During April 26-28, 2023, the All-Ukrainian Mobility Forum was held in Lviv. It united more than 100 specialists in the field of sustainable urban mobility. We wrote about the event in more detail in
one of the past publications.
The purpose of the event was the exchange of knowledge, experience and the formation of further coordinated plans for the development of urban mobility. And according to the results of the event, the corresponding resolution of the participants was formed. The resolution became the consolidated theses regarding the main problems related to sustainable urban mobility in the cities of Ukraine.
Resolution of the All-Ukrainian Urban Mobility Forum in Lviv, April 26-28, 2023 Preamble On April 26-29, 2023, the All-Ukrainian Urban Mobility Forum was held in Lviv. The event was organized by the team of the Department of Urban Mobility and Street Infrastructure of the Lviv City Council in cooperation with the NGO "Vision Zero", as part of the project "TUMIVolt - urban mobility from renewable energy sources", implemented by the "Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH" with funding Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development of Germany. More than 150 representatives of city councils, enterprises, public organizations from Ukraine and abroad took part. The event became a platform for dialogue between representatives of the central government and local self-government, experts in the field of urban mobility, transport and infrastructure, representatives of business and public organizations. Participants shared experiences, learned about best practices and agreed on next steps. This resolution is the result of the forum. Barrier-free street and transport infrastructure 1. The accessibility of cities and transport infrastructure is a strategically important common goal of a humanitarian nature. Cities, urban and intercity transport must function in a coordinated manner and be accessible to groups with reduced mobility.
2. The participants of the forum support the goals of the state to achieve barrier-free accessibility , enshrined in the National Strategy for the creation of a barrier-free space in Ukraine, and are already taking measures to conduct an audit of barrier-free accessibility and improve the accessibility situation. However, to achieve barrier-free cities, transport infrastructure and transport services, meaningful cooperation and assistance at the level of state bodies of executive power and state enterprises is necessary.
3. Forum participants consider it critically important to ensure barrier-free railway stations and stations as key transport hubs . City councils are ready to cooperate with Ukrzaliznytsia in this direction, so that platforms, station buildings and station squares, public transport stops, parking spaces and other infrastructure elements become barrier-free, and expect open and active cooperation from Ukrzaliznytsia. and appropriate state financing of design and construction works.
City public transport 4. Ukraine should implement European Commission Directive 1370/2007 as soon as possible in accordance with clause 1875 of the Association Agreement between Ukraine and the EU (regarding public passenger transport services by rail and road transport). This will open up the opportunity for cities to move to a modern and sustainable transport procurement system instead of an outdated and inefficient system of tenders for bus routes. The drafts of the relevant Laws of Ukraine were registered in the VRU under No. 5149 dated 25.02.2021, No. 5150 dated 25.02.2021, No. 5151 dated 25.02.2021, No. 5152 dated 25.02.2021, No. 5185 dated 02.03.2021, but they have not been adopted for more than two years. were considered by the Verkhovna Rada.
5. Public transport and urban mobility in general should become the subject of attention from the legislative and executive bodies of state power , and occupy an important place in state policy, in accordance with the documents and best practices of the European Union. It is expedient for the Committee on Transport and Infrastructure of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine to resume the inclusion of draft laws on urban mobility in the agenda of its meetings, and the development and implementation of state policy to promote the development of sustainable urban mobility, in particular public transport, cycling and road safety, should be added to the spheres of authority of the Ministry of Infrastructure.
6. Cities are experiencing a staffing crisis in public utilities, especially the lack of drivers and technicians of public transport enterprises. A new Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 exacerbated this problem; for example, at the Vinnytsia Transport Company, more than 100 workers have been mobilized into the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The personnel crisis leads to the fact that there will be no one to manage and no one to service the new rolling stock. Cities will not be able to solve this problem without legislative changes, in particular regarding the public transport financing system, driver training, etc. State support for vocational and technical education in the field of public transport is also necessary.
