Category: News

On April 4, 2024, the NGO "Vision Zero" together with the Association "Energy-Efficient Cities of Ukraine" held a webinar on the topic "Lviv Electric Mobility Plan and Integration of Renewable Energy Sources (RES)" .

This webinar was held with the participation of more than 40 participants from 35 settlements of Ukraine. The industry speakers were: the head of the Transport Department of the Lviv City Council, Orest Oleskiv , and Demyan Danylyuk , an expert of the NGO "Vision Zero" on public transport.

Among all, it was about the " Plan for the development of electromobility of the city of Lviv until 2035" and what it foresees, as well as about possible scenarios for the use of RES for the development of electromobility in Lviv.

In the final part, the participants asked questions to the speakers. More details about the webinar, reports-presentations-questions in the publication at the link: https://bit.ly/3VXVeGY And the recording of the broadcast is available for viewing here: https://youtu.be/0AXjJMrRUp4?si=--kfZQZRbG_JS1Jw

Since June 2023 , the NGO "Vision Zero" and the Association "Energy-Efficient Cities of Ukraine" have started cooperation within the framework of a new one-year project, the main goal of which is to promote the modernization and development of electric public transport in the cities of Ukraine by including it in state policy documents, in particular in modernization plans and recovery.

One of the areas of work is the preparation and distribution of materials on the topic of sustainable mobility and public electric transport.

Currently, a library is available on the Association's website, consisting of a series of educational and practical publications, which include the experience of various countries in the field of public electric transport development, translations of articles on the topic of sustainable urban mobility and industry documents of the European Union, as well as research and analytical documents. All these materials were prepared and issued by the NGO "Vision Zero".

As of today, this section contains 24 materials, many of which are published in Ukrainian for the first time. The most recent materials are translations of the articles " 10 statistical facts about women in transport, which show why public transport is important " and "Results of a sociological study on the presence of cars in Ukrainian households as of January 2024 " , which show how important the development of public transport is transport After all, the majority of Ukrainians do not have a car and depend on other means of mobility, including public transport.

In the context of urban planning and urban development, in the library you will find a bulletinabout the successful experience of the city of Lund (Sweden) regarding the construction of a new tram line and how it affected the development of the surrounding areas according to the principle of Transit oriented development . The library continues to be filled, we are preparing new materials and translations!

You will find more materials at the link: https://enefcities.org.ua/biblioteka/publikatsi/?tab=15

In 2023, Ukraine came only 2% closer to fulfilling its European integration obligations in the field of transport , increasing the share of implementation of European directives from 53% to 55% . We obtained such indicators after analyzing information from the government website "Puls Ugoda" based on the results of 2023 and 2022.

According to the website, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine added two percentage points to its "portfolio", increasing the implementation rate from 56% to 58% . The Committee of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine (VRU) on transport and infrastructure did not make any progress during the year, remaining at 19% . The Ministry of Development of Communities, Territories and Infrastructure of Ukraine and other central executive bodies in the field of transport achieved the greatest progress, their joint indicator of implementation of the Association Agreement increased from 33% to 42% .

Screenshot of the Pulse of the Deal website as of January 10, 2024

As of January 10, 2023, the share of overdue obligations, according to the government website, is:

• Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine: 42% non-compliance;
• Other central bodies of executive power: 68% non-compliance;
• VRU Committee on Transport and Infrastructure: 81% non-implementation.

The implementation of Regulation 1370/2007/EC is among the European integration draft laws that were not considered by the VRU transport committee last year. A package of five draft laws (5149 as the main and supplementary 5150, 5151, 5152 and 5185) was registered three years ago, long before Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. This package of legislative changes is needed both for Ukraine to become a member of the EU and to create an opportunity for local transport organizers to switch to modern principles of ordering and financing public transport services.

Various cities have repeatedly appealed to legislators to adopt this package of laws. Also, about 100 representatives of local self-government bodies, who participated in the All-Ukrainian Urban Mobility Forum, which took place in Lviv on April 26-28, 2023, addressed a joint appeal to the parliament with a request to speed up consideration of this issue.

Screenshot of the Pulse of the Agreement website as of January 3, 2023

According to the non-governmental organization "Vision Zero", such slow progress in the implementation of the Agreement delays the European integration of Ukraine and complicates the life of cities and citizens already now.

"Private and communal transport companies are barely surviving in the constant crisis conditions, which began back in 2020 with the coronavirus pandemic and only worsened in 2022-2023. As a result, the quality and reliability of public transport services is constantly and rapidly decreasing. Small ones suffer the most communities, especially in rural areas, where bus transportation is completely unprofitable and the lack of legal financing. These problems, which are experienced by the majority of the population of Ukraine, are probably unknown to the members of the VRU transport committee, who move around the cities and the country only by car are trying to change something, but due to outdated and imperfect legislation, they are limited in their ability to implement transport changes at the local level," Viktor Zagreba , chairman of the board of the non-governmental organization "Vision Zero", commented on the situation.

