Description
The cities Toruń and Bydgoszcz with a combined population of over half a million in central Poland jointly address development and transportation challenges within the project supported by the EEA Grants. The aim of the project is strengthening social and economic cohesion by developing mechanisms for effective co-operation between local authorities, civil society and NGOs and also with the preparation of technical documentation for an upgraded transportation system within and around the two cities.
Summary of project results
The aim of the project was to achieve greater social and economic cohesion of the functional area by developing mechanisms for effective cooperation between local and regional authorities, civil society and non-governmental organizations in order to make joint decisions on the sustainable development of transport systems. This goal was achieved through the work on " Study of sustainable development of transport systems of Bydgoszcz and Toruń districts with a special focus on the cities of Bydgoszcz and Toruń", which was consulted with the public during a large-scale social consultation process. Study of ..." is a basic document in the field of transport development for the implementation of the Integrated Territorial Investments for the Bydgoszcz-Toruń Functional Area (ITI). The design documentation for the construction of bicycle paths in the BTFA and bus-lanes in Bydgoszcz will also be used within the framework of the ITI, the investments for which the documentation was prepared will be built with ITI funding. Participation of inhabitants in the consultation of the document "Study of ..." allowed to develop project documentation for the investment corresponding to their needs. Partners have jointly selected the investments for which the design and cost estimate documentation was prepared. The implementation of these investments will ultimately contribute to the improvement of functioning of transport systems in the area of the Partnership while also being a direct response to the identified transport problems. Participation in the project allowed us to carry out design documentation for bicycle lanes and in the following years inhabitants of partner district will see specific effects of participation in the partnership. Cooperation has allowed us to look at concrete problems from the perspective of our neighbors. It was considered important to develop uniform standards for document preparation and investment implementation. Thanks to the project partners learned a lot from each other. They could confront our competences, capabilities and practices. They have seen how many common problems we have, but also that they can be approached differently. They also learned the compromises, tolerance and perspective of the partner.
Summary of bilateral results