Mobility management service for the harbour
Summary
In order to integrate the former industrial harbour area into the city of Odense, an integrated mobility management plan was required.
Implementing sustainable mobility
Odense harbour, formerly an industrial area, was being converted for more recreational purposes. New apartments were being built along the harbour front and many new light businesses were being established in the district. Polluting industries were gradually moving out of the area and the harbour was being integrated into the city centre area. To serve this vision, Odense needed an integrated mobility management plan that included all modes of transport, and a planning strategy in which architecture and traffic planning were fully integrated.
Specific goals were to:
- demonstrate the benefits of integrated mobility management services for better connections between Odense Harbour and the city centre;
- encourage alternative transport modes by building a fully dedicated bridge for cyclists and pedestrians;
- involve private firms and the public in the preparation of mobility management services;
- integrate all sustainable transport modes into existing traditional traffic and transport prognosis models; and
- disseminate mobility management service experiences through training programmes for professional traffic planners.
Progress
The process of creating a new traffic and mobility plan started in 2007. The working group included the traffic department, the city planning department, the urban planning department, the public transport company and external consultants.
The plan was very ambitious and included all modes of transport and both soft and hard measures. Quality of life was one of the main criteria.
Outcomes
The key outputs were a toolbox for traffic planning, a cycle traffic model, and a plan for traffic and mobility.
The cycle traffic model was very complicated to develop and required expertise from the city’s technical university where time resources were limited. The traffic and mobility plan also involved a high number of specialists and was linked to decision making at the political level, thus was harder to control.