PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
The EC Report for Bulgaria 2020, Communication from the Commission (Brussels, 26.2.2020, SWD (2020) 501 final) in Section 4.5, states that, according to the forecasts, the target of limiting GHG emissions from the transport, waste and other sectors outside the European Emissions Trading Scheme will not be reached. Bulgaria needs to make further decarbonisation efforts to implement Regulation (EU) 2018/842 of 30 May 2018 on binding annual greenhouse gas emission reductions by Member States from 2021 to 2030, whilst considering that, at the EU level, stricter targets for emission reduction are currently being discussed within the framework of this Regulation, including from the transport sector.
According to the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (adopted in connection with the EU instrument Next Generation), the carbon intensity of the transport sector in the country is 3.5 times higher than the EU average, reaching 2.8 kg of GHG for 1 Euro gross value added in 2019. The integrated National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP) of Bulgaria 2021-2030 states that the importance of taking measures in the transport sector is justified by the fact that it is ‘one of the largest emitters of greenhouse gases after the energy sector, marked by steady growth but largely neglected until recently in terms of its impact on climate change’. According to the document, the main priority in the sector is to promote sustainable urban mobility by introducing intelligent transport systems on the national and urban road networks, giving priority to public transport and emission-free mobility, and increasing the share of electric transport.
The transition towards zero emissions mobility in an urban context is conditioned by both the need to meet the EU targets and by the challenges that stem from the COVID-19 pandemic, which accelerated the trends in favour of micro-mobility (electric bicycles, scooters, walking) and the introduction of digital mobility services. The Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans (SUMPs) implementation as an important instrument in the transition towards a climate neutral and resilient society is complicated by the lack of adequate capacity in the municipalities and the insufficient availability of resources for the execution of the measures. On the other hand, several documents have currently been developed at the municipal level, which directly or indirectly relate to the policies regarding the transition towards a climate neutral and/or resilient society. Oftentimes, these strategic documents are not consistent with each other. The SIP aims to tackle these challenges by proposing an approach that would fill the existing gaps regarding the subordination of the municipal programming documents and their interrelation.
OBJECTIVES
The Strategic Integrated Project (SIP) aims to support local authorities in creating administrative, organisational, technical and financial conditions for full implementation of the Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans (SUMPs), which support the transition toward a climate neutral and/or resilient society.
The general objective of the project will be achieved as a result of the implementation of the following specific objectives:
1. Reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in the six municipalities caused by the implementation of SUMP measures;
2. Building sustainable capacity in the administrations of the six municipalities so that they are able to:
- consider the measures in the SUMP in the context of the climate-neutral development of the respective municipality, assessing their impact on the reduction of greenhouse gases and ensuring synergy with other environmental policies, such as reducing air pollution, reducing noise, improving health, etc.;
- evaluate and implement the measures in the SUMP, as well as in other municipal plans, leading to climate-neutral development;
- carry out comprehensive monitoring and control, ensuring the implementation of the SUMP;
- mobilise and use different sources of funding to implement the complementary actions in the SUMP and measures in other planning documents for climate-neutral and sustainable development of the municipality;
3. Raising awareness and creating well-informed and motivated residents to partner with the municipal administrations in the implementation of the SUMP;
4. Increasing awareness and knowledge among municipalities in Bulgaria on issues related to sustainable urban mobility and the climate, and replicating the results of the project in other Bulgarian municipalities;
5. Communication and engagement with the interested parties in support of the implementation of the PUGM and increasing their activity regarding the execution of the complementary measures and the attraction of financing for the complementary measures.
RESULTS
The project is expected to develop, demonstrate and promote innovative techniques and approaches, including a model for calculating GHG emissions and carbon offsets, and an approach for attracting financial resources for the implementation of climate mitigation and adaptation measures, including for sustainable urban mobility.
It will also improve governance through enhancing the capacity of public actors and the involvement of civil society.
A full level of implementation of the SUMPs is expected, including the five main pillars, namely:
1. Smart transport systems;
2. Alternative modes of transportation;
3. Improving the infrastructure for sustainable mobility;
4. Greening modes of transportation and transport routes;
5. Raising awareness and fostering stakeholder participation.
The key measures aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions through the development of sustainable urban mobility, are as follows:
- Development of general schemes for urban mobility, giving priority to cycling and pedestrian traffic and urban transport over private motor vehicles; implementation of intelligent transport systems and platforms for traffic management and collection of other transport information, incl. data necessary for the precise inventory of greenhouse gases and other emissions from transport. These measures are fundamental to achieving the objectives of the plans. Without their implementation, a number of other measures from the SUMPs would not achieve the desired effect.
- Physical measures such as replacing conventional high-emission specialized municipal vehicles with electric ones in synergy with other important municipal policies; development and connectivity of pedestrian areas, development of bicycle transport and shared mobility, etc.
All other measures included in the SUMPs are considered complementary actions. A comprehensive list of complementary actions has been prepared for each SUMP, which is presented in an Annex.
First, the measures from the SUMPs implemented in the project are expected to lead to CO2 emissions savings of 103 tons of CO2 eq/year at the end of the project and five years after the end of the project.
The reduced greenhouse gas emissions from all the measures implemented by the municipalities within the project will lead to many times more saved emissions, which can be added during the implementation of the project to the above-mentioned 103 tons of CO2 eq./year.
Secondly, the measures, which are complementary actions and whose monitoring for the progress of implementation and attraction of financing will be coordinated in the SIP, will contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 27,151.00 tons of CO2 eq/year until the end of the project and five years after the end of the project.
In addition, the project is expected to reduce emissions of fine particulate matters (PM) and nitrogen oxides (NO2), as follows:
- Savings of PM emissions are 0.02 t/year and NO2 are 0.14 t/year - at the end and five years after the end of the project;
- Reduction of PM emissions by 16.16 tons/year and of NO2 by 119.01 t/year until the end of the project and five years after the end of the project.
The project will also create additional opportunities for health-enhancing physical activity, and reduce both the number of cars in traffic and the time to travel.
