Mar 2, 2021
Convincing people to make sustainable mobility decisions is a major challenge. At the midterm conference of the MELINDA research project on Feb., 12, 2021, the first results from the MELINDA pilot projects were presented and findings discussed.
In the MELINDA project, six pilot regions from six countries are working on different ways to support and increase climate-friendly and active mobility. Different approaches were used, such as the development of guidelines, the sensitisation and involvement of citizens and the use of mobility data. Through the exchange of experiences during the conference, insights on how to initiate behavioural changes were shared and discussed. One concrete project that was presented is the non-profit initiative „Ein guter Tag hat 100 Punkte“ (A good day has 100 points) which was able to achieve good results with the help of a gamification approach. This is because in order to successfully address aspects such as the environment and sustainability, other areas such as lifestyle, global sustainability, climate change mitigation, quality of life and global solidarity must also be taken into account. Special attention was also given to European funding programmes that focus on non-motorised mobility. The aim here is to involve smaller towns and rural communities in particular, as they are already addressed in MELINDA.
During the conference, the six MELINDA pilot regions presented the current status of their project activities. The changed framework conditions caused by the COVID pandemic and the resulting changes in behaviour were also discussed.
Bavaria: A "Hitchhiking Bench“ (Mitfahrbankerl) as a low-threshold infrastructure to promote carpooling. The improvement is supposed to be a network of hitchhiking benches, supplementing the existing mobility network and acting as infrastructure promoting organized car-pooling.
France: The focus here is on raising awareness of the health benefits of active mobility. Employees of a local hospital in Lyon are invited to medical check-ups before and after an information intervention to document their own development.
The pilot region in Vorarlberg aims to reduce the share of individual motorised mobility, increase the use of public transport and increase the range of sustainable transport options. Citizens are invited to track their daily routes with the Melinda app. This data can be analysed in the Melinda Data Lab to better plan domestic mobility.
In Switzerland, the focus is on developing sustainable transport options to cope with the first and last mile. Sharing Mobility and the resulting higher vehicle utilisation should reduce the environmental impact of private car use. The Taxito ride-sharing service was set up between Maladers and Chur as part of the project activities.
Maribor, Slovenia: Using apps to make more sustainable decisions. The city of Maribor analyses data from mobility surveys with regard to environmentally relevant factors. Based on the mobility behaviour of the citizens, urban planning, route networks and infrastructure are to be adapted. The results of the analysis serve to raise awareness for sustainable mobility.
Pordenone, Italy: Master plan for cycling. Pordenone and nine surrounding municipalities have set themselves the goal of reducing air pollution from motorised private transport. Cycling in particular is to be expanded here. The optimal design of inter-municipal cycle routes is being investigated in the project and recorded in a master plan for cycling.
