Neiva:
The challenge that Neiva faces relates to optimizing the use of public space and aligning with the trends of 15-minute cities.
One of the key issues is the efficient flow of both passengers and cargo within limited urban spaces. Neiva, like many intermediate cities, must address the growing demand for transportation services while dealing with spatial constraints. This challenge is particularly pronounced in high-density commercial areas where road infrastructure may not adequately support the volume of vehicles, leading to congestion, productivity losses, and increased risks of accidents.
Furthermore, the concentration of motorcycles and cargo vehicles in these congested areas exacerbates the problem. These vehicles often disregard designated parking areas and operate without adherence to established time restrictions, further contributing to traffic issues and safety concerns.
Another pressing concern is the environmental impact stemming from the extensive use of private vehicles, motorcycles, and cargo vehicles. Emissions from internal combustion engines harm air quality, causing health issues and adding to pollution.
In summary, the challenge for Neiva is to create transportation systems that optimize the use of public space, reduce congestion, enhance safety, and mitigate environmental impact. Aligning with the principles of 15-minute cities, which prioritize accessibility to essential services within a short distance, can help address these challenges and make urban areas more livable and sustainable for their residents.
Valga:
The goal is to reduce the environmental footprint of transportation vehicles and systems in the city of Valga. Over the past decade, steps have been taken through urban planning, reorganization of public spaces, and modernization of the street network to facilitate the transition to sustainable transportation. However, evaluating the results has been complex and resource-intensive. There is a need for a sustainable and simple, yet consistent monitoring system that provides systematic data to the municipality for tracking mobility, assessing changes in people’s preferences, and evaluating transportation needs.
The transition to sustainable mobility is a priority for the city of Valga, as it is a small city that allows for the implementation of the 15-minute concept. The main services in Valga are concentrated in the city center, which are utilized not only by the residents of Valga but also by the residents of Valga municipality, Valga County, and the neighboring city of Valka (Republic of Latvia). Traffic management in Valga city center has been made calmer, parking opportunities have been expanded, “park and ride” stops have been created, and pedestrian areas have been expanded. Despite these efforts, evaluating the results is still estimated or based on sporadic mobility or traffic studies. Rare and sporadic studies are time-consuming and costly. The results of these studies are generally not comparable to each other, as they are commissioned to address specific problems or implement projects. If the municipality had systematically available mobility monitoring data, it would be able to make new investment decisions based on facts, organize spatial planning, or assess the functioning of the city’s public transport network or the need for its reorganization more effectively. Valga Municipality Government aims to improve mobility and direct it towards sustainability based on the needs of its residents.
Port of Tallinn:
Port of Tallinn is the biggest tourist gateway of Estonia, serving up to 10 million passengers annually. About 60% of the passengers travel on foot (without a car on board). 45% of all passengers are Finns, 30% are Estonians. Many of them are frequent travelers between Tallinn and Helsinki. The turnaround times of ships are short and during the arrival and before the departure of the ships, there are often too much traffic (taxis, private cars dropping and picking people, buses, trucks etc) and huge traffic jams getting in or out the port area. The challenge is to motivate the passengers to use the public transport, when travelling to and from the port. Tourists are also not aware of the ticketing system of Tallinn.
Port of Tallinn is the biggest tourist gateway of Estonia, serving up to 10 million passengers annually. About 60% of the passenger’s travel on foot (without a car on board, including up to 600 000 cruise passengers) and 40% by vehicles. We have a regular ferry traffic between Helsinki and Stockholm and seasonal cruise traffic during the summer. The number of passengers vary by month, the high season is from May to September. For example, in July we have approx. 25 000 passengers arriving in one day. The biggest ships are the cruise ships, which can accommodate about 5000 passengers per ship. The main attraction of Tallinn is the Old Town, which is located 500 m from the port area and gets crowded during the summer. The locals and also the guests are complaining that there are too many people at the same time at the same spot.
The problem is the high concentration of people and vehicles simultaneously in a short period.
We need to:
– guide the crowds smartly;
– disperse/spread cruise guests between different attractions, using different transportation means;
– guide the vehicles smoothly and quickly from the port area out of the city centre.
Ülemiste City:
The aim of the smart mobility and infrastructure challenge is to improve urban transportation and shape the future of Smart Cities. Ülemiste City’s mobility innovations are based on following key principles: human-centricity, data-backed, research-based, public acceptance, collaboration and sustainability.
