Difficulties and Solutions. Difficulty Solution Trying to cope with economic crisis, managers do not understand the importance of transport issues. Financial benefits from behaviour change should convince them. Managers of big shopping centres are difficult to convince that shoppers on bicycles can bring them more profit. Present survey results from various countries. Media representatives do not find sustainable transport issues very important, especially in the local context where mobility has been promoted for years. International aspect and importance of Active Access project should make them more convinced that once again Koprivnica is making an important step towards yet more important results.
Difficulties and Solutions. Difficulty Solution Difficulties involving people who shape the urban environment (politicians, developers, planners, architects) Very efficient advocacy is needed, especially among politicians because they make final decisions. Making the existing urban space more suitable for green transport requires huge investments (more space for cyclists and pedestrians and a better network of bike / pedestrian lanes, more establishments downtown and concentrated in one area). Lack of promotion of green transport (learning how to cycle) and sufficient resources to teach traffic rules in schools. Only few people have received adequate training. Weak initiative from schools. To establish a working ground for schools to help them organise and carry out training events on green transport and traffic rules. To establish sufficiently firm legal ground for the green transport development plan to be strictly adhered to by the city in its further development. To point out very convincing reasons, advocacy and campaigns.
Difficulties and Solutions. Difficulty Solution It may be difficult to convince politicians about the importance of repairing the sidewalks, maybe they will think it is better to spend the money on other issues they deem more important. We have to make a big impact in the media about the importance of this issue. It may be difficult to convince students to walk or use their bicycles instead their cars, because the car is a symbol of wealth and it’s a part of their personal fashion. Campaigning in a way that people can understand that walking and cycling is trendy and more appreciable than driving a car. It may be difficult to organise car free days. We have to ask the police for help and to be severe. It may be difficult to find volunteers to help repairing walking paths on the peripheries of the town and in the xxxxx. We have to make a loud campaign in this case and to cooperate with specialists too. All this in time, we have to prepare the ground.
Difficulties and Solutions. Difficulty Solution Shopkeepers are hard to convince to join. Creating strong argument list. Presenting international examples. Convincing them that joining the campaign does not require a lot of efforts but gives a lot of publicity. Later on, with the campaign already running: creating own surveys by the help of the campaign and presenting results to still hesitating shopkeepers. People are hard to convince to participate in campaign. Professional research of target groups will be made to create the most effective messages. Politicians, decision makers are willing to show participation but no real effort is made. Presenting easy-to-use tools. Offering aid in implementation. It is hard to maintain motivation of volunteers. Good distribution of tasks, no overload. Making sure the work for the project is fun and it is good to be part of an active community. It is hard to find sponsors providing prizes. Smaller prizes can be provided from project funds.
Difficulties and Solutions. Difficulty Solution It is hard for us to reach the shopkeepers. Give them information on the benefits of walking / cycling consumers. Work with CCI and municipalities. People don’t want to do shopping by bike: too heavy, not practical, dangerous. Give information to customers on the benefits and possibilities of delivery. It may be difficult to have motivated parents that take part in the walking bus. Give them all the information in terms of safety, routes, benefits and organise meeting within the schools. You share the time with other parents and win a bit of time the rest of the week. Children will be secure with 2 other parents. It is not practical or fashion to go to work by bike. It is too far away. It is uphill and there is no shower at work. Conference on the possibilities and benefits of soft mobility. Propose the possibility of bike- bus or network of employees already using bike. Propose electric bike test to show the easiness. It is difficult to change habits. Series of information, conferences and workshop to show changes are not impossible.
Difficulties and Solutions. Difficulty Solution Shopkeepers are struggling against the economical crisis and it may be difficult to convince them to participate. Creating a survey proving that their participation can give them new customers and income. It may be difficult to convince customers to buy in the municipality as it is cheaper to buy in the malls outside the city. Co-operation with shopkeepers to set up promotional campaigns. Combine work and way to school on foot. Try to speak with schools and workplaces to increase the 5 minutes that are needed to go to school on foot. Responsibility in walking bus. Create civil social insurance and ask different organizations to help to increase control.
Difficulties and Solutions. Difficulty Solution Negative attitude due to the lack of necessary infrastructure for cycling and walking. Inform them about examples from other countries which started walking and cycling, which finally created the need for infrastructure. Take advantage of the new Nicosia Master Plan and the plans for creating a cycling route (when the campaign will be on, the cycling route will be under construction). Fears of parents that it is not safe for their children to walk to school. Organize presentations in which we will inform the parents and teachers about best practices from abroad and safety regulations valid. Training sessions with the cooperation of the police for the adults who will accompany children on the walking bus. Training sessions with the cooperation of the police for children participating on the walking bus. The dominant perception that a car is a symbol of status within the society, and consequently people who cycle or walk are of lower socio- economic status than the rest who drive. Promote via the dissemination activities (posters, leaflets and films) the image of a “cool person / student” who cycles to school. Use motivational slogans (challenge them to differentiate themselves from the rest of the society).
Difficulties and Solutions. Difficulty Solution It may be difficult to convince night leisure visitors to walk regularly. Talking about traffic safety and the danger of drinking and driving. Shopkeepers are struggling against the economical crisis and it may be difficult to convince them to participate. Creating a map that actually advertises their presence.
Difficulties and Solutions. In order to put in practice the activities presented in the Action Plan the following difficulties were identified: Difficulty Solution It may be difficult to convince the politicians and decision makers to be part of the walking audit group and to cooperate in general. Meet them several times before the walking audit and explain to them what happens during this event. It may be difficult to convince people to walk / cycle in general because they will argue that: they don’t have the proper conditions to do that (sidewalks’ pavements and cycling lanes are deteriorated and occupied by cars; not a pretty site); they will inhale many car NOx emissions (especially cyclists say there are too many cars on the streets during peak hours). The more people will acknowledge the importance of walking and cycling as daily transport modes a xxxxxxxx xxxx sustaining non-motorized infrastructure and planning interventions will be formed. In this way the local administration and decision makers have to develop and intervene with projects, plans and works that support all the street users. Showing to the concerned cyclists and walkers studies and evidence proving that the car driver and the person sitting on the front seat are, in fact, the ones highly exposed to emissions. According to recent studies the car functions like a closed and unventilated box that retains the emissions inside and consequently the drivers inhale more emissions then the persons on the street. It may be difficult to convince parents to allow their children to walk / cycle to school; they argue that it’s not safe both from traffic safety and delinquency rate perspective. Presenting to the local police representatives this situation and propose that they supervise the school area more often (especially during the hours when children are going or coming to/from school). It may be difficult to convince people to do shopping walking or cycling in the neighbourhood; they will argue that they can’t buy as much as they want at once. Present to them during the Street event and other events that is possible to have trailers and bags adapted for the bicycles.