The public organization reminds that Ukraine ratified the Association Agreement between Ukraine and the European Union on September 16, 2014, that is, this year will be the 10th anniversary of this event. Ukraine's acquisition of the status of a candidate for EU accession does not cancel the need to fulfill the obligations specified in the Association Agreement. On the contrary, in addition to these obligations, the VRU and the government will have to develop and approve a large number of additional documents on state policy, in particular in the field of transport. Therefore, the implementation of the articles of the Association Agreement in the field of transport remains extremely necessary and mandatory on the part of the Verkhovna Rada, the Cabinet of Ministers and other central state authorities.

Representatives of the NGO "Vision Zero" took part in the meeting "on certain urgent issues of the functioning of automobile passenger transport", which was held online on December 28, 2023. The meeting was convened and conducted by Oleksandr Dyachenko - acting head of the internal road transport department and Svyatoslav Tovstyga - head of the urban transport department of the Ministry of Community Development, Territories and Infrastructure of Ukraine. The heads of transport departments and communal enterprises of local governments of Lviv, Dnipro, Chernihiv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Ternopil and other cities took part in the discussion.

The chairman of the board of the NGO "Vision Zero" Viktor Zagreba made a presentation on the topic "The need for reforming the system of organizing public transport services in accordance with the Association Agreement." He spoke about the problems voiced by the participants at the "All-Ukrainian Urban Mobility Forum" in April 2023, which was co-organized by the "Vision Zero" NGO. In particular, it was about the resolution of the Forum, Ukraine's obligations to implement Regulation 1370/2007/EC in accordance with the Association Agreement with the EU (regarding the organization of public transport).

NGO "Vision Zero" consistently advocates for the improvement of the state policy of Ukraine with the aim of modernization and development of electric public transport, which meets the climate obligations of Ukraine, the goals and principles of the European Green Course and the European Strategy for Smart and Sustainable Mobility.

On November 15, 2023, a panel discussion "How green is this recovery? The view of civil society" was held in Warsaw . The event was initiated by the NGO "Vision Zero " and jointly organized with the organizing committee " Rebuild Ukraine " - by "Premier Expo" company. The forum included a business exhibition with the participation of 304 exhibiting companies, as well as a two-day conference held simultaneously in three conference halls.

photo source : https://bit.ly/40RzHAi 

The purpose of the discussion was to disseminate assessments, views and strategic positions of civil society organizations regarding the recovery of Ukraine, which is already underway, and future steps (outlined in the "Ukraine Plan") from the point of view of the Sustainable Development Goals and the principles of the European Green Deal .

The audience of the discussion were representatives of donor organizations, international aid projects of Ukraine, international financial organizations, companies and business associations from EU member states. Therefore, English was chosen as the language of discussion.

Speakers at the panel discussion were:

Viktor Zagreba, chairman of the board of the NGO "Vision Zero";

Yuliana Onishchuk, founder and CEO of the "Energy act for Ukraine" Foundation;

Maryna Ratushna, head of programs of the NGO "Eco-diya";

Nataliya Kholodova, project manager of the Ecoclub NGO;

Oleksandra Naryzhina, head of the NGO "Urban reforms";

Maria Lukyanova, national coordinator in Ukraine of the bankwatch network sector;

Olena Koltyk, head of the "UST" organization.

The event was moderated by Anastasia Vereshchynska, the partnership manager of the "Energy act for Ukraine Foundation".

During the discussion, the participants discussed the process and quality of mechanisms and plans prepared by Ukraine for post-war recovery, work directly with cities, towns and rural communities on projects of autonomous energy production, the scale, trends and threats to the field of electric public transport, sources and mechanisms of financing recovery and modernization projects . Also, the topic of discussion was proposals and wishes of civil society organizations to the government and international partners of Ukraine.

This is the third representative event organized and held by the NGO "Vision Zero" in 2023. The first was a round table for representatives of local self-government bodies and specialized utility companies on the topic "Development of electric public transport and post-war recovery of Ukraine" on April 27, 2023 in Lviv. Its results, among other things, were reflected in the "Resolution of the All-Ukrainian Forum of Urban Mobility". The second event was a round table on the topic of post-war reconstruction of public transport, key tasks and challenges. It was held in Kyiv together with the Center for Transport Strategies.

On October 27, 2023 , on the platform of the Association "Energy-Efficient Cities of Ukraine", an educational webinar on the topic "Chernigov's experience in reorganizing the passenger transportation system in 2022-2023" was successfully held, which was attended by about 90 representatives from more than 50 cities of Ukraine. The main speaker of the webinar was Oleksandr Ryzhiy, head of the Department of Transport, Transport Infrastructure and Communications of the Chernihiv City Council.

