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Urban spaces are not suitable for all groups of people to move
Tauragė, Alytus, Visaginas, Šiauliai, Jonava are the first five cities in the country that have received investments from European Union (EU) funds to implement the measures provided for in the sustainable mobility plans. The main Lithuanian cities, which lag behind those most likely to submit documents, are finalizing their funding requests, so they will still be evaluated by the responsible authorities.
The biggest challenge for people with special needs is freedom of movement. The implementation of sustainable urban mobility plans would greatly facilitate the movement of people with special needs through the city, reduce their exclusion in society and allow them to move freely and travel on urban public transport.
“During the preparation of the sustainable urban mobility plans, the existing urban transport infrastructure was analyzed. This analysis has shown that most of the walkways or common urban spaces are not adapted to move by all groups of people. Common: High curbs that do not go down on level crossings, and it is not uncommon for the level of the sidewalk to drop to the level of the roadway when the intersection intersects the entrance, thus ensuring driver or pedestrian comfort. Most of the urban infrastructure on footpaths and sidewalks does not have the necessary driving and warning infrastructure for visually impaired and blind people, “says Jonas Damidavičius, expert on sustainable mobility at the Ministry of Transport and Communications .
Another problem, according to the specialist, is the impossibility of using the public transport system. This problem is more pronounced in smaller cities, where public transportation is often not low-floor and is very difficult to access for people with special needs. Usually special equipment or help from those around you is needed.
“To address such challenges, cities can benefit from EU investment and provide the necessary infrastructure for the mobility of people with special needs. The Ministry of Transport and Communications consulted extensively with associations and unions of people with special needs on various Topics, both before and during the preparation of sustainable urban mobility plans, involved its representatives in the planning commission, organized training for partners and municipalities on the implementation and planning of quality infrastructure, “says J. Damidavičius.
© DELFI / Andrius Ufartas
Jonas Damidavičius
Results after a few years.
The implementation of the plans is just beginning, so it will be possible to monitor and evaluate the key results of the cities in a few years. “The most interesting solutions are provided in the sustainable urban mobility plans in large cities, whose measures focus more on the organization and management of traffic. For example, low pollution areas in Kaunas and Klaipėda, organization of circular traffic in Vilnius, installation of traffic control centers in Kaunas and Klaipėda, new type of high-speed public transport in Klaipėda to increase public transport services, development of public transport lanes in Vilnius, Kaunas, Klaipėda. The measures envisaged in other Cities are more geared towards ensuring consistency of existing infrastructure: bicycle and pedestrian connections, new public transport routes and the like, “says a representative from the Ministry of Transport and Communications about the projects.
According to J. Damidavičius, the biggest challenge is negotiating with the EU the investments in the development of sustainable transport systems for the new financing period, since the prepared urban plans have shown that the need for investments is several times greater than the resources available. In the near future, it is planned to actively cooperate with the municipalities in the implementation of the planned measures and their monitoring.
Visaginas’ challenge is the condition of the trails and the integration of non-motorized transport.
“In the Visaginas municipality, both when designing the city and when carrying out reconstruction work, much attention is paid to the comfort of people and the promotion of the movement. The city has a fairly well developed pedestrian communication infrastructure: it is possible to tour the city both through and through the main pedestrian alley. The problem that is gradually being resolved is outdated pavement, which endangers pedestrians and pollutes the environment. There are few landing sites or they are not suitable for wheelchairs, people with disabilities, do not meet height requirements, etc. There are also missing handrails on the stairs for the elderly, poorly equipped rest areas on the main pedestrian paths, “says Julija Svidėnienė, deputy director of the Administration of the Municipality of Visaginas.
According to J. Svidėnienė, the challenge for the municipality is the integration of non-motorized transport in daily life or the use of alternative fuels. This expands the cycle path network and installs electric car charging stations.
“Before the financing agreement was signed, the installation of a parking lot near the railway station began. It will allow residents to safely leave their cars and continue traveling by train. Bicycle parking works are being carried out in 4 schools It is planned to rebuild 2 roads this year, adapting them for people with special needs, to install or rebuild crosswalks and improve their lighting, “says J. Svidėnienė.
