transport is seen as a less attractive option, and that the level of public transport usage is relatively low. Indeed this can be a vicious cycle.

“A number of cities worldwide have proven that it is possible to break out of this vicious cycle and make public transport a preferred choice amongst many inhabitants of smaller cities,” explained Mr Rat. “The purpose of the UITP/ASSTRA conference is precisely to explore such creative solutions and to promote better mobility in these areas.”

Speed is a key factor to the success of public transport, and a number of smaller cities have shown that it is possible to perform well in this regard. ‘Buses of high level of service’ or ‘bus rapid transit’ (Leeds, UK; Lille and Nantes, France; Almere, the Netherlands) can provide a popular high-profile and rapid mode that combines the speed and image of light rail with the cost and flexibility of the bus.

A solution to low demand that has been tried in a number of cities is demand-responsive transport. Faced with the difficult challenge of low passenger numbers and high costs of scheduled lines, the city of Delémont in Switzerland opted for the introduction of a demand-responsive bus line, which proved to be hugely successful. In fact, the implementation of this alternative transport service made it possible to identify and re-launch demand and thus to return to a vastly improved normal line service.

Economies of scale and better customer service can be achieved where there is good integration between neighbouring areas within one region, for instance in terms of services and ticketing. For instance in the Austrian city Graz, the introduction of an an integrated ticketing system for the region led to a reduction in the user cost of public transport. In Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany, a successful integrated ticketing system unites 75 towns and municipalities around Freiburg, serving a population of 625,000 inhabitants.

Another area in which a lot can be done to improve operations is the control of car traffic and parking, for instance through the restriction of through traffic (Bern, Switzerland; Strasbourg, France), limiting access by cars in the city centre (Cork, Ireland; Ghent, Belgium) or ‘park and ride’ facilities (Bruges, Belgium).

Lastly and probably most importantly is the integration of public transport and spatial planning, which encourages higher-density developments along public transport corridors, thereby enabling people to live closer to public transport links (Kent Thameside, UK; Bern, Switzerland).

These and many more issues will be explored at the new UITP/ASSTRA event for the first time on 18-21 November 2009. The event will take place every two years in conjunction with the Bus & Bus Business Exhibition. A direct partnership with this exhibition is also foreseen, aiming at a broad involvement of the supplying and service industry.

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• UITP is the international network for public transport authorities and operators, policy decision-makers, scientific institutes and the public transport supply and service industry. It is a platform for worldwide co-operation, business development and the sharing of know-how between its 3,100 members from 90 countries. UITP is the global advocate for public transport and sustainable mobility, and the promoter of innovations in the sector. For more information on UITP and public transport, visit www.uitp.org .
• ASSTRA accounts for more than 210 public and private transport companies operating the 95% of Italy’s urban public transport and 75% of its suburban and regional public transport.