INTRODUCTION - European Commission | Choose … · Web viewThe lack of coordination in spatial policy of administrative districts, together with the dynamism of the real estate market,

Identifying barriers, hooks and opportunities – WP4COUNTRY PROFILE REPORT

POLAND1. INTRODUCTIONThis country profile report discusses the current status of sustainable urban mobility planning in Poland, with a focus on funding policies, decision-making mechanisms and future outlook. The information contained in this report is based on a series of personal and telephone interviews with a broad mix of mobility experts and decision makers. The collected information does not represent the official standpoint of the experts’ institutions, but should rather be considered as the expression of the interviewees’ private professional opinions. For this very reason it offers a colourful, honest and representative insight into the views of the professional community.

A total of 40 interviews were conducted, partly face-to-face, partly direct one-on-one interviews and partly via an online survey, with representatives of the following stakeholders:

Towns, cities and counties Mobility planners, consultants and business entities NGOs Research institutes and academia Government agencies

The information contained in this report is based on a series of personal and telephone interviews with a broad mix of mobility experts and decision makers conducted mainly in November 2015, with a handful more taken in early 2016.

2. THE STATUS OF SUSTAINABLE URBAN MOBILITY PLANNING IN POLAND

The abandonment of the central planning system in Poland, which resulted in the country's economic transformation, proved to be a great success. Tangible proofs of the social and economic changes which were undertaken in Poland can be seen in the steady and constant economic growth, the development of local government, as well as in NATO and European Union memberships. The Spatial distribution of these development processes is, however,

Report completed and finalised in March 2016

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unequal. Economic growth is concentrated mainly around larger cities which, as it were, began forming their metropolitan areas on their independently, engaging neighbouring administrative districts of rural character. As regulations did not keep up with the pace, the uncontrolled suburbanisation process became the trend determining the spatial and social planning of Polish metropolitan areas. The spatial and functional chaos observed in Polish cities results from the weaknesses of the system of planning and excessive liberalism in the area of management [ed. J. Sepioł, p. 15]. The lack of coordination in spatial policy of administrative districts, together with the dynamism of the real estate market, constitute one of the main reasons for the competitiveness between cities and their neighbouring districts with regards to inviting new inhabitants. In many cases a decrease in the number of residents living within the core of a metropolitan area is accompanied by an increase in inhabitants in neighbouring administrative districts. This, in turn, causes the source and the destinations of traffic to move further apart. An area is created that generates a high demand for transportation, met mainly by the growing number of privately owned cars.

First Steps towards a Sustainable Urban Mobility

The 1990’s saw a number of unprecedented resolutions on transportation policy adopted in Polish cities and marked the beginning of the first complex initiatives aimed at achieving sustainable urban mobility. These initiatives strived to introduce such a division of tasks between the public and private transportation so that no area of a city's congestion would pose a threat to its ecological capacity (i.e. Cracow 1993, Warsaw 1995, Gdynia 1998). This was to be achieved through restriction and control over transportation demands through spatial planning (localised) as well as a general prioritisation of public transportation, among others. It is worth noting that the demands associated with pedestrian traffic were beginning to appear in the documentation (Warsaw).

The first transportation policies were created whilst there was only one level of local government – administrative districts. The administrational and local government reform of 1999 introduced new levels of local government: the second level – powiat (and powiat grodzki given to the cities) – as well as the voivodeship. Unfortunately, it did not tackle any metropolitan issues (namely issues encountered between the levels of powiat and voivodeship). As a result, uncontrolled urban sprawls were accompanied by the dynamic growth of privately owned cars. In Poland their number rose to 11.248 million in the year 2003 and 20 million in 2014.

3. PESTLE ANALYSIS

Sustainable Urban Mobility at Present

The main strategic factors determining the planning of sustainable urban mobility on a national level in Poland are as follows:


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Metropolisation processes of the largest urban areas; The upkeep of the growth trend of privately owned cars whilst at the same time the

weakening of the growth’s dynamics; Introduction of complex urban mobility policies in chosen cities; Consistently high (in comparison to most Western-European cities) share of public

transportation in the division of transportation tasks; Dynamic transformation of urban structures coupled with a strong tendency for

suburbanisation; Revitalisation of city centres; Low or average level of integration of public transportation subsystems (council

transportation, train transportation, national bus transportation); Detachment of spatial planning issues form transport and mobility; Lack of coordination in the spatial planning of metropolitan areas.

