In 2021, the Czech government adopted the Concept of Urban and Active Mobility for the period of 2021 – 2030. This Concept is a follow-up document to the Transport Policy of the Czech Republic for the period of 2021 - 2027 with an outlook until 2050 and it focuses on the transfer of some principles of the Transport Policy to the regional level and especially to municipal governments. The Concept of Urban and Active Mobility consists of two parts. The first part deals with the issue of urban and suburban mobility and serves as a methodological tool for cities and regions in the process of planning sustainable urban mobility, with regard to the defined categories of cities. The second part deals with active mobility and builds on the National Cycling Strategy, which expired in 2020.
The Concept determines a general principle of four successive phases:
- Reducing mobility needs by planning urban development, i.e. short-distance cities, working from home, etc.
- Changing people's behavior towards greater use of alternatives to the car (public transport, active mobility, mobility as a service, reducing car ownership, etc.)
- Introducing clean energies for transport and better economics in transport (IAD, public transport, cycling, walking), i.e. alternative energies, better organization, smartness, technology.
- On the basis of the previous phases, the traffic in the city will change and it will result in the design of a new traffic regime throughout the city, and this will be a necessary condition for the modification of the street space, initially organizationally, then structurally (architecturally).
The Concept proposes the categorization of cities according to the number of inhabitants, taking into account the position of the city within the agglomeration, the geomorphology and predominant type of buildings. According to it, the Concept proposes measures to meet the set objectives.
The Czech Republic has adopted Concept on the national level and it is a methodology for cities as the issue of sustainable urban mobility planning falls within the competence of individual cities.
Individual areas of the urban mobility planning are supposed to be gradually developed by follow-up methodologies in cooperation with the research and academic spheres.
So far, in the Czech Republic, all cities over 40,000 inhabitants, 27 cities in total, have already prepared a SUMP or simplified version of SUMP. Currently all the cities are preparing second generation of SUMP in full version. Some smaller towns are also interested in developing SUMPs, and the Concept considers this.
National Guidance: The Transport Policy of the Czech Republic for the period of 2021 - 2027 with an outlook until 2050 and its strategies, e.g. The Concept of Urban and Active Mobility for the period of 2021 – 2030, Concept of Public Transport Services.
Plans in place: Land-use plans compulsory for municipalities; Regional emission reduction programs
Sustainability objective: The Ministry of Transport is promoting sustainable transport planning; the new Transport Policy of the Czech Republic for the period of 2021 - 2027 with an outlook until 2050 in view of new developments in modern technologies, energy saving requirements and requirements to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and pollutants, re-emphasizes these aspects. The topic of SUMPs (level of coordination from the national level) is proposed in the adopted Concept of Urban and Active Mobility for the period of 2021 – 2030. Czechia adopted a Strategic Framework Czech Republic 2030 in 2015.
In 2021, the new Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan methodology SUMP 2.0 was adopted. It is based on the previous methodology from 2015 and on the Guidelines for developing and implementing a Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan (2nd edition), it also reflects the Concept of Urban and Active Mobility for the period of 2021 – 2030. The aim of this methodology is to provide city experts and organizations involved in transport planning with an applicable guide adapted to the conditions in cities in the Czech Republic, which specifies how to prepare and implement a Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan (SUMP).
Public involvement: Officially only within the land-use planning process.
The new Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan methodology SUMP 2.0 includes also a Communication Plan to help cities to include citizens in the SUMP planning process and understanding of its nature.
In 2021, the Transport Research Centre has developed a project - Educating cities to involve the public in urban mobility planning - within the project, an educational tool has been created. It enables both the overall setting up of the participatory process in the city and the improvement of individual techniques within the participatory process. More you can find: https://www.mestovpohybu.cz/participace
Linked with finance: The existing support for investments in active mobility infrastructure from the State Fund for Transport Infrastructure (SFDI) budget is envisaged and the relevant type of measures will be financed within the Concept of the sustainable mobility plan from the budget of the cities (tax budgeting, Operational Program Transport). It is also envisaged to support the renewal of the public transport fleet with alternative propulsion and to support investments in electric public transport infrastructure using ERDF (IROP) and Cohesion Fund (Operational Program Transport) funds.
Member state contact:
Ministry of Transport of the Czech Republic; Department of Transport Policy and Clean Mobility
References:
Introduction - Partnership for Urban Mobility (dobramesta.cz)
Last updated: 07 March 2022