Successful transport decision-making - Osmose

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Overcoming barriers
Communication
Increasing opposition was encountered before
implementation.
The experienced marketing expert in the period
anticipated increasing uncertainty in the run up to
scheme implementation and diffused the issue in the
press. The staying power of the initiators was
rewarded, as acceptance increased immediately after
implementation.
Institutional
There was considerable opposition within all parties of
the city council and also from other interest groups.
The cross-party cooperation between the mayor and
the deputy mayor helped to win majority support within
their parties. Subsequently, the other interest groups
could also be convinced with clear arguments.
Legal
The Austrian Road Traffic Act was unclear regarding
the general speed limit.
The project was started as a 2-year trial. Within this
time the Austrian Road Traffic Act was amended, in
order to allow the regulation.
Management
Due to the new nature of the measure, the
management was confronted with several problems
and uncertainties, which also served as counterarguments
for opponents.
A strong and effective management team was
established, including the key decision-makers and
experts in all necessary subjects. They dealt with all
these problems and solved them in due course.
The combining of key competences, in the person of
the project champion, ensured a smooth
implementation of decisions taken by the
management.
Project champion
The project champion - the deputy mayor of Graz - was the initiator of
the project, the driving force behind it, and its public face. There were
two main strands to his work: the communication element, and the
technical side.
The communication strategy for the project involved winning political
and public support. The deputy mayor formed a partnership with the
mayor, even though they were from different parties. Together, they
were able to push the project forward. The deputy mayor was however,
more active. He also played a key role in the marketing campaign
directed at the public and in coordinating the technical elements, such
as categorising the streets and carrying out analyses. He became the
head of both the Planning and the Road Construction units, ensuring
that they worked smoothly together.
Experience showed:
It is important to have a 'public face' for a campaign - preferably a
politician.
Having a 'project champion' also helped overcome bureaucratic
barriers.
Marketing strategy
It was beyond question that a project of this dimension needs
professional marketing. So the project leaders consulted a marketing
expert specialising in transport policy, and employed a graphic artist.
The campaign consisted of two phases:
A motivation phase, to raise awareness of the existing traffic
problems and to increase acceptance of the poroposed speed
limit,
An information phase, to explain the new rules to car drivers.
The communication process was, however, not limited to the formal
campaign. More than that, the skillful handling of the media helped to
win over the public. The project champion deliberately initiated a
controversial debate, since breaking new ground in transport policy
requires a lot of discussion to enable a learning process to take place.
There was also an opposition campaign in the period just before the
scheme was being introduced, which won a lot of support at first.
However, the project leaders had expected this, and it died down once
the benefits of the measures became clear.
Vol 1 -
Institutional marketing
For the scheme to go ahead, it needed the support of a majority on the
city council. Therefore, the project leaders worked to convince
politicians in the city council and other interest groups of the benefits of
the proposals.The project champion was the key figure, with support
from the mayor. At first, they faced considerable opposition from all
parties represented on the city council, and from other groups such as
the police, the Chamber of Commerce and the unions.
According to their respective audiences, the deputy mayor and the
mayor used different arguments. The former focused on the technical
issues, such as accidents, noise levels, exhaust fumes etc. The mayor
concentrated on social values, highlighting the benefits for vulnerable
users.
They broke new ground in cross-party cooperation. Despite being a
member of the People's Party, the deputy mayor accompanied the
mayor to a trade union congress. Similarly, the mayor spoke at the
Chamber of Commerce - an unusual act for a Socialist Party member.
They were not able to change people’s minds immediately. But they
were respected and succeeded in terms of reducing the level of
emotional rejection and initiating an objective reflection of the issue.
The remaining opponents were pushed into a defensive rather than
attacking role.
See Also:
Institutional/legal/financial barriers
Elected officials
Special interest groups
Enforcing the new regulations.
Vol 2 -
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