Launch of the REFORM project Integrated REgional Action Plan For Innovative, Sustainable and LOw CaRbon Mobility

A new European project called REFORM started in 2017. REFORM will support the introduction of Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans (SUMPs) in local authorities of four European regions. SUMPs have proven their value as an efficient planning instrument to shift mobility towards low carbon solutions.  

 The new REFORM project officially started on January 2017 and will run for four years, until December 2020. This project will increase the number of local authorities implementing a Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan (SUMP) in four European regions: Central Macedonia (Greece), Emilia-Romagna (Italy), Greater Manchester (UK) and Parkstad Limburg (NL). This translates into a specific target for the project to count 60% of local authorities across the four regions to have completed the process for a SUMP adoption.

In order to ease the transition towards low-carbon alternatives for mobility on their territory, the partners will develop guidance materials and organise a series of dedicated events to help their municipalities in the preparation of their SUMP. One of the distinctive aspects of REFORM lies in the central role given to the regions to encourage the adoption of SUMPs by local authorities, including small towns and medium-sized cities. This will be achieved in particular through the improvement of the Regional Operational Programs which will support, fund and diffuse the concept of SUMP as the main planning instrument for shifting mobility towards a low carbon intensive mobility pattern. Another distinctive aspects of the project is that REFORM will focus on the use of new technologies (ICT) to boost the deployment of SUMPs.

To achieve their objectives, the four regions will be supported by three European partners: the Centre for Research and Technology Hellas (Greece) which will coordinate the REFORM project, the network of European cities and regions Polis (Belgium) and the Institute for Transport and Logistics Foundation (Italy).

A first technical visit together with a thematic workshop and a policy roundtable will take place in Thessaloniki (Greece) on 1^st and 2^nd March 2017, in conjunction with the first consortium meeting where all REFORM partners will meet.

REFORM in Central Macedonia

In Central Macedonia, the project will be conducted by the regional authority, supported by CERTH.  All 38 Municipalities of the Region will be closely associated to the project, in particular for the adoption of a SUMP.

REFORM is of particular importance in Central Macedonia. Indeed, currently the region, mostly its large cities, is facing severe air pollution, mainly caused by its vehicular traffic. According to daily measurements PM10 suspended particles exceed the acceptable limits more than 30 days per year. The predominance of private vehicles in the urban areas of RCM is a fact:  every year 16.000-20.000 new vehicles are added to the 400.000 vehicles already circulating in the Metropolitan area of the Central Macedonia. Moreover, the modal share in the urban areas of the Region is almost 65% for the private car and 35% for the public transport modes, while the average vehicle occupancy of the private vehicles is estimated in 1,44 persons/vehicle. The energy consumption of the transport domain is calculated in an average of 851.029 tn. Eq.Oil, and consists the 40% of the total energy consumption.

The Regional Operating Plan of RCM refers to a series of promotion actions for low-carbon transport, such as the introduction of ITS, the extension of the sea public transport and the introduction of Cycle & Walking paths, but a detailed description of the means and tools to realize these actions is still lucking