International Conference on Public Transport Held in Split

The ninth CIVINET forum “Journey Towards a Greener Future and Climate Neutrality” began with a program from the ProSUMP project, which promotes regional cooperation in implementing sustainable urban mobility plans in Western Balkan countries.

Pablo Perez-Illiana from the European Climate, Infrastructure, and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA) presented the EU’s vision for sustainable and digital mobility. Lucia Calliari from the IPA ADRION Joint Secretariat and Horst Schindler from the Danube Region Program presented available EU funding sources, including the Interreg IPA Adrion 2021–2027 and the Interreg Danube Region 2021–2027 programs.

Tanja Maraš, a digital connectivity expert, spoke about the digital transformation in the Western Balkans, while Damaris Anna Gruber from Austriatech presented the institutionalization of digital transformation and digital solutions in smart mobility using Austria as an example.
Aljaž Plevnik from UIRS outlined a framework for integrated urban mobility for the Western Balkans, while Milenka Knežević from GIZ Western Balkan discussed the nationally determined contributions (NDCs) of Western Balkan countries from a traffic perspective.

The following panel discussion focused on the topic “How to Successfully Replicate Large Project Solutions in Local Communities – Why is Southeast Europe Lagging Behind Western Europe?”
During this discussion, successful projects aimed at reducing emissions and promoting sustainable mobility were presented. The panel brought together experts from various fields, including Vedrana Franić, who presented the ELABORATOR project, Magdalena Makar from ODRAZ, who presented the SPINE project, Davor Kontić from the Jožef Stefan Institute in Slovenia, which evaluates sustainable mobility measures, and Mervan Drpljanin from the Secretariat for Transport of the City of Podgorica.

Participants then had the opportunity to take part in an interactive session dedicated to creating a framework for innovation and sustainability in transport. This session enabled an exchange of ideas among experts and provided a platform for discussing the application of successful solutions in local communities.

In the end of the first day a study visit took place. Participants get to know better innovative public transport solutions in the city of Split. In recent years, the city has implemented several measures aimed at enhancing public transport to ensure further development of all mobility modes. Participants then visited Promet Split Ltd., where they toured its ITS center. There they learned about advanced video surveillance and traffic control systems, which play a key role in optimizing traffic and improving safety in the city.

The second day of the event began with a keynote presentation by Ante Klečina from the University North. He spoke about the role of public transport as the backbone of sustainable mobility. -it was pointed out that cities in Switzerland, Austria, and the Czech Republic succeed in attracting public transport users because they have integrated systems. This includes not only the connection between urban and suburban transport but also well-designed routes, seamless transfers, and timely information for users at stops and in the vehicles. A key element is also fare integration – a single ticket that works for all forms of transport.

Following his lecture, interesting panel discussion addressed how public transport can contribute to climate neutrality. The discussion included Vita Kontić Bezjak from the City of Ljubljana, which recently received the EU mission city label for its efforts towards climate neutrality, Aljaž Plevnik from the Urban Planning Institute of the Republic of Slovenia, and Matej Gojčič from the Regional Development Agency of the Ljubljana Urban Region (RRA LUR). Ante Klečina also contributed to the panel.

The second panel focused on the importance of developing all the necessary segments for the successful implementation and functioning of public transport. Petra Grgasović from REGEA and Davor Kontić, representing the Slovenian company GoOpti, which conducted a pilot project for dynamic group transport lines to work in the Ljubljana urban region, shared their experiences. The discussion was further enriched by experts from organizations dealing with micromobility – Ante Gustin from Nextbike Croatia, who talked about the integrating micromobility into the public transport system, and Dejan Tofčević from the association Biciklo.me. Dejan emphasized the importance of inclusive urban mobility, highlighting that solutions such as bicycle traffic, cable cars, and electric vehicles can significantly reduce transport poverty and improve accessibility to public transport.

The forum concluded with an interesting panel that provided an overview of the current state of the public transport within the CIVINET Slovenia-Croatia-SEE network. Mitja Klemenčič from the City of Maribor, Gregor Cunder from Ljubljana Passenger Transport, and Ivan Kundid from Gradski parking d.o.o., public transport company from the city of Šibenik shared their experiences with innovations, development, and challenges in public transport in their cities, while Marjan Cvijanović from the company Ridango spoke about advanced technological solutions for managing public transport.
Prior to the panel, Mervan Drpljanin from the Secretariat for Transport of the City of Podgorica spoke about the impact of public transport in Podgorica and presented the state of passenger transport in the city, covering taxi services, bicycle transport, and horizontal and vertical signage. Marjan Cvijanović from Ridango presented advanced technological solutions for managing public transport in Tallinn. Ante Klečina presented a transport study for improving the public transport system of the city of Varaždin. Vedran Kirinčić from the Faculty of Engineering in Rijeka moderated this panel, after first presenting the challenges and opportunities for the cities of the future.

• CONFERENCE CONCLUSIONS
  Public transport must be comfortable, clean, punctual, affordable, accessible. Information has to be provided timely and accurately, while trips have to be easy to plan. It must be multimodal, accompanied by the appropriate infrastructure.
• The key to success goes far beyond “having buses”.  The entire system must be adapted primarily to the needs of end users. With a combination of technological solutions, infrastructure, availability and accessibility, and behavioral change — both among citizens and those planning or implementing public transport — a better future for sustainable mobility in our cities can be ensured.

9th CIVINET forum provided valuable information and inspiration for further cooperation within the CIVINET network, with a focus on developing innovative solutions that will improve public transport and contribute to sustainable mobility in our cities.

We thank everyone for their participation and constructive discussions and look forward to continuing our collaboration in shaping sustainable public transport that will meet the needs of our local communities.

The conference was organized by ODRAZ, the CIVINET Slovenia-Croatia-Southeast Europe Secretariat, in collaboration with the City of Split, the City of Zagreb, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, and the Transport Community.

With over 240 members from six countries, the CIVINET Slovenia-Croatia-Southeast Europe network has become the leading network for promoting sustainable urban development and improving mobility. Through numerous activities and projects, the network effectively fosters knowledge exchange and cooperation in the field of sustainable mobility.

Financial support: City of Zagreb, City of Split, CIVITAS Muse, GIZ, Transport Community