Tuesday 28th of January we had the pleasure of interviewing Fred Dekkers, a councilor for GroenLinks and a spokesperson for mobility in Utrecht. He mentioned that a livable city is only possible if the municipal government, social initiatives, residents' groups, action groups, neighborhood platforms, and social and creative entrepreneurs work together.

When we asked about his process of focus for development, he said his motto is always, to begin with the people with more limitations: this can be physical, health-wise, or economic. However, making arrangements to make sure all residents receive aid is complicated; before the U-Pas was available for residents there were no previous arrangements for cheaper transport. Mr. Dekkers mentioned that any arrangements to facilitate access to transportation have its own budget within the Municipality of Utrecht, which for now has been facing budget cuts as construction projects have been increasing.

Plans within the Municipality

Currently, Mr. Dekkers is involved with the development of Overvecht and working within the development of the fast bus line Europalaan-Zuid. He explained how such a development requires accompanying work to make sure other bus lines keep public, and there is a balance between demand of transport for specific lines. One of the goals of the city is to make more bus lines that circle around the city center– as most are focused on accessing the center rather than facilitate mobilization in the suburbs.

Discussing subsidies

Plans are in action such as the U-Pas, to allow for credits to low-income residents, and the 66+ to allow for a discount on transport for elderly residents. However, none of these options include the train for discount. Mr. Dekkers mentioned that as NS is a private company, any changes would have to be managed by the state, and public transport is organized by the province itself. There is more planning and bureaucracy in between further coordination with NS. He outlined that NS at least has lower fares for riders under eighteen, elderly users and that it is completely free for children under six.

Accessible biking

For users with U-Pas, they can acquire a cheaper bike and often have 1-year of reparations included (depending on the store’s policies). Mr. Dekkers outlined that there are existing initiatives in Utrecht facilitating bike usage, such as Sport Utrecht; which offers bike lessons for children as well as low-income residents in Utrecht. Or Fietmaatjes, who have a volunteer basis which offers to accompany residents who either cannot bike alone or would rather not. This service is both for transportation towards different responsibilities, to run errands or even recreational biking.

Moreover, we mentioned how several residents had mentioned to us within brainstorming that the cycling lines were discouraging for biking, as they were often confusing or hard to follow. Mr. Dekkers mentioned the app “OSM Maps”, and how it has all the biking routes within Utrecht labelled by number and outlined. The app works offline as well, if one downloads the routes beforehand. There are also signs for all biking lanes around Utrecht, but this app makes viewing easier.

Accessibility for all

Residents with limited mobility can both apply for a permit to use their bike everywhere in the city center for one hundred euros a year (though Mr. Dekkers has proposed to lower it) or can apply for a Handicap parking card for sixty euros a year.

There are also initiatives that offer transportation, like Regiotaxi employing professional drivers, which elderly people can call upon regularly or by location. Likewise, Buurtmobiel works on a basis of volunteer drivers that can be scheduled regularly for check-ups and meetings or on-demand. Buurtmobiel is subsidized by the municipality, which allows for an economically accessible alternative to taxi applications.