The SUMP (Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan) is the cornerstone of European transport policy. As a result, complex plans are created that not only evaluate transport and transport needs in themselves but also consider the social, environmental, economic development and other social aspects of urban development.
Debrecen plays a pioneering role in developing renewed mobility plans based on the so-called SUMP 2.0 methodology, since in our country our city can boast a plan that is ready for socialization, professionally completed and already meets the new standards. This in itself is a success, to achieve it, the representatives of the local actors, the population, city administration, transport service providers and industry had to be seated at the same table, and a livable, green and sustainable urban transport vision had to be put together, taking into account the needs of all interested parties.
Debrecen’s renewed sustainable mobility plan was presented on December 6, 2023, at the Kölcsey Center in the framework of a round table discussion, which was attended by Mayor László Papp, Deputy Mayor Ákos Balázs and the creators of SUMP.
In his introduction, Mayor László Papp said, among other things, that Debrecen has come a long way in the past 25 years. In particular, the last 10 years have created extraordinary opportunities and brought results in the field of economic development, but they have also generated challenges, the main answers to which must be found. In recent years, Debrecen has created several strategies for serious urban development, the most important of which are the New Phoenix Plan launched in 2016, and then the Debrecen2030 city strategy adopted by the government in 2020. It is necessary to implement economic, transport, educational, cultural and other welfare developments.
In the case of a city undergoing transformation with great economic dynamics, it is very important that transport tries to follow the changes in all respects. That is why it is of great importance that Debrecen’s new sustainable urban mobility plan has been completed.
The previous version, adopted in 2016, was a transport program focusing even more on the city center. The new version already shows the image of a city transitioning to a decentralized transport system, which takes into account the transport needs of the economy and, in the future, increasingly intensive residential developments. The mayor emphasized that during the preparation of the material, many consultations took place with professional and social actors. The city is constantly changing, challenges are constantly appearing, to which the city administration is constantly trying to respond. Since the adoption of the Új Főnix Plan, traffic interventions have taken place in many parts of the city, primarily within the framework of local government investments. In recent years, these have been joined by large state investments that represent solutions for Debrecen, which is already changing a dimension.
In 2024, 19 transport development projects will be launched in the city, 6 of them are concrete implementation, the rest are at the planning level.
The creation of an internal traffic corridor and a large external bypass on the eastern side of the city is extremely important. In connection with this, planning, route plans and the preparation of an environmental impact study are already underway. László Papp emphasized that the issue of digitization in transport is very important. The city’s general assembly adopted the Sustainable Urban Development Strategy. The infrastructural conditions for the establishment of an intelligent city management center are practically already in place, and the funds are also available so that, thanks to the government’s support, the technical conditions of this intelligent city management center can also be developed. The mayor drew attention to the fact that the new, very high-quality mobility strategy suitable for designating short-, medium– and long-term strategic transport development directions will have to be constantly reviewed depending on the current challenges.
Deputy mayor Ákos Balázs emphasized that the world is changing fast, technologies are changing fast, and Debrecen is developing even faster. – We want to develop this city in such a way that it remains unmistakably Debrecen and that everyone from Debrecen is a winner of this change. In this regard, transport and public transport are part of our everyday life, so this is a very important priority. There is a saying that data is the new oil. That is why digitization must be present in this, and that is why we formulated the idea years ago to create a city management center based on this. The underground parking garage is already being built on Dósa palátin tér so that this city management center will have a place there. This is a very important message, as we will introduce a completely new approach to the city’s traffic management, he underlined.
The reception of the program, which will already enter the implementation phase in 2024, is very positive on the part of both transport companies and civil organizations.
This is how Debrecen’s transport system would be reformed
With the help of the concept, which has been developing and expanding since 2005, European, including Hungarian, cities and large cities can connect their investment programs related to individual modes of transport in an organized, systematic and professionally supported manner to meet the mobility needs of residents, businesses and commuters in a sustainable and green way. People will be satisfied, not only in the cities themselves but also in the agglomerations for the sake of a better quality of life. As a result, complex plans are created that not only evaluate transport and transport needs in themselves but also consider the social, environmental, economic development and other social aspects of urban development.
The cornerstone of the situation analysis was addressing the local stakeholders, such as specialists, professional background institutions, leaders of the economy, society, green movements and agglomeration settlements. The creators of the plan collected the public’s opinions in the framework of a large-scale, personal survey addressing nearly 3,000 people. In many cases, traffic counts were carried out, traffic databases, accident and traffic statistics were analyzed, and the experiences were incorporated into a digital traffic model mapping all the streets of the city. Finally, short-term (until 2027), medium (until 2030-35) and long-term (until 2050) measures were proposed.
A proposal was made, among others:
• to implement the eastern external and internal traffic corridor;
• for the construction of tram number 3; and for the reconstruction of tram line 1;
• for node investments;
• the basic concept of an intelligent transport city management center was developed.
• SUMP also proposes to renew the parking system.
• Cyclists and pedestrians were not left out of the planning either: the program included several new sections, the maintenance of existing bicycle paths and the creation of an innovative bicycle storage facility serving the city’s bicycle paths.
In addition to the development of the city, it is also necessary to prepare for the increase in traffic from the agglomeration, so according to the plans, by 2030 the city will implement the measures with which it will effectively manage the rapid increase in vehicles and traffic:
• apply the so-called “15-minute city” concept, the essence of which is that everything we need in our everyday life should be within 15 minutes on foot, by bike or by public transport;
• as a first step, digitize the traffic organization on the city’s busiest routes;
• create the Digital Debrecen traffic control center, which can control the traffic waves within the city with immediate interventions;
• in the framework of pilot projects, it prepares the application of the transport technologies of the future, such as, for example, self-driving passenger transport;
• supports the digitization of public transport by implementing the city card application;
• Develops the transport infrastructure of individual residential areas and industrial parks, as well as commercial and cultural centers, enabling access to important urban destinations by public transport;
• introduces the Digital City Gate model, where parking and public transport services are preferred by the local population within the boulevard of Debrecen, while those coming from the agglomeration are provided with parking at public transport junctions and opportunities for convenient travel;
• It permits goods traffic in the city center during periods outside of peak traffic periods and in the future prefers that before the morning rush hour, goods are transported by light and medium-duty vehicles with an alternative drive chain;
• the renewal of public transport is carried out on the one hand by greening the local transport vehicle fleet, by developing fixed-track lines, and on the other hand by better matching the timetable and the service area;
• creates traffic junctions that act as de-centres and encourage commuters to carry out their daily shopping and errands locally, linked to their parking, and to switch to public transport when commuting to work;
• supports the further expansion of micro-mobility by developing agglomeration connecting bicycle paths and the internal bicycle infrastructure, by creating bicycle storage capacities adapted to user needs;
• integrate suburban transport into the local transport model and develop the eastern transport corridor and access roads, as well as agglomeration railway connections;
• transport infrastructure capacity-building measures are designed based on the expected traffic load of the target dates of 2030 and 2050, so it prefers the creation of separate traffic lanes and roundabouts, the installation of linear infrastructure serving the airport with increased traffic, as well as local infrastructure supporting the development of industrial parks the development of the road network;
• prefers sustainable solutions in all its projects, prefers the installation of renewable energy production capacities on newly created infrastructure elements, and uses the created renewable capacities in an energy community to green public transport.
The ones listed are only examples, as Debrecen is trying to ensure the city’s green, sustainable traffic organization and the efficient satisfaction of the excess traffic demand arising from the growth of the economy with more than 150 named and territorially delimited, complex project packages.
(Debrecen City Hall)