7. The Law of Ukraine "On some issues of the use of vehicles equipped with electric engines and amendments to some legislative acts of Ukraine regarding overcoming fuel dependence and the development of electric charging infrastructure and electric vehicles" in terms of quotas for electric buses when purchasing rolling stock after 2024, the participants of the forum consider it unrealistic and insensitive to the situation in cities and to the field of urban public transport in general , and as such, which does not take into account the need to update and develop already existing tram and trolleybus systems in cities, and does not stimulate communities to replace private vehicles with buses. For many routes and settlements, high-quality bus connections today will have a better impact on the environment than a small number of electric buses in a few years. The norms of this Law should be improved and supplemented by further legislative changes.
8. At the level of state bodies, it is worth recognizing that electric public transport as a sector of the economy has significant potential for the post-war recovery of Ukraine and integration into the EU. Ukrainian battery buses, trolleybuses and trams, railway rolling stock can be competitive in domestic and foreign markets, bringing tax payments, quality jobs, innovative technological development and export earnings to the state. Ukraine has the capacity to produce more than 1,000 buses, trolleybuses, and trams per year, but only a few dozen are produced. At the level of state policy and city procurement policies, it is advisable to prioritize the Ukrainian manufacturer and ensure the percentage of production localization.
9. Deregulation of urban transport infrastructure: in cooperation between municipalities and public authorities, based on EU best practices, the numerous obstacles for cities to develop electric public transport, which contain legal norms (for example, the need to carry out an environmental impact assessment for tram lines, when such assessment is not required for highways, prohibition of tram and trolleybus traffic through railroad crossings where buses are allowed), state building codes and state standards (eg restrictions on track, catenary and subway design). DBN and DSTU should be reformed in Ukraine in order to remove outdated regulatory requirements that do not exist in EU countries. In an optimal scenario, these norms should be transferred to a parametric approach, fixing the criteria for the final result, and not requirements for technical parameters. (for example, the regulatory requirement for a minimum distance of 20 meters from the tram track to the nearest residential buildings should be replaced by a requirement for the maximum permissible level of noise and vibration in residential buildings caused by the movement of trams). Deregulation of pricing and provision of benefits for the use of public transport is also important.
10. Tax incentives for public transport . The participants of the forum propose to consider the cancellation or reduction of VAT on rolling stock and infrastructure of public electric transport, in particular, to exempt from VAT purchases that take place with the involvement of international financial organizations. This will allow cities to more quickly update rolling stock and electric transport infrastructure, the need for which is very significant. An important component of the sustainability of urban passenger transport financing is the restoration of the state subsidy to compensate for the benefits for travel in public transport, which were introduced by the state.
11. Zones of low and zero emissions in cities. Changes are needed to the Law of Ukraine on Local Self-Government, the Law of Ukraine on Road Traffic and the legislation that regulates mechanisms for recording violations, which will allow cities to plan and implement low-emission zones, following the example of how it is done in European Union cities.
Traffic safety 12. Planning before designing. For infrastructure projects (roads, streets, bridges, tunnels, stations), a planning stage (feasibility study) should be provided as a mandatory stage that precedes design. Make changes to legislation and by-laws. The planning stage of infrastructure projects includes several new planning tools (in addition to the existing TEA): pre-TEA (preliminary TEA), transport concept, road safety impact assessment, consultations with interested parties.
13. The speed factor is the number one problem. It is necessary to take decisive measures to reduce excessive speed as a key factor that causes the majority of road accidents with victims in Ukraine, in particular: eliminate or reduce the threshold of tolerance, which is currently 20 km/h, which does not correspond to the practices of any EU country; introduce changes to speeding fines with a progressive increase in the amount of the fine for every 10 km/h; begin to develop a system of penalty points to positively affect the minority of drivers who create the majority of problems, and for which monetary sanctions (fines) are not a deterrent.
14. Continuation of decentralization in the field of traffic management. The Law of Ukraine "On Road Traffic" already defines the responsibility of local authorities for road safety in the territory of communities, and the Law of Ukraine "On Roads" defines the need for road safety audits and the qualification requirements of auditors. However, the conduct of road safety audits on roads passing within the boundaries of populated areas is not regulated, and duplication remains in the form of the requirement for simultaneous approval of changes to the organization of road traffic by patrol police bodies, which do not always have specialists with the necessary qualifications on site. Thus, the field of activity of qualified experts who have passed the appropriate certification is more limited than the powers of regional units of the patrol police, which do not have the appropriate qualification requirements.
