Despite many cities in the Baltic Sea Region (BSR) currently investing large sums into green mobility offers, be it traditional ones like public transport or innovative ones like Mobility-on-Demand, then research shows that one specific user group – senior citizens – is not considered enough in this transition process. The majority of older people remain reluctant towards collective transport and ride-sharing, and outreach for that target group is often difficult.
Even the best environmentally-friendly transport solutions cannot unfold their full potential if public authorities and transport operators are unaware of the specific needs of senior citizens. Against this background, GreenSAM shows how minor adjustments in decision-making processes of public authorities (namely improved participation) can enhance the uptake and acceptance of eco-friendly mobility offers among a user group that is becoming more numerous and important in times of demographic change.
To demonstrate the benefits of improved participation, the partners address three specific mobility challenges: (1) How can bicycle sharing systems become more age-friendly? (2) How can public transport systems become more age-friendly? (3) How can public space be designed in a way that seniors feel more confident with green mobility modes?
For all three mobility challenges, the partners will develop several model solutions that show how improved participation processes can lead to increased acceptance of green mobility offers among senior citizens and have a measurable impact on mobility patterns.
In the project, IBS is responsible for creating a Participation Toolbox for age-friendly green mobility solutions.
More information can be found on GreenSAM webpage: http://greensam.eu