Successful transport decision-making - Osmose

Overcoming barriers
Financial $ €
The city budget had few dedicated financial resources
for cycling.
Funding was sought from other sources, including
local societies, tourist organisations and international
organisations.
Management
Low motivation of political decision makers, fuelled by
limited acceptance of the scheme in the political arena
and a low level of political courage.
Public pressure and good media support were
significant in persuading politicians that the scheme
was in the common interest.
Legal
There was no legal foundation for the measures taken
and no regulation regarding traffic penalties.
Transportation strategy was adjusted to encourage
sustainable development. This gave cycling
infrastructure priority status.
Institutional/legal/financial barriers
Slovenia has undergone major changes on the political scene in recent
years, in its transformation from a socialist federation into a democratic
state. This has meant introducing new administrative structures at all
levels. However, legislation is still car-oriented, and is not expected to
change in the near future.
In 2000, the Maribor City Administration was reorganised. A new
Transportation Office was set up, with a new urban plan and city
transport strategy, which covers cycling. The new office was based on
a model common across Europe. Its role is to oversee traffic and
transportation in the city, carry out research into local transport issues,
and develop and implement projects.
The new structure has led to better management of transport projects.
However, the office does not have the staff to fulfil all its tasks. It is also
vulnerable to new political decisions.
Managing resources: costs
The project leaders had to try to get funding for their proposed network
of cycle paths. This meant persuading the city council to agree
amendments to its budget.
The budget included some money earmarked for cycle paths. There
were also some funds available for other soft mobility infrastructure
projects, to be allocated as councillors saw fit. Obviously, this
depended on their political allegiances and interests.
The campaign group behind the proposals suggested amending the
budget, but were only partly successful as cycle measures were seen
as low priority. However, some private enterprises did invest in the
scheme, enabling a wide network of cycle paths to be built.
See also:
Institutional/legal/financial barriers
Vol 1 -
Media strategy
The main goal of the campaign group was to persuade the public to
support the cycle network and so put pressure on politicians to give it
higher priority.
Favourable media coverage helped win support from the city council
and administration. The proposals were covered in the local
newspaper, and on television and radio.
The media coverage also opened up the issues to a wider audience. It
also prompted more interest in the measures from politicians, which
helped kick start the project.
However, the impact of the media coverage was short-lived. In general,
the public was keener on cars than on soft mobility measures. Local
politicians' interest waned as the media coverage declined.
See also:
Communication barriers
The media
Campaigners organised media activities, briefed speakers on how to
communicate with the media and produced background documents for
the media. They invited journalists along to their protest activities, and
proved willing to answer all their queries. They maintained contact after
the events.
Experience showed that:
Dealing with the media is time-consuming; and
It can be easier for NGOs to gain positive media coverage as they
are often perceived to be objective and independent from the
authorities.
See also:
Information session and briefing
Technical reports
Vol 2 -
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