BATS hosts successful international webinar on year-round active mobility

The webinar, hosted by Elias Mo Brøndum Gad of project partner Gate 21, provided the opportunity for attendees to learn more about the topic of year-round active mobility, featuring insights from three of the BATS pilot cities and concluding with a captivating Q&A session, during which our speakers fielded questions from the audience and shared further details of their experiences and expertise.

With over 60 participants from Finland, Sweden, Germany, Hungary, Norway, Poland, Estonia, and Denmark amongst others, the webinar highlighted the importance of the topic of year-round active mobility, and showcased the need for transnational collaboration and knowledge-sharing when designing YRAM activities.

The agenda began with an introduction to BATS and word of welcome from the host, before Miloš Mladenović (Aalto University) provided an introduction to year-round active mobility, summarising three key challenges that must be overcome to effectively promote the topic. Miloš outlined that behavioural change among residents, packaging policy interventions, and the development of planning processes and organisational cultures are three crucial factors to consider when promoting a culture of active mobility throughout the year among a population. 

Following this, the focus of the presentations turned to three of the BATS pilot locations: Hamburg (Borough of Altona), Porvoo, and Umeå​. 

First to showcase the approach of the Borough of Altona in Hamburg, Germany, was BATS lead partner Heike Bunte. Through the BATS project, Hamburg-Altona will concentrate activities on two areas; protective elements for the Reventlowstraße, a main road in the district with much heavy traffic, and providing projections in tunnels in the area. Heike’s presentation showcased the current environment and need for these activities, crucial work if the borough is to promote YRAM among its population.

The next BATS city to showcase its pilot activities was Porvoo, Finland, with Project Manager Simo Syrman presenting the importance of winter maintenance and how citizen participation is crucial to guide local improvements.

Winter maintenance is a vital factor in getting Porvoo’s population to continue cycling through the harsh local conditions, and Simo presented the plans and strategies in place to ensure this is prioritised moving forward. Also important is understanding the opinions and requirements of the pedestrian and cycling community. Simo guided attendees through the background and preliminary results of a winter maintenance survey, crucial in understanding the best approaches and strategies in promoting YRAM in Porvoo.

The final city to present details of their activities to promote YRAM through the BATS project was Umeå, Sweden, represented by Traffic Planners Zein Anani and Naomi Zerai. In Umeå, the separation of bike and pedestrian lanes, winter maintenance, the loan of e-bikes, and increasing public engagement have been identified as key activities in promoting YRAM. The speakers provided an overview of what has been achieved through the BATS project so far, before taking a look ahead to what is planned for the future. Exciting times for Umeå!

The inaugural BATS webinar concluded with a highly engaging Q&A session, with great participation and interest shown from the audience. Participants were able to share their own experiences, while speakers provided further details on their perspectives and activities through a series of though and discussion-provoking questions.

Overall, the webinar can be considered a resounding success, and special thanks must be paid to all organisers, speakers, and attendees for their contributions.

Missed the webinar? You’re in luck! The recording is now available on the BATS YouTube channel.

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