Comprehensive safety and security strategies

The aim of this common measure was to enhance the capacity for cites to draw practical lessons on safety and security related public policies.Specific measure-related objectives were to create platforms for the exchange of knowledge and the transfer of good practices from one city to another, to build up knowledge about common tools on securing safety in urban mobility and to have a real intensive cooperation on topics of strategic importance, going beyond the exchange in other fields, and to elaborate common strategies.

Implementing sustainable mobility

The main tasks within this measure were to compare situation on technical level in the field of safety and security between cities, to establish quality platform where professionals can develop comprehensive strategies in the field of safety and security in PT and to learn from good practise from other cities and implement them in their cities.

Some of the best practices were identified, for example:

Trammelant (Gent)
This is an innovative youth prevention programme, aimed to reduce large and small conflicts and nuisance on public transport caused by secondary scholars and to enhance mutual respect between public transport personnel and youngsters. Mutual respect is the basis of a good prevention strategy.
PT adjusted to categories of users (Zagreb)
To learn about the needs of elderly people with reduced mobility in public transport, several activities were implemented among the target population (e.g. a survey among elderly people on the shortcomings of urban public transport through 17 workshops; brochure on how ro use safely PT, short educational film on how to behave in the PT vehicles).
A document in which number of categories that are important for the safety and security of public transport was created. That Matrix 5.1-COM was jointly produced in order to reduce the risk and severity of accidents with capitalising the potential of new technologies. The following was concluded:

Low floor buses and trams offer new safer and more secure way for travel through city, especially that of the children, disabled and the elderly
Better education and training for drivers is needed for them to be acquainted with needs of specific groups
A specific information campaign is organised on how to behave on public transport. Extra information on buses, trams and on stops keeps the passenger informed.
Drivers and controllers should be trained to work out and cooperate with preventive and proactive project activities which scholars can participate in. The aim is to conceive mutual understanding and respect.
Drivers should be trained on how to contact with customers and how to react in case of an incident.

How did the measure progress?

Activities planned and carried out within this measure:

to identify potential and real hazards relating to safety of all PT users within each of the CIVITAS ELAN cities;
to suggest possible measures towards safer and more secure trips within PT,

and thus to increase the overall number of PT patrons.

A list of topics that are essential for a comprehensive consideration of safety and security in public transport has been elaborated and analysed in every city (e.g. terminology and statistic, categories of users; safety of disabled passengers; safety of children in public transport, prevention, education towards better safety & security; system control & surveillance; roads & infrastructure; traffic safety signs & traffic signalisation in general; access to PT stations, including equipment, shelters and maintenance; information & dissemination, etc.).

What were the outcomes of the measure?

Common measures do not aim at real implementation but represent a certain theme or topic around which ELAN cities have decided to work closely together. These themes were common working fields or shared challenges faced by all ELAN cities and therefore relevant to discuss and work around together. This cooperation consisted mostly in sharing the knowledge and experiences around the topics in question and interchange ideas and approaches to tackle the questions and related problems.
Situation on technical level of providing security in various cities, as well as users’ satisfaction with existing service is being compared.

Some quantifiable outcomes of city measures related to safety and security in PT:

Established quality cooperation between experts and stakeholders locally and internationally. This is particularly important because of the exchange of good practices for the future, too.
Increased number of new low floor vehicles (bus and trams) in cities – which guarantees safer travel in public transport.
Internal and external cameras posted in significant No. of PT vehicles
Vehicles connected with regional Centre for safety in public transport
Drivers trained in safe driving of public transport vehicles
Most vehicles have built-in ramps for disabled
Vehicles equipped with air condition system of cooling and heating – that is important for seniors especially
Public transport stops equipped with displays and audio announcement
Education of citizens is carried out at several levels: for example, education of young people in Ghent and of senior citizens about the safety and security in public transport in Zagreb.
The marketing and communication campaign conducted.

Lessons learned

In order to effectively increase safety and security in PT, it is important to implement a range of measures. A list of topics that are essential for a comprehensive consideration of safety and security in public transport contains the following elements: safety of disabled passengers and children, prevention, education, surveillance, roads, signalisation, PT stations, vehicles, information, etc.

Improving safety is a continuous process
Even though the safety measures undertaken within this project have significantly improved the safety situation in the cities, more efforts are needed to completely eliminate accidents. This applies for the different target groups (elderly, students, cyclists). This leads to the fact that the measures should be continued, extended to other parts of the city, other target groups, etc.

Differences between cities
Every city has its specific situation, starting with the size of the city, public transport systems and habits of citizens. In principle, each city has its own objectives of development of public transportation in the future, as well as the fundamental strategy for the development of the safety and security sector.
Measures aiming at improving safety and security are therefore city specific, rather than one approach-fits-all.