Rafal Trzaskowski shares best practices from Warsaw during debate on public transport
"In any city, citizens are by far the most critical stakeholder. They are the city and so, they need to be fully engaged in the decision-making process related to making transportation more sustainable." Rafal Trzaskowski, Mayor of Warsaw made these remarks during an online debate 'Step change: how citizens can help design the transport of the future' organized by Friends of Europe.
Referring to the essential step of bringing citizens onboard in the decision-making process, Trzaskowski referred to various tools including surveys, public consultations and citizens' panels adopted by the City of Warsaw to engage citizens.
Trzaskowski who is member of the Covenant of Mayors Political Board and rapporteur of the European Committee of the Regions on the European Climate Pact said that public transportation is a top priority for the City of Warsaw as the city aims to reach climate neutrality by 2050. "Public transport is an important goal that will help us achieve this overall priority."
Trzaskowski stressed that while public consultation, surveys and panels are important, raising awareness and education had to precede the process. Referring to the situation in Warsaw, he said that 41% of citizens use public transport but 34% still rely on private cars. "For many people decisions made are not yet clear, some want more car parks rather than prioritizing public transport, or wider roads rather than bike lanes. Hence why we need to raise more awareness."
The Mayor added that after raising awareness, change needs to be brought stepwise to demonstrate to citizens the positive change. He referred to how the City of Warsaw had step-wise identified squares in the city and removed cars. This approach led to public opinion to change and for people to embrace such policy. The city also added cycle paths to some strategic streets, one by one, for people to experience the change. Once people realized that more of their neighbors were using new infrastructure they joined the wave of change. "Without real-life experiences, we can't effectively prove that public transportation, biking or walking are a real alternative to passenger cars. Once we let citizens experience the change, we can move to the consultation phase and to implement decisions accordingly" concluded Trzaskowski.
This event was organised as part of the European Climate Pact. The European Climate Pact is a movement of people united around a common cause, each taking steps to build a more sustainable Europe for all. Launched by the European Commission, the Climate Pact is part of the European Green Deal and is helping the EU to meet its goal to be the first climate-neutral continent in the world by 2050.
