Successful transport decision-making - Osmose

Local Transport Plans in Erfurt
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Erfurt
Erfurt, with a population of 200,000, is the capital of the German
federal state of Thüringen. It is the administrative, cultural and
economic centre for the region, and also has two universities. The city
underwent great economic and social change with the reunification of
Germany in 1990. The importance of trade, service industries and
administration rose dramatically, while production declined. Like other
cities in eastern Germany, Erfurt has many social and economic
problems. Its unemployment rate is 18.5% (basic year 2003)- higher
than both the regional level (16%) and the national (10.1%).
Reunification has also led to massive transport problems. The number
of motor vehicles has increased by 60%. Erfurt's geographic position
has in effect changed: it now lies at the heart of Germany. It is
expanding, and new residential and industrial developments in the
suburbs have altered the directions of the traffic flows. Therefore,
Erfurt needed to implement a new Local Transport Plan quickly.
Developing Local Transport Plans
GUIDEMAPS explored the development of the first two Erfurt Local
Transport Plans to be drawn up under the laws of the Federal Republic
of Germany. Their over-arching aim was to balance transport needs with
the interests of the urban environment. They were designed to
encourage public transport usage, walking and cycling through traffic
calming measures and parking controls.
Two Local Transport Plans were produced. The first identified the
general aims, while the second defined strategies designed to support
sustainable transport. Sub-projects included:
! Expansion of the city railway, due for completion in 2008;
! New provision for cyclists, including safe cycle paths and parking
places;
! The continuation and further development of the park-and-ride
system;
! Construction of a ring-road to relieve the city-centre of through
traffic;
! Restrictions on cars in the town centre, particularly on Saturdays in
a continuation of former plans;
! management of parking spaces; and
! concepts for specific town districts.
GUIDEMAPS looked at the factors that led to the introduction of two
successful Local Transport Plans in just eight years.
GUIDEMAPS Interests
Lessons learnt from the situation in the new German federal states in
the 1990s might be useful for the Accession Countries today.
In Erfurt, GUIDEMAPS explored:
! How the development of a strategic plan can be managed
pragmatically, in parallel with rapid changes in transport demand
and infrastructure;
! Which strategies are appropriate to fulfil the expectations and
demands of people and companies concerning transport
conditions (short-term), and to consider how to address the long
term objectives of sustainable traffic;
! How the new structure of the municipal administration affected the
development of the plans;
! The role of outside agencies in moderating the planning process;
! How to involve people who have little or no experience of public
participation in the decision-making process;
! Changes in how people participated between 1994 and 1998;
! The participation and decision-making processes for LTPs; and
! How to develop a public relations strategy on a limited budget.
Techniques reviewed included:
! An internal working group in the local authority;
! A political party working group;
! A public exhibition of the draft plan;
! On-site discussions with the public and various stakeholders;
! An evaluation scheme for the 10 year LTP in Erfurt; and
! A central organisational unit for all transport related topics.
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