Political and LegalThere are in existence many documents both on a national and regional levels which address sustainable urban mobility planning. These are:

Polityka Transportowa Państwa na lata 2006-2025 [State Transport Policy for 2006-2025]. Its main aim is to significantly improve the quality of the transportation system and its further construction according to the rules of sustainable mobility. Introducing sustainable mobility in urban areas was pointed out as a significant element of national transport policy. The increase of competition and quality in the field of public transportation, with special attention paid to the railway systems in regional and metropolitan areas, are considered the basis for such a change;

Krajowa Strategia Rozwoju Regionalnego 2010-2020: Regiony, Miasta, Obszary wiejskie [Country’s Strategy of Regional Development: Regions, Cities, Rural Areas]. Its strategic aims are to make Polish regions competitive and innovative, coherent, effective, and ecologically safe, by the year 2020. In the context of cities, special emphasis was put on, among others, the restructurisation of urban areas, development and complementation of metropolitan functions, as well as supporting urbanisation processes;

Koncepcja Przestrzennego Zagospodarowania Kraju 2030 [The concept of spatial development of the country] specifies initiatives in order to implement sustainable urban mobility through enterprises within the field of spatial policy. With regards to metropolitan areas such initiatives include mainly the creation of multimodal transportation systems, the implementation of traffic management systems, as well as the integral spatial planning of functional urban areas. The document points to the need for the implementation of integrated solutions regarding multimodal public transportation, inclusive of various transportation modes and elements of infrastructure: agglomeration rail, trams, buses, traffic management system, car parks integrated with the Park&Ride facility, as well as bicycle and pedestrian mobility (EcoMobility chain or safe bike lanes and pedestrian walkways, as well as bicycle rental and storing systems). The part entitled Sustainable Mobility lays great emphasis on, among others, social participation.


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Długookresowa Strategia Rozwoju Kraju, Polska 2030. Trzecia fala nowoczesności [Long-term Strategy of Country’s Development, Poland 2030. 3rd Wave of Modernity] – its strategic aims are inclusive of references to issues involved in the development of transportation system, such as increasing local availability through implementation of a sustainable, coherent, and user-friendly transportation system. The initiatives are to be coordinated especially through the utilization of intelligent transportation systems.

Strategia Rozwoju Transportu do 2020 r. (z perspektywą do 2030) [Strategy of Transport Development until 2020 (with perspective until 2030)] – its main aim is defined as the increase of transport availability, the improvement of safety of traffic participants, as well as the improvement of the effectiveness of the transportation sector. With regards to the issues of sustainable urban mobility the document points to such initiatives as the development and integration of public transportation systems, as well as the promotion of new modes of mobility through designating residential areas restricted to car traffic, the promotion of shared travel, bicycle and pedestrian traffic, as well as solutions reducing the demand for private transportation.

Krajowa Polityka Miejska 2023 [Country’s Urban Policy] – its main aim is defined as strengthening the capability of cities and urbanised areas to implement sustainable mobility and create of new job, as well as to improve the quality of life of its residents. One of ten topics addressed in the document is that of public transport, and one of the challenges is defined as striving to achieve sustainable urban mobility, especially in favour for green transport (public, bicycle, pedestrian). A significant challenge for urban areas was seen in the rapid growth of privately owned vehicles, which is accompanied by a decrease in public transportation demand. The main course of action of local government is to achieve sustainable urban development in the functional area, understood as carrying out trips in such a quantity and of such a distance as results from the fulfilment of life needs of travellers with a rational utilisation of particular urban transportation subsystems. In order to achieve this special priority was given to investments into public transportation, advocating the need for the integration of its subsystems. The significant role of bicycle transportation was acknowledged as it can provide a good alternative for car travel, especially in areas where buildings are dispersed, provided there is the development of a proper infrastructure. The document also states that pedestrian traffic must be treated as an equal mode of mobility.


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Fig. 1. Documents related to sustainable urban mobility planning in Poland

ECONOMIC

Depending on the region such documents may be perceived as plans for low-emission economy, strategies for integrated local investments, air preservation programmes, plans for sustainable public transportation development, or other documents (Fig. 1).

Plans for low-emission economy and those for sustainable urban transportation development are those of the most formalised structure. The first of the documents addresses issues of sustainable urban mobility presenting them in reference to other significant areas from the point of view of low-emission economy (housing, industry, energy efficiency). Its adoption is necessary in cities which apply for grants from the Cohesion Fund for, among others, public transport.

Sustainable public transportation development addresses, among others, issues regarding public transportation networks, evaluation and forecasts of transportation demand, service funding, preferred modes of transportation, as well as the rules of organisation of the transportation market.

