Safety? Not my problem! - An open workshop from the MIMOSA Consortium

Safety is the Cinderella of the transport and travel world, especially in relation to public and collective transport. Car manufacturers and airlines are ahead of the game, but public authorities seem less inclined to spend on preventing events that may never happen! Buses travel at the same speed as cars, but with standing passengers; whereas car occupants are strapped to their seats!Perceptions of safety whilst travelling have become of increasing importance to travellers. Indeed safety issues often act as a barrier to walking on street for even short trips, cycling and using public transport. The loss of revenue, missed health improvement opportunities and positioning the car as the preferred mode of transport is the result, but the real cost to the community is hidden.The CIVITAS MIMOSA Consortium decided to confront these issues head-on in an open workshop in Gdansk on 5 June 2009. This presentation did not present set-piece presentations on wonderful solutions to problems. Instead we presented and discussed problems, shared with the participants? Experts were on hand to advise, and the outcome was real plans for tackling the issues in cities.Amongst the topics covered were:

• Political will to deal with problems, measures and steps that can be taken
• Road safety
• Vandalism
• Personal safety
• Danger from passengers, and ‘strangers’ generally

The ethos of the day was honesty, openness and sharing, thinking ‘outside the box’ and developing new and innovative solutions. Safety IS our problem

Authors: City of Gdansk, Mario Gualdi (ISIS) (Organiser)

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