Riga Planning Region has developed a report on cooperation issues in the transport industry in Latvia aimed at identifying the industry problems and finding solutions for more efficient cooperation by the stakeholders’ dialogue
“The transportation corridor should be considered within the international scope, and in order for it to function well, it is important that we eliminate local problems, in particular, in Latvia in our case. In this report we identify several directions for improvement related to both searching for mutual cooperation platforms for experts and institutions, as well as a better mobility planning process and continuity of political decisions. Riga metropolis area plays a very significant role in the transportation industry in Latvia, it serves as a backbone of the internal transport movement with a regional airport, ports and railway network,” Rūdolfs Cimdiņš, Head of Riga Planning Region Administration, admits. The report was developed within the framework of the international project Baltic Loop aimed at reducing the travel and cargo transportation time between Riga and important international transportation nodes in Sweden, Finland, Estonia and Russia (St. Petersburg). The report reviews the so called South Loop section in Latvia including Ventspils (further to Sweden, Norway) – Riga – Valmiera (further to Tartu, St. Petersburg).
Figure: Well arranged public transportation system which could provide a substantial solution for traffic jams is an important element of the transportation system.
Within the Baltic Loop project the route in the South corridor is not geographically convenient for Latvia, other corridors provide a shorter route and are therefore more convenient from the point of view of spent time and resources. Accordingly, within the context of Latvia the Baltic Loop corridor should be viewed as a support function for cargo and passenger transportation. Riga metropolis area plays an important role within this context. This needs efficient planning of the public transportation, planning of cargo logistics, cooperation with other players in introduction of multimodal solutions and provision of a robust chain of transportation services, improvement of the transportation and mobility planning capacity for experts in Riga city.
The lack of a common long-term vision, instability of political decisions and scattered responsibilities between various institutions within the industry present yet another important aspect hindering development according to the discussions. This results in the current lack of overall vision of the transport dimensions instead of separate views of roads, railway and ports.
From the perspective of technology development the issue of innovation, cooperation of science and research, where cooperation is not systematic, was reviewed. Systematic cooperation by utilising assistance of the city planning and mobility laboratories could analyse and simulate the processes of development and implementation of relevant technologies and help to evaluate opportunities, risks and other aspects of the potential of various technologies to both policy makers and the industry business. More environmentally friendly transportation presents another challenge for Latvia and this needs solutions not only in the area of private passenger cars. Moreover, this aspect is becoming increasingly important among tourists.
As regards development perspectives for the South transport corridor new opportunities will be provided by the “Rail Baltica” project with new regional stations, overall infrastructure and a parallel “backbone” to the existing Latvian railway network. The accessibility of jobs in Riga will improve, as the railway will provide fast and convenient commuting possibilities.
The Report was developed in cooperation with SIA Ardenis based on interviews with the industry stakeholders and work group discussions.
Within the framework of the international project “Baltic Loop”, an online co-creation seminar was held on local level mobility in the Riga metropolitan area and connectivity with the southern transport corridor Ventspils – Riga – Valka.
The aim of the seminar was to discuss the current situation and possible solutions for passenger and freight traffic in the corridor, including the Riga metropolitan area, taking into account the need for connectivity between major development centers (in areas along the corridor) and international multimodal mobility points (Riga port, Riga central railway station, Riga International Airport).
Experts agreed that the backbone of regional mobility for both passenger and freight transport should be rail. In passenger transport, one of the challenges right now is how to create efficient mobility points by transferring from one transport to another. For example, in many places of passenger transport, stations are located far from the administrative center, so it is necessary to create an attractive public transport network that complements each other and ensures a convenient and fast flow of passengers. The integrated public transport ticket is an issue that is on the agenda of various planners in order to reduce the flow of private transport in the center of Riga, but at the same time promote the mobility of the population.
Speaking about the circle of the southern transport corridor Ventspils – Riga – Valka seminar experts have pointed out the need to use the railway infrastructure to Ventspils, resuming passenger traffic. It could possibly be further developed for tourism, offering additional trips by sea.
