The 1st SUITS Multiplier Workshop: National and Urban Mobility Policy and Planning, took place in Berlin, on 11th November 2019. A number of forty stakeholders actively participated and contributed to the workshop aims.

The discussion was focused on how different policy levels (national/regional/urban) can support the uptake of SUMPs in Germany and sustainable mobility in German cities, in general. Major challenges were highlighted and a consensus on what should be an answer was reached among participants:

  • A major benefit of SUMPs is their participatory approach, which provides planning security for the city administration. By involving citizens and stakeholders in all steps of the SUMP cycle, the SUMP will become a common basis of the future of mobility in a city. Therefore main outcomes will not depend on (changing) political majorities.
  • At the same time, the climate crisis demands ambitious action. Cities should be able to implement measures in a relatively short timeframe.
  • The national level can support with funding and framework legislation. For instance, the German Passenger Transportation Act (Personenbeförderungsgesetz) needs amendments to support the uptake of sharing mobility (see below). Authorisation procedures need to be tightened to allow a faster mobility transition.
  • The regional level (German Federal States) can support with consulting cities how to develop SUMPs and sustainable mobility measures. Many mainly small cities do not even employ a transport planner.
  • The car demands a lot of space in the city, but has to pay only little for it.
  • Sharing mobility is a solution to decrease the usage of cars in urban areas while still maintaining its usage. Sharing mobility has to be closely linked to public transport services.
  • In Germany, fiscal incentives for commuters are counterproductive.

 

 

 

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