Category : Analysis

We present to your attention the recommendations for public policy reform in the public transport sector in Ukraine, which our public organization presented on April 12, 2024 in Lviv during the round table "Save public transport: 10 actions at the state level".

In January 2024, the Ministry of Development of Communities, Territories and Infrastructure of Ukraine initiated a meeting with the participation of representatives of local self-government bodies, communal enterprises and public organizations on the issue of improving regulatory and legal regulation in the electric transport sector.

The meeting discussed current problems of local communities regarding the functioning and development of urban electric transport and proposals for improving legislation in the electric transport sector to ensure its sustainable development. According to the results of the meeting, experts of the non-governmental organization "Vision Zero" analyzed 76 proposals from 16 interested parties, which were divided into 6 groups :

• Updating legislation;
• Changes to the "Tram and Trolleybus Operation Rules";
• Changes to Ukrainian standards;
• Changes to the DBN;
• Financing (lending) of capital expenditures;
• Other problems requiring consideration at the level of state policy.

This resulted in a document entitled "Recommendations for changes in state policy to ensure the proper functioning of public transport in the conditions of martial law in Ukraine and as part of a sustainable (green) recovery", which we sent to the Ministry of Infrastructure.

The recommendations cover four topics:

• Personnel problems in the HT sector;
• Costs of electric energy and its technical and legal regulation;
• Rolling stock transferred to cities as humanitarian aid;
• Legislative regulation of the organization of passenger transport and technical regulation of the railway infrastructure.

Each topic consists of detailed recommendations and their arguments. We hope that the presented document will become a guide for reforming state policy in the coming months.

To view the full version of the recommendations , please click on the image below and you will be taken to the PDF file:

In February 2024, on the website of our partners "Energy-efficient Cities of Ukraine" Association, an analytical review "Obligations for the provision of transport services (PSO model) as part of the European integration of Ukraine" was published. It is the result of a study conducted by the non-governmental organization "Vision Zero". .

The document contains the definition of the PSO model and the implementation of the model in the context of the European integration of Ukraine, describes the working mechanism of the model, the experience of the sectoral implementation of this model in Ukraine, and the conclusions.

photo from "Alltransua" portal, author KT_Alex

What is Public Service Obligation?

In the context of European Union law, a public service obligation is an obligation imposed on an organization by law or contract to provide services of general interest within the EU. Public service obligation (PSO) can operate in any area of public service, but postal services, social services, energy, transport and banking are specific sectors where this model is relevant.

European integration obligations of Ukraine regarding transport legislation

One of the fundamental provisions of the Ukraine-EU Association Agreement is the reform of the transport sector of our country through the introduction of the PSO model in passenger transportation by public transport. Despite this, the harmonization of Ukrainian legislation with European directives in this area is progressing extremely slowly.

The study states that implementation of Ukraine's European integration obligations in the transport sector by the Verkhovna Rada is at the level of 19%, which is one of the worst sectoral indicators. Delaying the introduction of the PSO model in Ukraine hinders the development of public transport and may lead to the destruction of this sector.

Legislative changes to implement PSO

Currently, urban and suburban public passenger transport in Ukraine operates within the framework of three main laws: Law 1914-IV "On Urban Electric Transport", Law 2344-III "On Road Transport" and Law 273/96-VR "On Railway Transport". This hinders the synergy of different types of public transport and their further development.

To implement the provisions of Regulation 1370/2007/EC, which is the legislative basis of the PSO model, the Verkhovna Rada must adopt a number of draft laws. "On city public transport, the implementation of the Regulation is planned by draft law 5149 and several other draft laws that systematically complement it: 5150, 5151, 5152 and 5185." In particular, draft law 5149 provides for the introduction of the PSO model, i.e. a new mechanism for the provision of passenger transportation services, which is considered as a service of general economic interest and for the implementation of which it is necessary to attract funds from the relevant budgets.

"If the politicians of Ukraine will continue to delay the fulfillment of these obligations, this may lead to the further destruction of the public transport sector, to the termination of the activities of transport enterprises and the gradual cessation of the provision of public transport services in hundreds of villages, towns and cities of Ukraine. in turn, will have large-scale social, economic, demographic and political consequences", - summarize the analysts of the NGO "Vision Zero".

You can familiarize yourself with the analytical review in more detail by following the link.

On average, 40% of drivers in Ukraine use a seat belt when driving.

On October 24, 2023, the results of the study "The level of seat belt use among drivers in the cities of Ukraine" were presented at the premises of Ukrinform. Its organizers are the public organizations "Center for Democracy and the Rule of Law" (CEDEM) and "Vision Zero". The project was carried out as part of the "For Safe Roads" Campaign.

