ACTIVE ACCESS
ACTIVE ACCESS is a project of sustainable mobility approved in the scope of the programme Intelligent Energy Europe (Intelligent Energy Europe-IEE). The purpose of this project is to encourage citizens to select sustainable ways of travelling for short journeys, for the sake of their health, environment and local economy.
The project in the City of Koprivnica is implemented within the project consortium from 10 countries. In the three-year period (2009-2012), the following goals are to be reached:
- Determine the modal split of traffic participants (drivers, cyclists, pedestrians)
- Intensively promote the benefits of sustainable transport
- Increase the number of users of sustainable forms of transport by 20%
- Encourage citizens to walk or cycle to work, school, for shopping or recreation
The first step is a survey that will determine the traffic habits of the citizens of Koprivnica in a sample of at least 4000 citizens of different age. Through campaigns and actions and by using different measures: information, promotion, organizing events and improving infrastructure and services, conditions for the change of traveling habits will be systematically improved in cooperation with numerous partner organizations.
EUROPEAN MOBILITY WEEK 2010 – ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY OF PRESENTING ACTIVE ACCESS AIMS AND CURRENT RESULTS
EMW is a regular annual event in the City of Koprivnica. It has been observed for the nine years of the initiative, providing opportunities for the presentation of new measures and results of systematic effort of the City administration in improving the sustainablity of transport.For its continuous effort and substantantial improvement of transport sustainability, The City of Koprivnica was awarded Mobility Week Award in 2008.
2010 EMW central theme: Travel smarter, live better corresponded very well with the aims and Concept plan of the project Active Access. During the period of 10 days, 12.-22. September, several activities of the project were presented and results of the project displayed:
12 September : Promotion of the Koprivnica Cycling Routes ( Part 2)
Following the Spring campaign successful promotion of Cycling routes map, the second cycling event promoted Routes 2 and 3 and took aprox. 180 cyclists for a scenic cycling trip through Koprivnica environs of approximately 33 km.The event was organized by Walking and Cycling Recreation Team of Koprivnica's Active Access project: Cycling club ROTOR, Old timer cycling club BICYCLE, Hikers clubs BILO and PEVEC and City of koprivnica's Active Access project team. The participants included cycylists from Koprivnica, Zagreb, Djurdjevac and neighbouring communities of Sokolovac and Reka.
13 September: Presentation of School Travel Plans by four primary and one secondary school
School travel plans were made during spring 2010. Their offical presentation in the scope of EMW also provided the opportunity of presenting first positive results of the STP as well as the requirements which have to be met by various stakholders in the peroid of the year 2010/2011 in order to reach the planned results.
The requirments mentioned were the following: further calming of the traffic in the vicinity of schools, closing the immediate school areas for cars, providing a bigger number of bicycle stands and shelters and further education and awareness raising activities.
According to the results of the survey conducted in all schools, the modal split of cyclists and
walkers is almost 70% with scope for further improvements.
13.- 17. September 2010: Traffic Snake Game
The game was played as a competition of 19 classes of younger primary school pupils, including almost 450 children of age 7-11. The maps of the school areas were made and distributed in three primary schools and the result showed that almost 4000 km were made on foot during the week of the competition. Children enjoyed the activity and the most successful classes were awarded with free tickets to the municipal swimming pool.
13.- 17. September 2010: On Foot and by Bike through EU.
The annual competition of higher primary school classes included six classes of students aged 11-15. Their combined result, displayed in the form of virtual route on the EU map, was about 5670 km, taking them to Prague in Chech Republic or York in Great Britain.
The most successful class was 6a of Primary school Antun Nemcic Gostovinski which made over 1000 km in five days of the competition. They will be awarded by a class trip to the Nature park Kopacki Rit in April 2011.
13.- 17. September 2010: To work without my car!
The annual voluntary competiton of businesses and enterprises included the maximum number of competitors this year: in the category of big businsses and enterprises there were four organizations with more than 2000 employees included in the competition, while in the category of small businesses and enterprises there were four organizations with almost 120 employees invloved in the activity.
The results were encouraging and motivating for all included participants, while the list of results, announced at the final day of EMW is the following:
Big organizations:1. MUC Komunalac, 2. General hospital „Dr tomislav Bardek“, 3. Carlsberg Croatia, 4. Podravka Ltd
Small organizations: City Hall staff, Primary School Braca Radic staff, Swimming Pool Cerine staff.
