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Stefano Ciurnelli, an engineer and mobility expert, has dedicated himself entirely to the topic of mobility. He advises municipalities and regions on this complex issue, including the Land of South Tyrol, and for over a year now, also the Municipality of Scena in the Province of Bolzano. We present the interview with the engineer on some related topics.
Ing. Ciurnelli, mobility concerns all of us. Each of us moves: by car, by bicycle, by public transport, or on foot. You are an expert on this topic. What fascinates you about this subject, and what is your basic approach to it?
My passion for mobility started a long time ago. I had a grandfather who was a stationmaster, and once a week he would take me to the station. For me, as for many other children born in the 1960s, the railway was the means to get closer to the fascinating world of mobility and transport. On ancient sundials, the Latin motto ‘Vita in Motu’ (there is no life without movement) was often inscribed. Architect Ulisse Stacchini, designer of the great Central Station of Milan, in 1911, positively reversed the concept, titling his project ‘In Motu Vita’ (life is movement). I believe that both definitions make us understand how movement is part of the ancestral baggage that humanity carries with it through the centuries. The desire to discover, to know, to connect… Life has allowed me to turn what was a fascinating childhood passion into a job. A professional activity that I consider a service to the community and that, even today, I continue to live with curiosity and the desire to share goals and solutions with those who live in the territories and cities where I work, with the awareness that there are no predefined recipes for solving problems.”
Changes in the field of mobility are often accompanied by concerns, skepticism, and fear. From your experience with many other municipalities and regions, including the Province of Bolzano, what are the key factors for success in improving mobility?
The fear of change is not limited to the sphere of mobility. We live in an era where progress, in principle, continues to fascinate us, but we are often willing to reap its benefits only when they are within reach and do not require personal sacrifices or questioning our lifestyles and work habits. The isolation imposed by Covid has certainly accentuated this individualistic approach. However, in this situation, there are also local communities that, faced with environmental emergencies or the growing difficulties of coexisting with vehicular traffic, have undertaken courageous and forward-thinking choices. The results of these good practices in terms of mobility efficiency and city livability are evident and, over time, will gain acceptance even among the most skeptical. To accelerate this change, it is essential to build processes that create awareness of the problems and a desire for sharing in identifying solutions, involving all segments of the population and economic operators.
If we also follow the mobility plan of the Province of Bolzano, in the future, the focus will be on sustainable mobility. What does this mean?
The Alto Adige Climate Plan 2040 and the Provincial Mobility Plan 2035 of the Province of Bolzano define a precise and ambitious framework to make future mobility sustainable and also the path to achieve it. The fundamental strategy is to reduce individual mobility by private car (the Climate Plan aims for a 40% reduction in private car travel!) by offering efficient alternatives that can meet the diverse mobility needs of students, workers, city users, and tourists. Over the past twenty years, great progress has been made in Alto Adige with the Suedtirolpass and the integration of all collective transport means (trains, buses, cable cars). However, there are some areas in the Province where the demand requires further enhancement of the alternative offer to private cars, and Scena is one of these. Investments in infrastructure and transport services for shared mobility (train, bus, bike, and pedestrian mobility) are necessary. In the case of Scena, considering the available spaces, the challenge is certainly complicated, but we cannot avoid committing to this direction. Just think that the Climate Plan foresees that by 2040 at least 25% of tourists will arrive in Alto Adige by train and, once arrived, they must be able to move easily and quickly without resorting to cars. Considering its tourist vocation and geographical position, if Scena is not ready for this appointment, the economic repercussions of this delay could be very negative.
Mobility is often discussed from the perspective of the motorist, even in Scena. This is understandable from the point of view of the rural area (which Scena represents). Knowing that in Alto Adige 50% of motorists travel less than 5 km, how important is it – also in view of our future – to broaden our vision?
Absolutely fundamental, both for the population and for tourists. The future of Scena, like all small communities in Alto Adige, is inevitably linked to the ability to propose a vision in complete agreement with the principles established by provincial mobility planning and programming. The most difficult challenge is to develop a concept compatible with the specific characteristics and needs of Scena, but this is precisely the function of the Mobility and Accessibility Program!
“You have been providing your consultancy to the Municipality of Scena for over a year now with the aim of developing a mobility plan. Why does Scena need a mobility plan?