In Šiauliai – problems with sidewalks
“In preparing sustainable urban mobility plans, great attention was paid to providing appropriate measures to adapt infrastructure to people with special needs: disabled, elderly, mothers with wheelchairs, etc. The project aims to address a number of problems such as: limited opportunities for people with special needs to get around town on their own Sidewalks are not yet universally tailored to specifications for people in need: pavements are uneven in places where there are no lanes, pavements for the blind and visually impaired The municipality constantly addresses this problem, but due to limited financial resources, there are still several sidewalks in the city that are not adapted to special needs people with disabilities The situation is expected to improve after the implementation of the project activities. The objective vo is that everyone can move freely, comfortably, safely and independently in the city, “says Inga Mituzaitė, Chief Specialist in the Project Management Division of the Šiauliai City Municipality Administration.
According to I. Mituzaitė, during the project in Šiauliai, three activities are carried out: adaptation of elements of city streets (sidewalks, trails, crossings, etc.) for people with special needs, installation of bicycle storage infrastructure ( tiered ceilings) and installation of intelligent traffic lights and other necessary elements. to manage and control traffic flows, report traffic flows and conditions Dubijos – Serbentų str. at the intersection.
Innovative solutions in Vilnius
To make travel more convenient for people with reduced mobility, sidewalks are maintained in Vilnius every year and new missing sections are being installed. “Last year alone, 20 km of trails were organized and 17 km were recently built. Curb-less curb connections are also important for smooth movement. 2019 Some measures were taken in 120. Some measures were introduced in Vilnius before the approval of the Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan: installation of audible signals for the blind at intersections and crossings controlled by traffic lights: there are more than 260 places Purchase of low-floor public transport, adapted to the needs of people with disabilities more than 2 / 3 of vehicles ”, – the situation of the city of Vilnius is described by the representatives of the municipality.
According to the municipality, in order for the visually impaired and the blind to move safely in the city, such details are important that all citizens are unlikely to notice: audible signals at traffic lights and intersections, warning surfaces in front of street crossings and Last year’s Transport Voice, an innovative solution providing audio information on buses and trolleybuses reaching 580 stops.
© DELFI / Lukas Bartkus
In Alytus, a third of public transport stops are being renovated.
At Alytus, 70, vol. and. one third, urban public transport stops, adapting them to people with special needs. Public transport stops will be equipped with pavilions with banks and the possibility of storing non-commercial information in the pavilion, the cover of public transport stops will be renewed, adapting it to people with special needs. The most popular public transport stops in Alytus are equipped with light panels that can show the actual arrival time of the public vehicle. Whiteboards may also display small informational messages. City residents can quickly receive arrival time information.
70 bike racks are installed near intensive public transport stops, schools, supermarkets, near bike lanes, parks and other public places.
During the implementation of the project, the sidewalks and footpaths in four rooms of the city of Alytus will be adapted for people with special needs.
Getting around in Klaipeda’s old town is getting easier
“It is planned to level the pavement in seven streets in Klaipeda’s old town, which facilitates the movement of pedestrians, disabled people and mothers with wheelchairs. The contract works are planned for 2021-2022, ”says Rimantas Mockus, head of the transport department of the Klaip municipioda city municipality.
Klaipeda City Municipality plans to install a voice transport function on city buses, which will allow people with disabilities to receive notification on their phones when and which bus arrives.
In 2019-2020, implementing the project “Adapting the pavements of the old town of Klaipėda to the special needs of the disabled”, the municipality of Klaipėda repaired ~ 1,320 m2 of the roadway and sidewalks, adapting them to the needs of people with disabilities.
Every year, the municipality allocates funds for the adaptation of the objects of the transport system for the disabled: a warning cover is installed at the passenger transport stops.
“People with disabilities have the opportunity to establish and mark a parking space, which makes it easier for people with disabilities to travel and encourages their movement. Solid crosswalks have been installed at traffic lights for people with visual impairments,” says one representative of the municipality of Klaipeda.
2014-2020 In the financial period, it is planned to invest around 1,085 billion in the Lithuanian transport sector. European Union funds. More than 86 million. € 1 million is earmarked for sustainable mobility projects. These investments will help the country to promote sustainable intermodality and develop ecological transport to reduce carbon emissions.
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