16. September 2010: Koprivnica Health Paths promotion
The first day of EMW was dedicated to Walking and Health and provided an ideal opportunity for the promotion of Koprivnica Health Paths, launched in the course of Active Spring campaign. During the day, organized walks of the paths were taken by cca 120 kindergarten children, 160 primary school children and two NGOs: Hikers club BILO and Breast Cancer Patients club NADA ( The Hope).
17 September 2010: Final presentation of Car Club Koprivnica traffic education programme: Safe and Skilled in city traffic, aimed at first classes of primary schools, the children who have just begun travelling to school independantly. All participants recieve a booklet with practical advice presented in a clear and attractive way ( Travel with Zebra Safely through the Town!) The programme included over 3000 youngest pupils of the schools in town and neighbouring communities.
20 September 2010: Presentation of the Company transport plan, MUC Komunalac
After intense work with the Municipal Utility Company Komunalac, the first company Transport plan was presented to the public. It includes the transport modal split in the company and the results of a vast survey of company employees' attitudes to their travel to work. They mostly see the possiblities of improvement in car-sharing scheme which was put into place today. In the meantime, the company also formulated their own company vehicles sharing system which has already resulted in the substantial savings of fuel and reduction of carbon emissions.
21 September 2010: Urban mobility planning – meeting of stakeholders and discussion of improvement options
The first meeting of transport and spatial planners and other stakeholders on the county level was organized in the scope of EMW. Participants discussed various possibilities of improvement and responsibilites of all actors in the urban traffic. The need for further mobility education schemes was stressed as well as the need for constant dialogue in the implementation of various measures, i.e. those suggested by School travel plans. The city's decision to employ a traffic warden was announced, with the authority of fining the owners of vehicles parked on the cycling tracks and outside parking areas and constantly surveying the regular use of cycling tracks and pedestrian pathways.
22 September 2010. Car-free day
Besides awarding the most successful schools, classes and companies, the closing of the wider city centre for motorized transport provided the opportunity of reclaiming the streets for non-motorized traffic if only for a day. The newspaper survey confirmed a vast support for this measure, while a number of citizens reacted in a negative way.
The reaction of the traffic police officers was not direct and straghtforward and allowed for some instances of disrespect which made the EMW team feel that the event was not a complete success.
KOPRIVNICA HEALTH PATHS
In order to improve the quality of walking infrastructure and increase the number of daily walking trips, especially for people of reduced mobility, a network of safe, pleasant, barrier-free, well lit and maintained walking paths was designed in the scope of Active Access project in Koprivnica.
Based on the examples of similar walking paths networks in Europe and especially Walk 4 Life, the planning of a network of walking paths in Koprivnica was suggested to the team of health professionals and health clubs representatives, members of Active Access project team in Koprivnica. Following a detailed walking audit by the members of the team, a network of existing paths was designed, followed by a testing period in which several walking clubs and schools took part. Suggested improvements included pavement repairs, crossings marking, curbs removal, benches placement and fountains with safe drinking water installed.
The improvements were made by the City of Koprivnica and Municipal utility company.
The final version of the network contains four walking paths of 1km, 2km, 3km and 3.5 km respectively. They were named according to their position in the city, important landmarks or their special promotor's request. Special promotors or sponsors of the paths are organizations responsible for further promotional events or activities.
The network includes:
- Green Path ( The Path Around the Market) , 1 km – promoted by Municipal Utility Company
- Purple Path ( Youth Path), 2 km- promoted by Retired citizens home
- Golden Path ( Renaissaince Path) , 3km – promoted by Tourist Authority of Koprivnica
- Red Path ( Heath Path), 3.5 km – promoted by Heart Club
The maps of Koprivnica Health Paths were printed in the form of tear-out pads to be distributed to health professionals, pharmacies along the paths and tourist information office. The reverse side of the map contains a motivational text written by members of City hospital's Active Access team.
Seven signposts were placed at central points of the network. They contain the enlarged printed maps of the Health Paths network and a number of pointers indicating the distance to town landmarks expressed in the average walking times.
The project was inaugurated on June 17 since when the maps are being distributed and implementation registered by health professionals, citizen clubs and tourist authority.
The first promotion in partnership with the paths' promotors was organized in the scope of European Mobility Week, when over three hundred participants walked on their chosen paths.
The following events were organized by Heart Club in the scope of Heart Day ( 30 September), with organized walks, measuring of the blood pressure and weight and leaflet distribution.
The promotion is continued by local media and partners' local and regional meetings, while the first international presentation of the network was included in the programme of Walk21 conference in The Hague.