For the Municipality of Scena, as well as for all municipalities in Alto Adige, the drafting of a Mobility and Accessibility Program (PMA) is an obligation established by the provincial Urban Planning law. The Provincial Sustainable Mobility Plan (PPMS) has highlighted how the possibility of achieving the objectives of reducing car traffic is inextricably linked to the adoption of measures that reward public transport users and active mobility (pedestrian and cycling) by all municipalities, including small ones. For this reason, the PPMS provides that in the allocation of funding, priority will be given to municipalities that, with their planning, adopt choices consistent with provincial objectives. Therefore, developing the PMA is not a mere bureaucratic fulfillment or even a luxury, but an assumption of responsibility to protect the right to mobility of the most vulnerable segments of the population (children and the elderly) as well as the tourist competitiveness of the municipality. In the next ten years, Scena will face two fundamental challenges that have important implications in the field of mobility. Firstly, an increasing incidence of the older population, who, due to their psychophysical conditions and established lifestyles, wish to continue moving independently. This requires an enhanced and universally accessible public transport service that allows everyone to continue moving independently to maintain social relationships, do shopping, and run errands.
Secondly, the expectations of tourists who, coming from countries where mobility styles are rapidly changing, wish to find in Scena the same opportunities and quality offered by public spaces and mobility services that they have daily. Neglecting these challenges means condemning oneself to a slow but inexorable decline.
Where do you see the main challenges for Scena in the field of mobility? Compared to what already exists, what can we build on to achieve sustainable mobility in Scena?
In my opinion, the central issue concerns the sharing of public space and the rules for its use by the different actors of urban mobility (pedestrians, cyclists, public transport passengers, resident motorists, commuters and tourists, agricultural vehicles, delivery and pickup vehicles). The mobility flows in relation to the available space in the most attractive places in Scena are decidedly scarce, and we need to establish rules after sharing some priorities. In the absence of clear rules, the space potentially becomes contested among users because everyone thinks they can use it as they see fit without considering the needs of others. It is clear that, in a reality like Scena, the rules must adapt to the seasons, the days of the week, and the times of the day, in a word, be flexible.
How have you experienced the process in Scena so far?
First of all, I want to thank everyone for their hospitality and patience, considering the communication difficulties due to my inadequate knowledge of the German language. I felt at home! On the merits, I can say with certainty that the results of the participatory process conducted so far have gone well beyond my expectations and the average level I am used to. All the involved parties have shown passion, commitment, and proposed many ideas to be developed in the Mobility and Accessibility Program.
What could be the possible solutions?
As I mentioned, the participatory process has provided me with many highly interesting insights. The rejection by the Merano City Council of the funicular proposed by the Provincial Sustainable Mobility Plan has forced us to seek different solutions, not tied to the funicular but still compatible with its future, eventual realization. I am referring in particular to a proposal to enhance the public road transport network, as required by the Alto Adige Climate Plan 2040, capable of ensuring connections between Scena, its hamlets, and the cable cars to facilitate the movements of residents and tourists within the municipal territory without the need to use a car, as well as frequent connections with the city of Merano and its two railway stations to provide alternatives to the use of private cars for extra-municipal travel. This new network concept must also solve the problems created by the circulation of large buses in the town center to increase, when necessary, the space available for pedestrians. I remind everyone that on the busiest tourist days, we have reached about 5,000 pedestrian transits in Raiffeisen Square. The second aspect to be addressed, in full continuity with the enhancement of public transport, is pedestrian and cycling mobility. I believe that increasing and improving safe areas and routes for pedestrians and cyclists is fundamental for a municipality that bases its economy on tourism, as well as agriculture. It is clear that a balanced synthesis must be found that respects the needs of these two pillars of the municipal economy, but new regulations and available technologies allow for adaptive solutions, and this, I believe, is the way to go. Cycling mobility also requires significant infrastructural investment to ensure safety and speed in connections with the Merano cycle network in the section between the end of the Zone 30 and the Lido, where the road gradients and the average speed of vehicular traffic require the presence of a cycle path.
What do you wish for the town of Scena, for those who take on responsibilities, and for the citizens of the municipality?
My wish is, first of all, to be able to build a vision together. The administrations have the duty to propose a vision, specifically for the mobility of people and the transport of goods, that aligns with the guidelines set at the European and regional levels and is capable of attracting investments for the implementation of interventions. On the other hand, without the contribution of the citizens, starting with their willingness to change, every vision is doomed to fail before it even begins.
Source: https://www.comune.scena.bz.it/it/Novita/Notizie/Signor_Ciurnelli_perche_Scena_ha_bisogno_di_un_piano_di_mobilita_