Sr. Marc Verachtert
General Manager Affairs - Stad Hasselt
Hasselt és coneguda internacionalment pel servei gratuït dels autobusos públics. La idea original es va iniciar el 1997. Amb més de 15 anys d'experiència, Hasselt pot actuar com a expert en aquest camp. La ponència se centrarà en el tema que el transport públic gratuït és una part de la política de Mobilitat. Destacarà els resultats (+13.000% viatgers), així com donarà informació sobre els costs i beneficis, avantatges i desavantatges.
2. Content of this presentation
• Introduction of Hasselt
• Free Public Transport
• How it started
• Results
• Remarks and challenges
• A common strategy?
4. Hasselt – Known for:
• Shopping & fashion
• Free public transport
• Genever
• Pukkelpop
• …
Capital of good taste
5. Hasselt - Infrastructure
• Highways E313 & E314
• Albertcanal
• Crossing of railroads
• Outer Ring Road (R71)
• Green Boulevard (R70)
6. Hasselt - Infrastructure
1990:
– Need for a third ringroad !?
– Better solution:
Smart mobility (walkability,
biking, public transport)
=> Green Boulevard
7. Hasselt – Green boulevard
• Ancient city wall
• 19th
– Boulevard
• 60’s
– 2 ring structure
• Adaptation 1997
– Green Boulevard
8.
9.
10. Public transport
• Free since July 1997
• New network
• 3 main transit stations
• Accessible for the disabled
12. Free Public Transport
Year Users / year Times more
• Popularity: 1996 350.000
– 16% switched from car to bus
1997 1.498.088 4,28 more
– 12% from bike to bus
– 9% pedestrian to bususer 2000 3.178.548 9,08 more
2005 4.257.408 12,16 more
• Social factor 2008 4.516.611 12,90 more
– meeting place 2012 4.398.158 12,56 more
– elderly people
– “our bus”
– speakable
Hospital Market
Users before 26,25% 33,90%
Users after 73,75% 66,10%
13. Polls
Free public transport started 1 June 1997
November 1997: general bus poll
The questioned bus passengers declared the following:
• 16% had switched from the car to the bus
• 12% from the bike to the bus and
• 9% from on foot to the bus
leerlingen leerkrachten / personeel
1996- ‘97 1997 – ‘98 1996 – ‘97 1997 – ‘98
Busgebruik 9,7 % 23,3 % 3,4 % 7,2 %
Autogebruik 26,2 % 21,6 % 51,8 % 49,6 %
Fietsgebruik 38,0 % 27,5 % 31,0 % 31,0 %
Te voet 12,8 % 7,1 % 10,2 % 6,5 %
13
15. Free Public Transport
• Costs:
– 1-2% of the city budget
– 75% regional government
– 25% Hasselt (= ticket price)
Year € % of total cost (=ticket price)
1997 274.379 11%
2000 782.849 23%
2006 1.026.955 25%
2012 1.750.000 25%
16. Free Public Transport
• Social Factor
• Increased welbeing
• Reduced number parkings
• More trees / greenspots
• Less roadmaintenance
• Reduced number accidents
• Reduced airpollution
• …/…
17. REDUCED PARKINGS
• BEFORE 1995 • AFTER 2000
• Small ring road • Small ring road, now
•Metered: 346 HGB:
•Free: 186 •Metered: 197
• City centre: •Free: 000
•Metered: 698 • City centre:
• TOTAL: 1230 •Metered: 500
• TOTAL: 697
• 2008
– Small ring road, now HGB:
•Metered: 126
•Free: 000 TOTAL: 457
– City centre:
17
•Metered: 331
18. Walkability / Biking
• Car free pedestrian zone
– Step by step
– Alley network
– Parkingpolicy
– Deliverie stores
– …
• Biking
– Bikes alowed
– Free bicycle parkings
– Free bike rental
20. Future Lightrail
• Spartacus plan
– De Lijn & NMBS
– Reorganize bus network
– Lightrail: 3 routes
• Hasselt-Maastricht (
– 3 stops in Hasselt
– Overpelt & Maasmechelen
21.
22. Challenges
• High use of private
motorised transport
– Car possession (91,1%)
– 2,8 transfers/day (31,6 km)
• Improve the use of public
transport
• Cost/Benefit
23. Share ideas
• Idea lanched by Aubagne and Etoile:
group cities focusing on Free Public
Transport
• Use existing experiences, skills and
networks as for example Eurotowns.