Winner mobility 2019

21 October 2019
Mobility
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Projects

Winner GTI Awards 2019 – Mobility

Malta “Sustainable Multi-Intermodal Transport Hubs (SMITHS)”

General information:

Island (Region, Province, Country):
Malta

Population:
450,000

Budget / cost of the project:
€ 32.000.000 (ERDF and National Funds)

Project objectives:

Sustainable Multi-Intermodal Transport Hubs (SMITHs) The project’s first objective is to organise a number of sustainable multi-intermodal transport modes in the form of transport hubs placed at strategic locations where transport demand is high. The second objective is to promote inter-modality between various sustainable transport modes specifically to carry out last mile journeys by commuters in urban centres, thus moving away from the use of the private ICE vehicle. The third objective of the project is to promote the concept of Mobility as a Service as well as public transport. The fourth objective is to reduced Green House Gas Emissions and improve local air quality, in locations where the SMITHs are located.

Project description of activities and specific interventions:

Apart from being promoted as a concept in itself, the SMITHs is being showcased in a number of ways including through an ERDF funded project as well as through the use of National Funds. Conceptually, SMITHs is the organisation of a number of sustainable inter-modal transport services operated by private operators concentrated in a given areas, including scheduled bus public transport, scheduled maritime ferry services (in the case of maritime towns), e-car sharing services, electric-cargo sharing vans, electric motorcycle sharing; e-kick scooter sharing; bike sharing, pedelec sharing, transport on demand services. On the other hand, the project is demonstrating two ITS -enabled 26km of safe cycling route corridors based on the sharing of the road concept in the form of a pilot project; the introduction of ITS enabled passenger waiting facilities for maritime ferry services ; pedestrian bridges in selected road sections, a park and ride facility in Gozo to serve the Malta-Gozo Ferry Service and which will be serviced by electric buses; EV charging facilities, pedestrianisation related measures to improve walking and additional conventional cycle lanes The SMITHs Project comprises of a number of additional deliverables, including the deployment of CCTV cameras to better manage 6 main bus corridors which intersect the SMITHs locations and a national traffic control centre to better manage such corridors remotely. a new branding scheme is also being introduced so that commuters will be better informed of such services.

Public outreach, education and awareness efforts and results:

Transport Malta is promoting the concept through various means including participation in exhibitions and conferences as well as through various marketing activities, a number of short animated videos are also being prepared. A tender for a marketing campaign to promote the concept and the project is also being prepared. In parallel to this, a national cycle policy has been published outlining the concept of the safe cycle corridors as well as another policy document of micro-mobility (including sharing of e-kickscooters).

Economic value added and how calculated:

Each of the sustainable inter-modal services being promoted through the SMITHs concept and projects have an economic value in their own right, since they are all contributing towards less traffic congestion (thus contributing to GDP since congestions negatively effects GDP through wasted time in congestion and long traffic ques), improvements of local air quality levels, reduction of Green Gas House Emissions, creation of green jobs and the promotion of ITS and green technologies.

Ecological and social project outcomes:

All of the inter-modal transport services are environmentally sustainable. All of the modes are green, such as through electric propulsion,, cycling or walking, and hence these contribute towards Malta’s international targets for the reduction of Green House Gas Emissions, improved energy efficiency as well as the improvement in local traffic generated traffic emissions such as NOx, SOx and PMs. A substantial GHG emission savings are expected to be achieved through this project, which savings are currently being re-calculated after the project is being re-dimensioned.