"The renewal of public transport should be a strategic goal for Ukraine, for the post-war recovery and economy of the country, as well as for the return of forced migrants and displaced persons to Ukraine and to those areas affected by the war," said Viktor Zagreba, chairman of the board of the NGO "Vision Zero" ” , who moderated the event. He emphasized that according to the results of the round table, which was held earlier this year, the participants came to the conclusion that current laws, by-laws, state building regulations and standards sometimes do not contribute to the modernization and development of public transport, but inhibit this development. He called on cities and communities to be proactive and create a demand for high-quality public transport and corresponding legislative changes.

The webinar consisted of two parts. The first was dedicated to the presentation and discussion of Chernigov's experience in reorganizing the passenger transportation system. Oleksandr Ryzhiy spoke about the peculiarities of the introduction and functioning of the new model of public transport in Chernihiv after the blockade. "The city went to this model for about three years. We carefully analyzed the legislation, the experience of European cities, and the experience of Ukrainian cities. The transport contracts were to expire in 2022, and we took advantage of this legal opportunity to introduce a completely new route network and a new system of interaction with carriers," noted the head of the Department of Transport, Transport Infrastructure and Communications of the Chernihiv City Council.

During his speech, he also touched on several tangential issues, namely: the functioning of an electronic ticket that works in the city on the basis of a private-public partnership, the provision of reliable and high-quality passenger transportation services, as well as the establishment of a transparent and effective model of interaction with private carriers, which encourages them to invest in rolling stock renewal. "We set bus tariffs based on passenger capacity and year of manufacture. In this way, the city encourages carriers to buy new vehicles. We guarantee that they will have a future tomorrow," Oleksandr Ryzhiy added.

The second part of the event concerned the norms and practices of the organization of urban and suburban transportation in the countries of the European Union. Demyan Danylyuk, an expert on public transport from the NGO "Vision Zero" , using the example of Polish cities, explained that public transport in a neighboring country is not profitable and functions on the basis of EU Regulation No. 1370/2007, which provides for passenger transportation as a Public Service Obligation (PSO). This model involves the ordering of transport services by the state or local authorities, which pay carriers for transport work on public transport routes. "Socially important services should not be profitable, although they can be. Schools, polyclinics, roads do not bring direct profit, but without them, the development of human capital and the quality of life will significantly deteriorate," said Demyan Danyliuk.

Also, in his report, the expert of the NGO "Vision Zero" analyzed the legal norms that Ukraine should adopt in order to harmonize its legislation with European legislation, which is one of the European integration obligations of our state. He noted that Chernihiv is already on the way to implementing the PSO principle and called on other communities that participated in the webinar to adopt the experience of this city and change their approaches to the organization of public transport.

You can read the recording of the webinar at this link: https://bit.ly/3QzE27s

The webinar was organized as part of the project "Promotion of electric public transport as an element of the state policy of Ukraine", implemented by the NGO "Vision Zero" and the Association "Energy-efficient cities of Ukraine" with the support of the European Climate Foundation.

Since the start of the full-scale invasion, the city of Mykolaiv has received seven new Ukrainian-made trolleybuses with loan funds in cooperation with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). The rolling stock is delivered as part of the contract concluded in 2021, according to which the winner of the tender must hand over to the city 40 Dnipro T-203 trolleybuses manufactured by the Pivdenmash concern . The city received 30 units from this order by February 2022.

"After the start of active hostilities and in connection with the fact that the occupying forces were closely approaching the city, the EBRD suspended the financing of the project and the execution of deliveries was suspended. However, after numerous negotiations between the mayor of the city and representatives of the bank and after the Armed Forces pushed back the occupiers from the city and stopped shelling it with barrel artillery, the financing of the project was restored. Yuriy Smetana, the head of Mykolaivelectrotrans KP, said in a comment for the non-governmental organization "Vision Zero " .

The new trolleybuses are completely low-floor, equipped with modern electronics and air conditioners, which is very important in the hot Mykolaiv climate. " For such a southern city as Mykolaiv, on hot summer days it helped a lot and the townspeople really used trolleybuses more willingly," comments Yuriy Smetana . He has reason to claim this, as the city has accurate data on transported passengers : "We have an electronic passenger flow counting system installed in each trolleybus, so we can see how many passengers we transport every day in trolleybuses," said the head of the company.

Currently, Mykolaiv is preparing technical documentation for the next tender for the purchase of hybrid trolleybuses with an additional battery, which will be able to provide connections with remote city areas. In the technical requirements, "Mykolaivelectrotrans" notes a range of at least 20 kilometers and the availability of a 380-volt connection for the possibility of charging not only from the contact network, but also at the depot or at the final stops.

