SUMPs IN EU

The European Commission stresses the need for strategic planning in their transport policy documents such as the Action Plan on Urban Mobility (2009) and the White Paper on Transport (2011) or the Urban Mobility Package (2013). The new approach - unlike the traditional transport planning - highlights the importance of public and stakeholders’ participation, as well as of coordination of decision-making among various sectors (incl. sectors of transport, land use, economic development, social policy, health care, safety, etc.), among administration levels and close institutions.

Source: http://www.eltis.org/mobility-plans

THE SUMP CONCEPT

The 2013 Urban Mobility Package  sets out a concept for Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans (SUMPs) that has emerged from a broad exchange between stakeholders and planning experts across the European Union. The concept describes the main features of a modern and sustainable urban mobility and transport plan. It comprises the following main elements:

1. Goals and objectives
   A SUMP's central goal is improving the accessibility of urban areas and providing high-quality and sustainable mobility and transport to, through and within the urban area. It regards the needs of the 'functioning city' and its hinterland rather than a municipal administrative region.
2. A long-term vision and clear implementation plan
   A SUMP presents, or is linked to, an existing, long-term strategy for the future development of the urban area and, in this context, for the future development of transport and mobility infrastructure and services. It equally includes a delivery plan for short-term implementation of the strategy, specifying the timing for implementation, clearly allocating responsibilities and identifying the required resources and finances.
3. An assessment of current and future performance
   The Plan should build on a careful assessment of the present and future performance of the urban transport system by reviewing the current situation, establishing a baseline against which future progress can be measured, as well as defining performance objectives and related SMART targets to guide the implementation of the plan.
4. The balanced and integrated development of all modes
   A SUMP fosters a balanced development of all relevant transport modes, while encouraging a shift towards more sustainable modes. The plan puts forward an integrated set of technical, infrastructure, policy-based, and soft measures to improve performance and cost-effectiveness with regard to the declared goal and specific objectives. It would typically address the following topics:
   (a) Public transport
   (b) Walking and cycling
   (c) Intermodality
   (d) Urban road safety
   (e) Road transport (flowing and stationary)
   (f) Urban logistics
   (g) Mobility management
   (h) Intelligent Transport Systems
5. Horizontal and vertical integration
   The development and implementation of a SUMP follows an integrated approach with a high level of co-operation, co-ordination and consultation between the different levels of government and relevant authorities. To facilitate this, appropriate structures and procedures should be put in place.
6. Participatory approach
   A SUMP follows a transparent and participatory approach. The Local Planning Authority should involve the relevant actors - citizens, as well as representatives of civil society and economic actors – in developing and implementing the plan from the outset and throughout the process to ensure a high level of acceptance and support.
7. Monitoring, review, reporting
   The implementation of a SUMP should be closely monitored. The progress towards the goal and specific objectives of the plan and meeting its targets should be assessed regularly on the basis of the selected indicators. Appropriate action should be taken to ensure timely access to the relevant data and statistics. A monitoring report should provide the basis for a review of implementation.
8. Quality assurance
   Local Planning Authorities should have mechanisms to ensure the quality and validate compliance of the SUMP with the requirements of the SUMP concept.

THE SUMP PROCESS

Preparing a Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan (SUMP) is a complex undertaking. Guidelines developed with the Commission's support offer concrete suggestions on how to apply the SUMP concept and prepare an urban mobility strategy that builds on a clear vision for the sustainable development of an urban area. This process of developing and implementing a SUMP can be broken down into 11 main steps: