Cēsis, Latvia

Cēsis is a small town in Latvia with a population of around 17 000. The city is known for its strong environmental and cultural identity, supported by ambitious local sustainability goals. The relatively short travel distances within the town make walking and cycling viable options for everyday mobility.
Within the SUMPs for BSR project, the city ran two active mobility pilots, one on data collection and a small-scale experiment.

Temporary cycling lanes and roofed bicycle sheds

The small-scale pilot tested temporary cycling lanes from residential areas to the centre of Cēsis as a low-cost measure to connect existing lanes and improve perceived safety. Roofed bicycle sheds were installed to support year-round bicycle use and encourage cycling during all seasons. Residents were involved in the planning and placement of cycling infrastructure through co-creation activities.
Small-scale infrastructure measures can support everyday cycling as the pilot increased visibility of cycling as a normal mode of transport in residential areas. Roofed bicycle sheds got positive feedback on their comfort and usefulness. The pilot also gave practical insights into which street layouts are most suitable for cycling lanes. While the experiment did not aim to deliver immediate large scale behaviour change, it created tangible examples that residents could experience directly.

AI-based mobility data collection

Cēsis’ cycling infrastructure remains limited and reliable data on active mobility patterns have been largely unavailable. This gap has made it difficult for the municipality to evaluate the use of existing infrastructure or plan new cycling routes effectively. Six AI-supported cameras were installed in selected areas to record and classify different transport modes, including cyclists, pedestrians, cars, motorbikes, buses and heavy vehicles. The sites were chosen to cover routes leading to the bicycle sheds and key neighbourhoods.

The data of this modern, automated system provided valuable insight into how residents move through the city and where infrastructure improvements are most needed. This was Cēsis’ first consistent dataset on active mobility, and it increased municipal understanding of how infrastructure use can be monitored over time. Although the cameras were not intended to influence behaviour directly, the pilot demonstrated how automated data collection can strengthen municipal planning capacity and support more sustainable decision-making.

Programme Manual Online

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