Possession of the abovementioned documents does not exclude the possibility to work on a sustainable urban mobility plan (SUMP – Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan). Many cities undertake efforts for such a document to be produced, on the basis of the handbook recommended by the Ministry which provides advice on how to prepare such plans. Currently many Polish cities are working on their plans for sustainable urban mobility or updating existing documents addressing this issue.


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Funding for sustainable mobility is often difficult to obtain. The mindset is still relatively old fashioned in Poland; hard infrastructure over soft measures. The EU and bigger municipalities are investing in sustainable mobility; these are the two main sources of funding for sustainable transportation. But these initiatives are often isolated and therefore do not realise its full potential.

SOCIAL Due to the specificity of public transport financing and the lack of full integration in terms of fares and tickets, which is coupled with the lack of formal institutionalisation of metropolitan management, there is a necessity for wide scale cooperation between local governmental units, organisers, as well as operators of public transport (rail, urban, private) and local businesses crucial for each particular city (i.e. sea ports or the largest companies).

The growing role of non-governmental organisations should also find its proper reflection in the process of involvement in preparation of the sustainable urban mobility plan. This, however, is not a rule, although the situation is slowly improving, which is also thanks to the popularisation of other tools which activate institutional and individual stakeholders. At a local level such tools can be seen in the participatory budgets where enterprises connected with sustainable urban mobility are growing in importance.

The programmes of revitalisation of urban areas which are currently being worked on should be seen as interdisciplinary enterprises, certain parts of which refer to the issue of sustainable mobility. Their preparation requires the active participation of the public from the very beginning and is legitimised by the Revitalisation Act 2015.

TECHNOLOGICALUrban mobility in Polish cities is still strongly characterised by the high share of public transportation, although, due to the abovementioned processes this is slowly ceasing to be the case. It depends largely on the size of a city. The tendency to rebuild public transportation, or at least to slow down its debasement process, is noticeable in larger cities. The share of trips carried out by car is comparable to other Western-European cities and lower than that of bicycles. In Warsaw for example the share of public transportation in the division of transportation tasks amounted to approximately 47% whilst the share occupied by cars amounted to approximately 32% in the year 2015 [WBR 2015]. In the initial period of Polish membership in the EU, Polish cities took a costly step towards improving the quality of public transportation that was to counteract the negative consequences of the constantly developing market of private transportation. Investments in infrastructure, rolling stock, and ITS were accompanied by actions creating favourable conditions for the development of non-motorised mobility. In recent years Polish cities are striving to increase the role of bicycle transportation.

Sustainable urban mobility planning in Poland on a national scope was commenced with the adoption of Public Transport Act of 2010, which introduced the requirement to pass a plan for sustainable urban mobility in administrative districts of more than 50k residents and for powiaty of more than 80k residents. The cities which met these demographics worked on


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and adopted such plans, however, by in large they address only public transport issues leaving other areas of sustainable mobility to be included in other documents. For example, Warsaw’s Policy on Mobility is the fourth document which deals with mobility issues in depth. It includes 59 tasks in 10 areas. Initiatives aimed at reducing the role of cars within the city is prioritised as it is to lead to easing traffic congestion, especially within the city centre. Mobility was analysed in a wider perspective, inclusive of social, spatial and economical aspects [Bartosiński]. The Wroclaw Mobility Policy is also a response to the question of how to optimally shape the mobility in the metropolitan area and how to solve existing transportation problems. The document is based on creating optimal conditions for the efficient movement of people and goods in the city and the metropolitan area with a focus on reducing the negative influences on the environment. The main targets are i.e. improvement of transport accessibility, the strengthening of the role of public transport, the integration of transportation systems and the improvement of mobility safety [BSR Competence Centre].

The new strategic framework for planning sustainable urban mobility in Poland was set by the Partnership Agreement which determined the direction of interventions of Cohesion Policy, Agricultural Policy as well as Fishery Policy in the years 2014-2020. One of the priorities mentioned in the intervention was the development of low-emission public transportation and other green modes of urban mobility. As a result, the possibility to co-fund investments using means of the European Regional Development fund as a part of Regional Operational Programmes was associated with the need for local governments (within administrative districts and cities) to prepare documentation addressing the issue of sustainable mobility within cities. Such documents should discuss in depth such aspects as public passenger transportation, non-motorised transportation, intermodality, road transportation, mobility management, utilization of intelligent transportation systems, urban logistics, urban traffic safety, implementation of new patterns of usage, as well as advocating eco-friendly and energy-efficient vehicles.

