NEWS

On 3 June, Panevėžys city municipality administration organised an online national workshop for Lithuanian municipalities, “Urban Sustainable Mobility Planning Experiences and Solutions”, as part of the Interreg Baltic Sea Region project “SUMPs for BSR – Enhancing Effective Sustainable Urban Mobility Planning for Supporting Active Mobility in BSR Cities”. Participants represented at least 19 Lithuanian municipalities as well as the Association of Local Authorities in Lithuania. The workshop was opened by Giedrius Šileika, Director of the Panevėžys city municipality administration, who highlighted the positive results of the project’s pilot activities implemented in Panevėžys and noted that the insights gained would contribute to the further improvement of the city’s Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan (SUMP). He also welcomed the strong participation of municipal representatives and emphasized the importance of experience sharing, mutual learning, and international cooperation projects in addressing common sustainable mobility challenges and developing effective solutions for cities.

During the event presentations were delivered by Dr. Kristina Gaučė, sustainable mobility expert, Jokūbas Leipus, Head of the City Development Department of the Panevėžys city municipality administration, Indrė Juodikė, Project Manager of the SUMPs for BSR project, and Nemunas Abukauskas, Advisor to the Sustainable Mobility and Innovation Group of the Ministry of Transport and Communications of the Republic of Lithuania and National Contact Point for Cycling.

The workshop focused on European Commission recommendations and requirements for sustainable urban mobility, recent developments in TEN-T policy, and the role of urban nodes and functional urban areas in mobility planning. Participants were introduced to the experiences and lessons learned from the implementation of pilot activities in project partner cities and in Panevėžys, including mobility data collection and active mobility measures tested in schools. The event also highlighted the key results and solutions developed within the SUMPs for BSR project, such as the Monitoring and Evaluation framework, the Indicator Selection Tool, the Training Programme for cities, and the Baltic Sea Region SUMP Competence Centre. In addition, national support mechanisms for sustainable mobility and cycling were presented, alongside practical guidance and tools available to municipalities for planning, monitoring, and evaluating sustainable mobility measures.

The main objective of the workshop was to transfer the knowledge, tools, and practical solutions developed during the project to Lithuanian municipalities. The methodologies, training materials, and planning tools created within the project will support municipalities in designing and assessing sustainable mobility measures more effectively, helping them work towards more sustainable urban environments and a higher quality of life for their residents.

SUMPs for BSR is co-funded by the Interreg Baltic Sea Region Programme 2021–2027. The lead partner of the project is the City of Turku (Finland), the partnership includes organisations from Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Germany, Sweden, and Lithuania.

The total project budget amounts to Eur 3.07 million, including Eur 208,000 allocated to Panevėžys city municipality administration.