ELABORATOR goes to Amsterdam! Last week, on 16 April 2024, our partner POLIS joined Intertraffic for two sessions diving deep into active mobility and road safety. Read more below!
Last week, on 16 April 2024, ELABORATOR attended Intertraffic, the world's leading trade event for mobility professionals in Amsterdam.
Our partner POLIS, represented by Andréia Lopes Azevedo, joined a dynamic session titled 'Making Way for Walking and Cycling', where key stakeholders were brought together to champion the cause for more active modes of transport. Hosted by the European Cyclists' Federation (ECF), the panel featured the following panellists:
Andréia Lopes Azevedo (POLIS)
Sietze Faber (City of Amsterdam)
Meredith Glaser (Urban Cycling Institute & Ghent University)
Lior Steinberg (Humankind)
The session was an interactive conversation where the participants could delve into how we can prioritise balanced and inclusive mobility systems that put active travel at the forefront, especially in the path to achieving climate objectives.
Here are some of the key insights:
More collaborative exchanges between cycling cities...: The panellists highlighted the relevance of the exchange between cities that are leaders in cycling and cities wanting to improve their cycling culture.
...without disregarding local contexts: For this to be truly effective, the local context and setting that allowed for cycling culture cannot be disregarded. Thus, cities, authorities, and professionals must have a clear assessment of their current situation in order to develop a coherent and realistic plan for their own context. SUMPs and other similar instruments are crucial in supporting cities in these processes.
Inclusion matters: Panellists emphasised how allowing for real and inclusive participatory processes where diverse people can be part of and can be heard should not be overlooked.
The importance of impact assessment and evaluation: The discussion touched upon the impact assessment and evaluation of measures and actions for prioritising active modes without disregarding their challenges, where a common European approach could be beneficial.
...and more: The role of education and training, improved safety, increased cooperation between different levels of government, dedicated funding and urban environments that focus on people and not vehicles also made part of the discussion, where the public also raised questions and interacted with the panellists.
All of these topics and aspects are part of the challenges that ELABORATOR aims to solve, where the different Living Labs come together to learn and exchange with one another the various measures and settings for improving streets and quality of life. The project was featured within the discussion, showing that ELABORATOR is relevant for the current European context and will help in bringing solutions that can support achieving safer and more inclusive streets and mobility in its living labs and beyond.
POLIS also moderated a session titled 'Vision Zero and Lifesaving Road Safety Strategies'. Moderated by Andréia Lopes Azevedo, the discussion delved into global Vision Zero approaches and policies aimed at preventing road accidents and fatalities. From innovative technologies to community engagement, they explored diverse strategies contributing to the goal of eliminating road traffic deaths.
ELABORATOR was once again highlighted, as central to our approach is the need to ensure sustainable mobility modes that are safe for everyone, including vulnerable to exclusion groups.