Description
Mobility Opportunities Valuable to Everybody focused on co-creation to deliver unusual transport combinations. NHS Highland were also project partners. Semi-rural areas are often excluded from new or green mobility initiatives such as car and bike sharing, Uber and large scale zero emissions transport. Long distances and too few users make these too costly or simply not feasible, so many people use cars. Those who cannot use cars, or who cannot afford to use cars, are less likely to get a job or will leave to go to cities. This results in a vicious circle making these areas less attractive for businesses, or partnerships with big companies from the transport sector. Local authorities in turn often struggle in finding the capacity in staff and financing for green and flexible solutions, which remain heavily subsidised and are not always efficient: an empty electric bus does not reduce overall emissions, and the users’ needs are still not answered.
To solve these issues MOVE took on a new approach in developing innovative and sustainable mobility initiatives through co-creation, bringing together local authorities, knowledge centres, local economic players and (temporary) inhabitants. MOVE used local specificities to create practical solutions in 4 pilots based on unlikely combinations, with tangible business plans to be implemented, tested and evaluated. This aimed to increase accessibility, reduce individual cars use, emissions and costs. MOVE shared its best practices in sustainable mobility and governance to increase take-up in other regions and support the greening of the transport sector and stimulate rural areas in the NSR as a whole.
Website: northsearegion.eu/move/
Programme: Interreg North Sea Region (NSR)
Status: Complete
HITRANS activities:
- HITRANS worked with partner councils to deliver pilots addressing social exclusion by improving accessibility and low carbon travel opportunities into main population centres from rural and peri-urban areas
- The installation of charge points for the project was conducted between HITRANS and The Highland Council
- An eCargo bike trial was launched to support the increasing number of businesses making deliveries due to Covid-19
- Ferintosh Community Bus – A partnership of HITRANS, Stagecoach, The Highland Council, CSI Rossshire and Ferintosh Community Council (supported by Culbokie Community Trust)