ENVIRONMENTAL

Environmental legislation is still in beginning development phase in Poland. There are some initiatives and legal documents and policies, though there is a low level of coordination between these documents. Environmental awareness differs between various target groups and stakeholders. Some are really actively trying to support and implement sustainable mobility, but others (state they) have no incentive or reason to think about sustainable mobility and environmental friendliness. There is a big difference between bigger cities and smaller cities/rural communes; in the latter, environmental awareness and sustainable mobility introduction are often a funding issues; it’s is simply not a priority.


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4. SUMP OVERVIEW RELATED TO KEY QUESTIONS

SWOT analysis of sustainable urban mobility in Poland

Strengths Weaknesses

Strong market position of public transport in medium and big cities;

Shift towards quality of life in majority of strategic documents on local level;

Obligatory status of strategic documents related to sustainable mobility (i.e. plans of low emission economy);

Strong resources for sustainable urban mobility planning in big and mid sized cities;

Lack of coordination in spatial planning on metropolitan level;

Spatial layout of cities strongly affected by central economy;

Low level of coordination between different strategic documents;

Relatively low status of measures curbing the individual motorisation;

Not taking freight and urban logistics into account of sustainable urban mobility planning;

Opportunities Threats

Growing activities of NGO-s, especially in case of cycling and quality of life (pedestrians);

Growing importance of non-motorised transport;

Integrated mobility and spatial planning; Increased social participation during

elaboration of strategic documents1; International cooperation on sustainable

urban mobility planning;

Lack of legal solutions towards integrated metropolitan areas (continuation of urban sprawl);

Maintaining a trend of growing motorisation;

Lack of proper resources for sustainable urban mobility planning among smaller cities and rural communes;

1 The first complex guidance on social participation is Act on revitalisation passed by Polish Parliament in 2015


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5. THE FUTURE OF POLISH SUMP IMPLEMENTATION & EVIDENCE PROJECT

This section provides an overview on how Evidence Project set out to provide objective, robust information to support Polish local and national policy initiatives seeking a substantial change in the flow of funding towards sustainable urban transport investments. In the Organogram attached to the end of this report, one can see which deliverable is most useful for which stakeholder.

The easiest way of reaching people is via financial ways. In the case of sustainable mobility plans, via political budgets. EVIDENCE results and reports should be aimed at these target groups; they should become convinced of the added value of sustainable transportation and sustainable urban mobility plans. Currently most of the funding comes from European Union and its projects. These already promote the benefits of sustainable mobility, but there might be an opportunity to look at national financing of transportation.

Data dissemination

The interviewed experts came from a wide professional background, thus their professional networks also varied widely. Typical professional networks for the exchange of information include:

City and transport networks Commercial networks (e.g. chambers of commerce, associations of environmental

enterprises) Professional organisation for engineers

The interviewed experts update their professional knowledge using a number of sources:

Local and international Internet sources (e.g. ELTIS, EVIDENCE, CIVITAS, Facebook, Twitter)

Printed transport journals Conferences and colleagues

These sources of information would be the most logic place and ways to distribute the EVIDENCE results and deliverables. Most attention should be dedicated to making sure the right people reach these sources and places.

Connecting current political priorities to SUMP measures

Generally, there is a political will in Poland oriented towards sustainability. On city level, general transportation plans are key documents for transportation planning. The plans should provide solutions for all modes of transport including non-motorised.

EVIDENCE project has analysed the costs and benefits of non-motorised transport, namely:


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New Models of car use (no.18) Walking (no.19) Cycling (no.20) Bike Sharing (no.21), Inclusive urban design (no.22)

Depending on the local demand for mobility and the local public transport characteristics, cities should consider the costs and benefits arising from interventions which would complement the dedicated investments on reginal and national level in Poland. Per the studies reviewed, benefits will increase if interventions are integrated together with enhanced public transport network. Where possible, pricing and incentives should also be used to carefully manage the integration. Therefore, the following local initiatives could complement the national/European SUMP implementation in Poland: Infrastructure changes that facilitate and encourage walking. Promoting shared spaces and home zones. Building integrated networks of bikeways with intersections that facilitate cycling. Good quality bike parking at key destinations and public transport stations. New bike sharing schemes, Carpooling and Car sharing schemes.

Overcoming challenges of limited public funding resources

Most Polish city representatives claim to have very limited funding sources to support potential mobility initiatives. Cities are wholly dependent on EU funds, donors or EU projects. From their perspective, this hinders the development of measures which demand high investments or upfront payment. EVIDENCE project has analysed demand management strategies which are highly cost-effective and only induce little upfront investments, specifically:

Access restrictions (no. 4) Roadspace reallocation (no. 5) Environmental zones (no. 6) Congestion charges (no. 7) Parking policy (no. 8) Site based travel planning (no.9) Personal travel planning (no.10) Marketing and rewarding (no.11)

Depending on the local mobility demand, cities should consider investing in such interventions which would complement reginal and national mobility policies in Poland.