On average, 40% of drivers use seat belts. On the other hand, about 60% still do not use this safety device during trips. The research sample consisted of 30,260 drivers in 18 regional centers. The study was conducted in cities that are far from the zone of active hostilities.

However, such numbers indicate positive dynamics. In 2020, the average rate of seat belt use was 26.04% . According to the results of this year's measurements, the increase was +14.1%

According to the results of the study, in 2020, none of the cities had even half of the drivers who used seat belts. Instead, in 2023, four cities immediately reached this mark: Kyiv, Lviv, Zhytomyr and Rivne. In other 14 cities, the number of drivers wearing seat belts also increased, only in Odesa and Mykolaiv it decreased.

Despite the fact that the level of use of seat belts in cities has increased, more than half of car drivers still ignore them, exposing themselves to additional danger every time they use a car.

The Campaign "For Safe Roads" points out that it is necessary not to stop at what has been achieved.

"Despite the positive dynamics, more than half of the drivers in the cities of Ukraine (59.86%) still do not comply with the requirements of the Traffic Rules for the mandatory use of seat belts. Ukraine should strive to reach the level of 100%. To achieve this goal, we must work then - civil society and state authorities." - commented on the results of the study Viktor Zagreba , coordinator of the Campaign "For Safe Roads" and chairman of the board of the public organization "Vision Zero" .

CEDEM adds that there is a simple way for the public to influence the level of seat belt use: to fasten yourself and encourage others who are currently riding in the car with you to do so. At the same time, it is worth telling briefly why it should be done, debunking the most popular myths about the use of seat belts. Their refutation is described at this link https://cedem.org.ua/infographics/mify-remeni-bezpeky/

During May-August 2023, the cities of Ukraine announced purchases of more than 160 units of rolling stock of electric transport. NGO Vision Zero monitored the open information of tender sites regarding the procurement of electric transport rolling stock for May-August 2023. Photo: Oleksandr Shutyuk A total of 10 announced purchases for 166 units of rolling stock and a total amount of about UAH 4.6 billion have been recorded, the Association "Energy-Efficient Cities of Ukraine" informs . Four procurements have already been completed, one has not taken place, and five are still ongoing. Out of 10 tenders, 6 take place within the framework of credit projects with international financial organizations EIB and EBRD. Purchases were announced by 8 cities: Ivano-Frankivsk, Khmelnytskyi, Ternopil, Zaporizhzhia, Chernivtsi, Lviv, Kharkiv and Vinnytsia. Most cities buy new trolleybuses. Several purchases concern used rolling stock of trolleybuses, as well as new trams and battery buses. The largest purchase is the announcement of the city of Chernivtsi for the purchase of 50 trolleybuses with credit funds from the European Investment Bank. "The active activity of cities to renew rolling stock is a positive phenomenon, even in wartime conditions. First, most of these are external financial resources that come to Ukraine. In a large part of the tenders, Ukrainian manufacturers win, this allows us to support the economy, maintain the efficiency of machine-building enterprises, save personnel, and pay taxes and fees. Secondly, the rolling stock in many cities is really in a deplorable state, and does not meet the requirements of accessibility - it does not have a low floor, which is extremely important. Thirdly, the modern rolling stock has higher energy efficiency indicators than the outdated and emergency trams and trolleybuses that it will replace. This will mean savings for local budgets and a reduction in energy consumption from the single energy grid, and of course, a positive impact on air quality and public health - especially when new transport replaces old diesel buses. All these issues have become even more important in the conditions of war," comments Victor Zagreba, chairman of the board of the non-governmental organization "Vision Zero", on the results of the monitoring. According to the NGO "Vision Zero", Ukraine already belongs to the European countries with the largest number of electric public transport systems. As of 2021, 41 trolleybus and 18 tram systems were operating in the cities of Ukraine. You can read more about the list of purchases of electric public transport by cities of Ukraine below . Please note that this list may not be exhaustive and some purchases were not included in our monitoring. Tenders of Ukrainian cities for the purchase of electric public transport in May-August 2023 :

The majority of the population of Ukraine supports the increase in fines for speeding, especially for high levels of speeding. These are the results of a sociological study conducted by the research agency Info Sapiens in the period from June 6 to 15, 2023 , commissioned by the Center for Democracy and the Rule of Law (CEDEM).

According to the results of the study, the vast majority of citizens believe that fines for exceeding the permitted speed should be increased in Ukraine. The greater the speeding, the higher the support for increasing fines.