Regarding the flow of passengers around Riga, the experts pointed out the need to consider better accessibility of the airport in terms of public transport with the center of Riga and further to other settlements in Latvia. At present, this is time-consuming and insufficiently addressed. The Freeport of Riga also has poor connections with the railway and the airport. To get from the port to the airport, you have to drive through the center of Riga.
The participants of the co-creation also emphasized the intention of the Rail Baltica project, which is important in the Baltics, to establish 16 regional stations, which means that local governments must be ready to provide adequate infrastructure for mobility.
With regard to freight transport, the seminar participants emphasized a number of areas to be addressed. One of them is to think around Riga about the establishment of new significant logistics centers, which would also promote business and ease the workload of the center of Riga from the flow of trucks. A good example is the logistics center in Salaspils.
There is no easy solution to the question of how to promote the shift of freight from land to rail, which is more environmentally friendly in terms of harmful emissions. One of the contributing factors was the planned electrification of the railway, which was not in the planned direction Riga – Ventspils.
As part of the project, the Riga Planning Region organized a series of seminars-workshops “Cooperation Dialogues in the Transport Sector” with the aim of improving cooperation between different parties in the region to achieve better end results and find solutions to reduce travel time in the corridor.
The final online meeting on 9 December discussed the results, which will allow the report to be finalized.
The first meeting “Cooperation Dialogues in the Transport Sector” took place on September 22, 2020 in Riga. It was attended by 22 people. During the face-to-face session, the participants of the event analyzed the strengths and weaknesses, opportunities and threats.
The second meeting “Cooperation Dialogues in the Transport Sector: Ideas and Solutions” took place on October 20, 2020, in Riga. During the face-to-face seminar-workshop, 21 participants created and discussed ideas and solutions for weaknesses, opportunities and threats.
Identified:
18 weak sides
7 threats
5 options
51 ideas and solutions
“In the field of transport, we cannot ignore the trends of recent years. Mobility issues are affected by structural changes and changes in accessibility of citizens. This needs to be taken into account and much closer cooperation chould be developed in transport planning.” – Rūdolfs Cimdiņš, Head of Riga Planning Region administration
On September 22, a valuable working session took place in Riga within the framework of the international project Baltic Loop. Discussion participants from state and municipal institutions, Riga planning region and industry experts created a SWOT analysis on how to reduce traffic bottlenecks and hindrances. The work will continue in the next sessions but in the meantime some good lessons from the discussion!
Strengths
Strengths:
Clearly understood policy planning system in Latvia
Cooperation between the administration of the Riga planning region and the local governments of the region in all areas, incl. in the transport sector
Inter-ministerial working groups to address specific issues in the transport sector
A common vision for integration into the Single European Transport Area
Opportunities
Options:
Exploiting the research and development (R&D) potential of higher education and research institutions in transport planning
Identification and use of examples of good practice from Europe and other countries of the world in the Latvian transport sector
Use of synergies of EU cross-border as well as other projects in the development of the Latvian transport system
Experience in dealing with emergencies (Covid-19) and increasing the speed of decision-making
Development of smart and environmentally friendly technologies and their impact on the development of the transport sector
Weaknesses
Congestion with policy planning documents, frequent amendments to legislation
Lack of vision/strategy for overall long-term transport development
Rapid staff turnover at the decision-making level, which makes communication difficult
Non-systematic cooperation between public administration and academic environment (use of research results)
Threats
Lack of common policies and measures at the level of EU Member States, including to eliminate the consequences of Covid-19
Developments in unforeseen political events in the Eastern neighbor countries and the impact on international transport flows
The unpredictability of the Latvian legal environment (changes)
September 17, 2019 Vidzeme Planning Region and Riga Planning Region participated in MadCity seminar-workshop “Mobility Points in Latvia – Strategic Illusion or Great Regional Opportunity?”
The event brought together specialists and experts responsible for the planning, promotion and implementation of mobility in Latvia on a daily basis, including the Minister of Transport Talis Linkits.
Given the wide representation of the industry in the audience, it was a great opportunity to share the plans of the recently launched Interreg Central Baltic Program project BALTIC LOOP, which raises issues of a similar nature.
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