Transport integration of cities and suburbs 15. Intermunicipal cooperation. To develop the legislative framework in the field of inter-municipal cooperation - to update the Law of Ukraine "On Cooperation of Territorial Communities", as it is outdated and does not reflect the decentralization reform that took place later (creation of united communities). During the 9 years of existence of the law, not a single large city concluded an agreement with neighboring communities on inter-municipal cooperation, which indicates the invalidity of the law.
16. Law on agglomerations. Begin the development of a specialized law on urban agglomerations, based on the example of EU countries, which will allow organizing effective cooperation between large cities and surrounding communities in the sector of transport services, infrastructure development and other services.
Cycling and micromobility 17. Authorize the Ministry of Development of Communities, Territories and Infrastructure of Ukraine: Amend Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine No. 460 "On Approval of the Regulations on the Ministry of Development of Communities, Territories and Infrastructure of Ukraine" dated June 30, 2015 in the part of the Ministry's powers related to the formation and implementation of state policies in the bicycle and light personal transport sector.
18. To complete work on the National Bicycle Strategy of Ukraine , the draft of which was developed by representatives of civil society with the participation of cities in 2019-2021. The need for bicycle infrastructure development and state support for this development only intensified as a result of the full-scale war.
19. Consider changes to the customs and tax legislation regarding the exemption from import duty and VAT of electric micromobility vehicles — scooters and electric bicycles, following the example of how it is done with private electric cars. Electric cars create traffic jams and occupy urban space to the same extent as non-electric cars. Means of micromobility, on the other hand, do not do this.
20. Make changes to the Road Traffic Rules , detailing the rules for the movement of light personal vehicles and make changes to the rules for the movement of cyclists, the draft of which has been developed by civil society.
21. Provide for the construction of bicycle paths within the construction of public roads of the I and II categories.
Deregulation of parking 22. Amend Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine No. 1342 "On Approval of Vehicle Parking Rules" dated December 3, 2009 and Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine No. 1306 of October 10, 2001 "On Traffic Rules" and allow parking closer than specified in the restrictions , if it is provided for by the current traffic organization scheme, does not impede traffic and does not violate the safety of road users, namely: allow the possibility of reduced distances from public transport stops, pedestrian crossings, entrances to adjacent territories, railway crossings, solid waste sites, etc.
23. Develop separate State building regulations for street parking, taking into account the European experience , since today, for the organization of street parking, the standards for the construction of multi-level garages are used (DBN B.2.3-15:2007 "Parking lots and garages for passenger cars").
24. To make changes to the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine No. 258 "On approval of the procedure for the formation of tariffs for services for the use of sites for paid parking of vehicles" dated March 2, 2010, since the existing pricing does not take into account modern approaches to the organization of parking (in particular, introduce the factor of paid occupancy , allow dynamic pricing, etc.).
Railway 25. Create the possibility of transfer to the balance or exploitation of communities, in particular, in the form of public-private partnership, railway tracks and stations. This should make it easier for local governments to invest in rail transport, not only in urban and suburban passenger, but also in general in rail transport infrastructure located within communities.
26. Amendments to the Law of Ukraine "On Railway Transport": Create the possibility of combining the arrival and departure schedules of railway transport with city public transport. Providing local authorities with the opportunity to influence the distribution of rail transport capacity in such a way as to synchronize different modes of transport with each other for more efficient passenger transportation, in particular, thanks to the transition to the procedure for the procurement of public passenger transport services by rail and road transport.
According to the results of the Forum, the text of the resolution was formulated by the members of the organizing committee: Orest Oleskiv, Department of Transport, Department of Urban Mobility and Street Infrastructure of Lviv City Council, Pavlo Syrvatka , Department of Street Infrastructure, Department of Urban Mobility and Street Infrastructure of Lviv City Council, Marta Pastukh , Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH (GIZ), Viktor Zagreba , public organization "Vision Zero".