According to the head of KP "Mykolaivelectrotrans", Mykolaiv City Council and Mayor Oleksandr Senkevich have been emphasizing for many years that public transport, especially electric, should be the main carrier in the city. That is why the city concluded an agreement with the EBRD to obtain a loan for the modernization and renewal of the trolley bus fleet in the city of Mykolaiv.

Information from the NGO "Vision Zero": In 2023, an average of 30 trolleybuses will go on Mykolaiv routes every day. About 90% of them are modern models with a low floor. During the shelling of the city in 2022, 31 trolleybuses were damaged, including 18 new Dnipro trolleybuses. All new trolleybuses have been restored and are now operating on the routes.

In 2019, Mykolaiv was the first city in Ukraine to develop and approve a Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan. The development of electric public transport is enshrined in the Plan as a key priority of the city in the field of urban mobility.

Photo source: Mykolayiv City Council Facebook page.

"European Mobility Week" has started in Europe. As already reported by the "Association of Energy-Efficient Cities of Ukraine" website , this year six cities of Ukraine declared their intention to join this pan-European campaign. Cities hold "Bike to work" promotions, presentations, discussions, excursions and other events dedicated to sustainable urban mobility. The purpose of the activities is to promote sustainable means of transportation, such as cycling, walking and public transport. Some of the events already took place last weekend, and some are yet to come. We have collected information about the most interesting of them:

• The action "Bike to work" will take place in Chernivtsi, Poltava, Lviv in the morning of September 19. The organizers invite citizens to meet in the morning in the central part of each city, drink coffee and each go to work by bicycle;
• a workshop on "Tactical urbanism and urban artistic interventions" will be held in Zhytomyr on September 20;
• In Chernivtsi, the "Day without a car", the excursion "Transport past of Chernivtsi" and the presentation of the reconstruction project of the street are interesting. Zankovetska;
• Lviv has prepared a serious program, which will include a tram-themed walking tour, a trolley tour and "Sich Riflemen Street Day".

Posters of events from four cities dedicated to Mobility Week can be found below. Events planned in Lviv for the current week: Two more events are planned in Zhytomyr , and one has already taken place. If you live in one of these cities, join the proposed events, support the development of sustainable mobility in Ukraine!

This video was prepared jointly by the NGO "Vision Zero" and video blogger Oleksandr Shutyuk and is dedicated to trams and trolleybuses.

Representatives of the expert environment and municipalities explain the reasons why these most climate-friendly transport systems are in a rather sad state in Ukraine, and suggest strategic steps that will pave the way for their modernization.

Representatives of the expert environment and municipalities explain the reasons why these most climate-friendly transport systems are in a rather sad state in Ukraine, and suggest strategic steps that will pave the way for their modernization.

The recording of the interview took place in Lviv in April 2023 on the sidelines of the "Lviv Urban Mobility Forum"

From September 16 to 22, 2023 , the annual European Mobility Week (EMW) will be held, the task of which is to stimulate and promote sustainable mobility, the development of public transport, and the use of renewable energy sources.

Chernihiv, Chernivtsi, Lviv, Poltava, Uzhhorod and Zhytomyr will hold events for the European Mobility Week. The overarching theme of ETM in 2023 is “ Economy energy! ". The official website of the event informs how energy is directly related to mobility:

1. Public transport has a huge potential to reduce energy consumption. The amount of energy used to transport one passenger by public transport for 1 km is significantly less compared to the energy used for the same distance by a private car;
2. You can move around the city for a distance of up to 5 km on foot or by bicycle. It will take up to 30 minutes and will allow you to save energy, as well as improve physical and mental health;
3. The annual cost of owning a private car is often underestimated. Expenses only on energy carriers for the maintenance of a private car are up to 4,500 euros per year;
4. Reducing the speed of transport in cities by 10 km/h can reduce fuel costs by 60 euros per year.
5. Mobility management has the potential to reduce collective energy consumption by encouraging changes in the behavior of workers, students, customers, visitors;
6. Mobility infrastructure is not just about existing roads and traffic maintenance. Improving the existing and creating new infrastructure that would encourage the use of alternative modes of transportation: walking, cycling, and public transport is crucial to eliminating incentives to use private cars.

In total, the European Mobility Week events will take place in more than 1,700 cities and towns in 39 European countries , among which the largest number are in Spain (308), Turkey (251) and Austria (209). Some cities from outside Europe will also join the ETM: in Argentina, Ecuador and Japan.

Ukraine will be represented by six cities — Chernihiv, Chernivtsi, Lviv, Poltava, Uzhhorod and Zhytomyr. If you live in one of these cities, join the proposed events and support the development of sustainable mobility in Ukraine!

The European Mobility Week has traditionally been held since 2002. ETM international website: https://mobilityweek.eu/home/

The original ETM information brochures can be found at this link: https://mobilityweek.eu/campaign-resources/