The question "To what extent do you support an increase in fines for speeding on the roads, if the speeding will amount to..." was answered positively: 10 km/h and more - 54% of respondents, 20 km/h and more - 69%, 30 km/h and more - 79%, 40 km/h and more - 82%, 50 km/h and more - 86%.

Currently, in Ukraine, exceeding the speed limit from 21 to 50 km/h is punishable by a fine of UAH 340, and exceeding 50 km/h by a fine of UAH 1,700. According to an analytical study carried out earlier by CEDEM , in order to get closer to the best practices of EU member states in the field of liability for traffic violations, Ukraine should introduce a gradation of sanctions for every 10 km/h, significantly increase the amount of fines for high levels of speeding, and introduce a system penalty points.

"53.5% [of respondents] support increasing liability in the form of fines for speeding from 10 km/h to 20 km/h. This is a violation for which no fines are currently provided at all. Impunity for speeding exists only in Ukraine and Russia, and this idea is borrowed from Russia. Society clearly says that there should be fines already for exceeding 10 km/h - this is what our coalition of public organizations proposes ," commented Viktor Zagreba , coordinator of the Campaign "For Safe Roads" by CEDEM.

According to the director of the Center for Democracy and the Rule of Law, Olesya Holopik , the results of the study mean that there is a demand in society for more effective control over compliance with traffic rules, in particular, exceeding the set speed limit.

The sociological research was conducted by the CATI method (computer-assisted telephone interviews) based on a random sample of mobile phone numbers in the period from June 6 to 15, 2023, in all regions of Ukraine, with the exception of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol , Luhansk region, as well as some temporarily occupied territories where there is no connection. The research sample consisted of 1,000 interviews. The theoretical sampling error does not exceed 3.1% with a probability of 0.95%. The report on the results of the study is available on the website of TsEDEM.

The Center for Democracy and the Rule of Law reminds us that according to the official statistics of the Patrol Police, excessive speed is the main cause of road accidents with fatalities and injuries. In 2022, it became the official cause of most fatal traffic accidents, killing 1,633 people (58% of all registered fatalities) and injuring another 10,075. Therefore, excessive speed on the roads remains the "number one killer" in Ukraine, far ahead of other official causes.

Source: Tsedem press center

Complete and up-to-date data on public transport in Ukraine and other European countries is important for those who are interested in this topic, analyze it, research or write about it. Therefore, for itself and for other interested parties, NGO "Vision Zero" has prepared and publishes a consolidated database. As complete and authentic as we managed.

Database .XLSX for download: in Ukrainian and English

The sources of information for this database were the statistical reports of the corporation "Ukrlektrotrans" (thank you for this), as well as data received directly from the cities of Ukraine, and data from international available sources. We invite you to be among the first users and "testers" of this database. Please send comments and suggestions to the organization's e-mail with the subject "HT Database", and we will definitely take them into account in the next editions. We plan to update and publish this database on an annual basis until one of the Ukrainian state authorities starts maintaining a similar database.

For reference: the database in the format of electronic tables contains 15 tabs, including information on: 1. Number of cities with tram systems in European countries: 226 systems in 30 countries; 2. Characteristics of tram systems in European countries: 11,925 kilometers of tram tracks; 3. Number of cities with trolleybus systems in European countries: 25 countries and 146 systems; 4. Characteristics of trolleybus systems in European countries: 10,776 trolleybuses; 5. List of Ukrainian cities with current systems of electric and other public transport: 47 cities; 6. Contact data of transport utilities of electric transport: 33 cities; 7. List and characteristics of tram systems of Ukraine by city: 1734 km and 2249 cars; 8. List and characteristics of trolleybus systems of Ukraine by city: 41 cities and 4397 km of contact networks; 9. Infrastructure of electric transport utility companies: 687 traction substations; 10. Inventory fleet of tram cars in Ukrainian cities as of January 1, 2022 with an analysis of its changes in 2021; 11. Inventory fleet of trolleybuses in the cities of Ukraine as of January 1, 2022 with an analysis of its changes in 2021; 12. Age of tram cars in Ukrainian cities as of 01.01.2021; 13. Age of trolleybuses in Ukrainian cities as of January 1, 2021; 14. Rating indicators of the financial and operational efficiency of the city electric transport company of Ukraine in 2019; 15. Manufacturers of rolling stock of public transport: 50 machine-building enterprises of Europe.

Database .XLSX for download: in Ukrainian and in English

We have already written about the fact that from the beginning of 2023, the NGO "Vision Zero" began the de-Russification and modernization of the content in the Ukrainian "Wikipedia" on the topic of transport and mobility.

