North Aegean Region Explores Shared Mobility in 2nd Meeting
Aiming to discuss shared mobility opportunities, the second meeting with the participation of stakeholders from the Region of North Aegean was held in February 2024 within the frame of SMAPE – Interreg Europe. It was realized through a hybrid approach facilitating, this way, the active involvement of authorities of many islands of the Region without travelling. Indeed, Mayors and Vice-Mayors from Mytilene, West Samos, Psara, Chios islands, their associates, and the President of the Technical Chamber of Greece-North Aegean Branch were actively engaged.
The SMAPE local meeting achieved to bring together high-level representatives of several local Authorities. They described the shared mobility situation in their territory through a roundtable discussion organised. Then, all participants had the chance to comment and compare the differences and/or similarities of the island contexts in terms of population, public transport availability, terrain morphology, type of tourists attracted, etc., through a brainstorming session. The specific focus was to highlight the potential of shared mobility while identifying specific conditions in the islands of the North Aegean that could be beneficial for the implementation of shared modes.
The main concern was the revenue and reluctance of shared mobility operators to invest in the islands, given the highly variable mobility demand. Furthermore, the influence and alteration of citizens’ and tourists’ mobility behaviours was identified as a significant challenge, necessitating additional support from the Authorities. Additionally, although there was consensus on the explicit sustainability targets for their respective islands, concerns were raised about the relationship between sustainable mobility and the broader sustainable urban development approach.
It was therefore decided that further action is required to ensure that sustainable mobility, including shared mobility solutions, is integrated with urban development strategies and not treated as a standalone issue. It was therefore decided that in order to achieve sustainable mobility, including shared mobility solutions, it is necessary to combine these with urban development, rather than treating them as separate issues. It is therefore essential to conduct feasibility and maturity studies in order to provide a robust foundation for the development of efficient infrastructure and funding solutions.
In conclusion, the stakeholders expressed interest in the good practices presented by the SMAPE Greek partners, which provided inspiration for discussion and knowledge transfer derived from the project.
The stakeholders’ meeting was organised by the Greek Project Partners, the University of West Attica and the Regional Development Fund of the North Aegean Region.