extensive bus and cycle path networks form an apt backdrop for the 61st edition of the International Public Transport Association’s (UITP) World Congress which will take place in the city on May 28-30. Delegates from around the world will again share insights from their respective systems during the conference sessions while the industry’s supply chain will showcase their latest innovations in the neighbouring exhibition halls.
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While a long-term member of the public transport community as the former CEO of Brussels Transport (Stib), this year’s World Congress is the first for Mr Alain Flausch in his new role as UITP secretary general. Flausch succeeded Mr Hans Rat in January 2012 and is hoping that the event will serve as a forum for revitalising and rejuvenating PTx2, the UITP’s campaign to double public transport usage by 2025. At the heart of this is the new “Grow with public transport” initiative which is designed as a means of marketing PTx2 to the public. Flausch says that while he is happy with progress so far, the UITP faces a substantial challenge in keeping such a long-term plan fresh in the minds of transport planners and politicians, but that the changing status of public transport, particularly in Europe, is aiding its efforts to spur the desired level of growth. Perhaps the most significant social change in recent years is declining car ownership in urban areas, especially in developed societies, where public transport is seen more and more as part of the daily life of a broader section of society. Flausch points to Copenhagen as a great example of where public transport has become part of the city’s fabric. He says that policies to restrict car use and speeds over the past 25 years have made the inner city a more pleasant place to be, and adds that the challenge is to spread this example into developing countries where the car remains a status symbol and public transport is considered primarily for the poor. “I see it in the young generation, particularly in Europe and increasingly in America, where people are buying a car much later in life, and there are some people who live in cities who do not see the need to own a car at all,” he says. “This is what we want to induce. Grow with public transport gives the feeling that once you are using public transport you are part of a movement which is
ENEVA’s growing network of commuter and light rail services (p28) as well as
part of the city’s transition, because cities are changing. People no longer want to have highways everywhere.” Flausch credits this to a shift from an individualist to a collectivist mindset in urban travel. The success of schemes that encourage sharing cars and bicycles epitomises this, yet the desire to be independent remains. Flausch believes that public transport can serve these human traits and praises the adoption of technologies such as on- board WiFi for allowing passengers to retain a sense of independence. “By being connected or listening to music, you are creating your own bubble like you would have if you were driving your car,” he says. “For this reason I feel we should have WiFi on all public transport as soon as possible in order to help customers fight against their worry of being all together.” Flausch says a number of cities
around the world are well on the way to fulfilling the PTx2 challenge. One example is Vienna, where the metro network is entering its fourth development phase (p34) as part of a long-term plan that is proactive rather than reactive to developments in growing areas of the city. Flausch also reserves special praise for the long-term vision of local authorities in Sweden, and Turkey’s plans to double its railway network by 2020.
“Grow with public transport gives the feeling that once you are using public transport you are part of a movement which is part of the city’s transition.”
“This is the sort of commitment that
we are trying to encourage,” he says. “We are trying to inspire all decision- makers to put together masterplans in terms of market share and modal shift so it will help them to launch their ventures.”
While these systems are shining examples of what can be achieved through long-term planning, cities that are already congested but are only now developing long-term plans face a wait to alleviate these problems, much to their citizens’ ire. Getting politicians to realise this and allocate funds to support public transport projects has long been a struggle for supporters of public transport who in some areas have suffered through 30-40 years of preference for road. Flausch says that Tehran is a classic
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