Involving the population to foster sustainable mobility initiatives

Polish have shown a high level of interest in mobility planning. Generally, people are interested in mobility measures implemented in their neighbourhood or city. They support cycling infrastructure, pedestrian paths, and frequent public transport services. Mobility has become also one of the main issues on the local political scene, and residents express their interests during public consultation processes organised by municipalities.


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Mobility management strategies are key for the active participation of the population in sustainable mobility initiatives. Evidence project analyses socio-economic impacts of mobility management strategies. Often, these strategies include the collaboration of employers and employees. Those measures consider people perspective on mobility and thereby provides key support to travel behavioural changes. The interventions listed below have been discussed thoroughly within the Evidence project:

Site-based travel plans (corporate, school, university, public buildings, major traffic generators such as hospitals, stadia, measure review no. 9)

Individually focussed travel planning, e.g. in new housing developments (measure review no.10)

Marketing/social marketing which is brand/image/lifestyle focussed or rewards-based schemes, e.g. Ecodriving (measure review no.11)

Considering technological options

EVIDENCE project provides information about Transport Telematics, clean vehicles and fuels. The information provided under the reviews listed below is very helpful for future implementation of the technology:

electric battery and fuel cell vehicles (no. 1) cleaner vehicles (no. 2) e-ticketing (no. 15) traffic management (no. 16) travel information (no. 17)

Fostering local environmental initiatives

Not available

The basis for decision-making - moving beyond CBA

The EVIDENCE common practice reader discusses advantages and shortcomings of CBA and discusses other tools, which may be applied. These may be more appropriate to support decision-making in sustainable urban mobility planning processes. SUMPs may stipulate interventions which are not eligible for public (co-) funding or which do not need public (co-) funding.


6. CONCLUSIONS Sustainable urban mobility planning is included in strategic documentation on a

national level. The possibility to co-fund investments form the European Regional Development

Fund as a part of Regional Operational Programmes is coupled with the local governments drafting documents addressing the issue of sustainable urban mobility.

The majority of voivodships suggest that there is a need to update the Low-Emission Economy Plans and Strategy of Integrated Local Investments, however, they also point to the possibility of drafting an entirely new document devoted solely to the issue of sustainable urban mobility planning. These documents are inclusive of sustainable urban mobility issues, however, depending on the document, they are discussed more or less in-depth (in the case of PGN, i.e., it is mentioned with regards to lowering emission of particular sectors, including transportation sector).

Large and medium cities possess sufficient human resources and assets for the planning and implementation of sustainable urban mobility. They also possess a number of documents which address the typical issues involved in SUMP.

Implementation of Sustainable Urban Mobility in Poland should be facilitated by the steady and strong position of public transport on the market. Non-motorised transportation, mobility management, and urban logistics, however, require further support.

The process of sustainable urban mobility planning constitutes a significant factor integrating the above-mentioned aspects.

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ORGANOGRAM – EVIDENCE Materials Needs Analysis

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Literature: Przestrzeń życia Polaków. Ed. J. Sepioł. Report prepared by indepepndent experts from inspiration of

President Bronisław Komorowski. Polityka Transportowa dla m.st. Warszawy. Uchwała Rady Miasta Warszawy z dnia 27.11.1995 r. nr

XXVI/193/95 Uchwała NR LXX/468/93 Rady Miasta Krakowa z dnia 8 stycznia 1993 r. w sprawie przyjęcia zasad

polityki transportowej dla Krakowa. Uchwała nr XLII/782/98 Rady Miasta Gdyni z 25 lutego 1998 roku w sprawie polityki transportowej

miasta Gdyni T. Bartosiński: Polityka Transportowa Warszawy. Prezentacja wygłoszona na seminarium „Jakość

powietrza a ochrona klimatu – synergia działań”, 09 czerwca 2015 r. Programowanie perspektywy finansowej 2014 - 2020 - Umowa Partnerstwa. Ministerstwo

Infrastruktury i Rozwoju, Warszawa, 23 maja 2014 WBR 2015 – warszawskie Badanie Ruchu, Urząd Miasta Warszawy, Warszawa 2015 The website of Baltic Sea Region Competence Centre on SUMP: http://www.bsr-sump.eu/ Polityka Transportowa Państwa na lata 2006-2025, Ministerstwo Infrastruktury, Warszawa 2005

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