Findings from the 2nd Annual Conference “Development of the concept of Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans (SUMPs)” in Poland

On 27 May 2024, the second of three annual conferences on the Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan (SUMP) concept took place in Poznań, Poland. It was held as part of the project “Supporting Urban Functional Areas in the Preparation of Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans,” implemented by the Ministry of Infrastructure and DG REFORM.

The conference focused on the broad process of SUMP implementation in Poland, aimed at improving the quality of life of urban residents and reducing the negative impact of transportation on the environment. Representatives from different levels discussed challenges and opportunities related to this topic.

During the opening, Adrian Mazur, Director of the Department of Transport Strategy, announced that Poland already has 30 cities with adopted Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans (SUMPs), one year ahead of the European Commission's target date. Complementing this, Piotr Markowicz of the SUMP Competence Centre presented the structure of SUMP support in Poland, including the SUMP Plenipotentiary, the SUMP Competence Centre and the SUMP Support Steering Committee - bodies helping to implement obligations under the new Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) Regulation.

Changes to the TEN-T regulation and their impact on urban mobility planning were discussed by Robert Szucs of the European Commission (DG MOVE). He also presented the state of play on Sustainable Urban Mobility Indicators (SUMI). In the context of their monitoring, experts including Dorota Perlo, Ph.D., Marcin Wolek, Ph.D., and Stefan Weigele focused on tools and technologies for data collection in cities.

Key highlights of the conference were the case studies and a panel discussion on best practices and challenges in SUMP implementation. Representatives from three Functional Urban Areas (FUAs), including the quadcity (an urban functional area that includes four cities), shared their experiences and plans.

The conference in Poznań was an important step towards sustainable urban mobility in Poland. The intensity of the exchange of knowledge and experience underpinned how important these elements are in the process of further development of the SUMPs, and that Poland is on the right track to achieve its sustainable mobility goals.

Materials from the conference, more information on Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans and the TSI project can be found at sumps.pl.