We consider this to be an important social mission, as currently Ukrainian-language articles are mostly literal translations of Russian versions, often with outdated information, photos, etc. We are currently working in several directions: updating existing articles and creating new ones that did not exist in Ukrainian, based on English-German articles. Updated articles:

• "Vinnytsia tram" NEW!
• "Lviv tram" NEW!
• "Public transport"
• "Tram"
• "Trolleybus"
• "Electrobus"
• "Public transport lane"
• "Karlsruhe Tram "

New articles:

• "Arnhem Trolleybus" NEW!
• "Growth of cities" NEW!
• "Lyon tram-train" NEW!
• "Street full house" NEW!
• "Rental of electric scooters" NEW!
• "Chonggecheon" NEW!
• "Multifunctional building" NEW!
• Railway station "Zurich-Silnau" NEW!
• "City of 15 minutes" NEW!
• "Tram 2000" NEW!
• " Zurich Transport Company" NEW!
• "Be 4/6" Mirage" NEW!
• "Balanced transport"
• "Induced demand"
• "Timetable"
• "Public transport route scheme"
• " Leipzig City Tunnel"
• "Leipzig Transport Company"
• "Transit-oriented development"

We will update this publication in accordance with the appearance of new and updated articles of the Ukrainian "Wikipedia". We invite you to follow, share with others and write to us if you know about the existence of articles without Ukrainian translation or those that need to be updated/created!

When a person searches for something on the topic of transport and mobility, one of the first results is always Wikipedia. We noted earlier that Ukrainian Wiki-articles have a "Soviet spirit". Upon closer examination, it turns out that they are often literal translations of Russian versions of articles, with Russian trolleybuses or trams in the photos. And of course, they often do not reflect modern world achievements and practices - for example, the English-language article "Trolleybus" is fundamentally different from the Russian and Ukrainian ones.

[caption id="attachment_640" align="alignleft" width="800"] Photo: Oleksandr Shutyuk, 2017, Bydgoszcz, Poland. [/caption]

Therefore, from the beginning of 2023, the NGO "Vision Zero" began to de-Russify and modernize the content in the Ukrainian "Wikipedia" on the topic of transport and mobility. Here are some of the already implemented wiki projects:

Updated articles:

• "Electrotransport" NEW!
• "Dvirtseva Square (Lviv)" NEW!
• "Vinnytsia tram" NEW!
• "Lviv tram"
• " Public transport "
• " Tram "
• " Trolleybus "
• " Electrobus "
• " Public transport lane "
• " Karlsruhe Tram "

New articles:

• " Passenger pass" NEW!
• " Regional railway connection in Germany " NEW!
• " Electric car with contactless charging on the move " NEW!
• "Cycling fitness" NEW!
• " Transplantation " NEW!
• " The last mile (transport) " NEW!
• " Mendoza High Speed Tram " NEW!
• " S-Bahn Mitteldeutschland " (Ukrainian version) NEW!
• "Tram 2000"
• "Zurich Transport Company"
• "Be 4/6" Mirage" NEW!
• " Balanced transport "
• " Induced demand "
• " Timetable "
• " Scheme of public transport routes "
• " Leipzig City Tunnel "
• " Leipzig Transport Company "
• " Transit-oriented development "

We will update this publication in accordance with the appearance of new and updated articles of the Ukrainian "Wikipedia". We invite you to follow, share with others and write to us if you know about the existence of articles without Ukrainian translation or those that need to be updated/created! We will continue our activities on de-Russification and modernization of Wikipedia. We invite you to join this process, because everyone can be the author of Wikipedia! And if you have ideas for articles that need to be updated or created - write to us!

Viktor Zagreba and Maksym Shulga, experts of the "Vision Zero" NGO, as part of the "For Safe Roads" campaign, developed the "Analytical report on penalty systems for violating the Traffic Rules in Ukraine and international practice." The customer and publisher of the report is the Center for Democracy and the Rule of Law, which has already held a public presentation and discussion of this report . The purpose of the report is to inform society about the punishment system and the need to help advocate for changes that will reduce the level of death and injury on Ukraine's roads. The report contains an overview of the theory of punishments in the road safety system, recommended punishment tools, and also examines the actual situation with the availability of various tools in the national legal systems of Ukraine and 4 other countries. The report file in PDF format can be found here: Analytical report on penalty systems for traffic violations in Ukraine and international practice .

Пропонуємо вашій увазі коротку довідку з фактами про те, чому надмірна швиидкість є проблемою. Документ підготовлено за участі експертів "Vision Zero" в рамках Кампанії "За безпечні дороги".