Baza danych projektów PROW

This research project, initiated by four Municipalities in Harju county, Estonia, aimed to identifying the main issues affecting rural transport and the quality of services provided. Findings were used to guide improvements in local rural transport.

The Harju county is a peri-urban area close to Tallinn. In recent years rural-urban migration has been accelerating. Many young people, prefer to move to the city where more profitable jobs and services are offered. One of the main reasons of this situation appeared to be the lack of reliable transport services. The research project was launched by local authorities to better understand the needs and to identify alternative transport services that could be useful for the rural population.

The aim of the project was to identify alternative public transport solutions of the four municipalities (Saku, Saue, Harku and Kiili municipality) of the Harju county, in order to improve the connections within the county and between the county and Tallinn.

The main activities included: Conducting a passenger opinion poll; comparison of the results with previous regional opinion polls; analyse the results; use the findings to guide the planning of alternative public transport systems and services; and to carry out an economic analysis to estimate the costs and benefits of implementing different measures to improve local transport services.

The results showed that the public transport services are considered, for the most part, inadequate to meet people’s needs. The main problems were related to the lack of connections between the various rural settlements. In addition, it was clear that good transport services are more needed during the day and during working hours rather than during the evenings and the weekends. The research also provided some very practical alternative solutions to address these issues.

The research project made clear the importance of knowing the details about people’s needs. It allowed the local communities to better plan the development of the transport services in their territory and to gradually adpat services to offer better tailored services to meet the local rural population needs.

Harju county

Põhja-Eesti

Estonia

17 576

12 654

3 164

1 758

Märt Randoja

mart.randoja@raideberg.ee

+372 502 6133

English, Estonian