1st City-HUB Stakeholder Workshop: Identifying Key Intermodality Factors

Date: 24/4/2013

The 1st City-HUB Workshop took place in Budapest on March 21st 2013, with 40 attendees. The aim of the workshop was to identify perceived gaps, and further research and policy needs with respect to the practical delivery of good practice in interchanges. Selected “key experts” participated in the event and discussed, together with the City-HUB partners, crucial issues related to the design and operation of interchanges.

The opening address was made by the Project Coordinator, Prof. Andrés Monzón from TRANSyT-UPM, who introduced the City-HUB project along with the main targets and activities. Then, Mr Imre Keseru, Deputy Head of Division of the KTI Institute for Transport Sciences, presented details of intermodality planning in Hungary. During the first part of the workshop, the main findings of the state-of-the-art analysis on transport policy, best practices and user’s perceptions, were presented by Mr Derek Palmer (TRL), Dr. Barry Ubbels (PANTEIA) and Dr. Floridea Di Ciommo (TRANSyT-UPM), respectively.

During the second part of the workshop, the participants were split into three different focus groups, based on their interests and expertise:

• Transport Operators and managers view: Design, integration and accessibility
• Policy and governance: Intermodality and society issues
• User´s view, defining inputs for stated preferences and attitudinal survey

A summary of the results of these focus groups is provided below. 

Operators

Operators seem to focus on the need for real time, accurate information provision. Such information should be shown on displays at the interchanges (so be accessible by all users). In order to achieve a common information platform amongst all stakeholders at the interchange, centralised management is necessary. Information should increase ease of use of the interchange by the users.

Businesses at the interchange are a major concern of the operators. There is a trade-off between the objective of keeping passengers at the interchange the least possible time and making their waiting time at the interchange more productive. 

Policy Stakeholders   

• Governance is the key driver for interchange design and operation
• The responsibilities and jurisdictions of stakeholders have to be specified
• Financing of interchanges is a key topic to be addressed when designing, refurbishing, or renovating an interchange
• Sustainability, especially in terms of environmental concerns, may be a barrier to the development of an interchange, attributed to the restrictions that may apply and the impacts of the interchange development in an urban area
• Safety is an important topic that has to be considered when designing for an interchange
• Businesses should be expanded under an initial strategic business plan for the interchange
• Information protocols need to be established. For example, some northern countries have suggested that only digital information should be provided at the interchanges. Such a norm may be implemented in a few years’ time.

Users

Information is also addressed by the users, however, such information should:

• Not be too complicated or dense
• Be accessible by all, especially by passengers with special needs
• Provide information about the status of the interchange equipment, especially the parts that facilitate mobility of people with special needs

Special care should be given by the operators to the maintenance of equipment for people with special needs (along with information provision on the status of the equipment). When assessing passengers opinions through a questionnaire survey, simple words should be used to be better comprehensible by all respondents.Any questionnaire survey should include special sections for people with special needs.Security issues related to gender should be taken into account.

Finally, an open discussion followed where ideas were exchanged between the three groups.

For further information about the project, please contact the Project Coordinator:

Professor Andres Monzon
UPM/TRANSyT, Madrid, Spain Tel: +34913365373 Email: andres.monzon@upm.es

Or visit the website: www.cityhub-project.eu