Technical cooperation Peruvian Ministry of Transport – AFD – CODATU: 2023 closes with a participatory workshop with representatives of PROMOVILIDAD and 8 intermediate towns in Peru

The workshop was held on 5 December in Lima as part of the technical cooperation established between the Agence Française de Développement, CODATU and the Peruvian Ministry of Transport and Communications, the aim of which is to support the PROMOVILIDAD team (National Sustainable Urban Transport Programme) in setting up efficient, integrated and sustainable urban transport systems in Peruvian cities.

To round off a year rich in activities (FONAMUSS National Forum on Sustainable and Safe Urban Mobility in April 2023, study trip by a Peruvian delegation to Colombia in June 2023, field visits to the cities of Arequipa, Huamanga and Piura, training in sustainable urban mobility in collaboration with MobiliseYourCity, and other support), the workshop brought together officials from the cities of Arequipa, Trujillo, Cuzco, Piura, Huamanga, Huancavelica, Jaén and Mariscal Nieto for a day of reflection on the importance of analysing the local context and understanding the mobility dynamics of each city. This work should enable them to make decisions based on the real problems they face, and geared towards concrete improvements.

After an introduction to the concept of sustainable urban mobility by CODATU, the municipal officials took part in a group exercise led by Jesús Díaz from MobilityHub to analyse mobility practices (identifying existing players and modal split) and discern the key challenges linked to the transport sector at local level.

Secondly, the participants carried out a practical mapping exercise, which enabled them to gain a better understanding of the urban planning tool. They then appreciated the opportunities that data collection represents for understanding mobility dynamics, thanks to a presentation of the work on analysing transport service routes developed by PROMOVILIDAD, and an explanation of the potential of modelling to guide decision-making by Jesús Díaz.

The speakers then presented a module on putting actions into practice, with an exercise in identifying possible short-, medium- and long-term projects, as well as an interactive demonstration of the management processes inherent in each type of intervention. Finally, the day ended with a presentation by Juanita Concha of MobilityHub, who presented case studies of intermediate cities in Colombia, providing valuable lessons for the Peruvian authorities present.

The workshop provided an ideal opportunity for local officials and PROMOVILIDAD representatives to reflect and exchange ideas. The teamwork revealed that they were facing common problems in terms of urban mobility: unsustainable travel practices, proliferation of informal transport services, lack of coverage by formal transport services, problems of congestion and road safety, etc. They also identified short-term solutions to these problems. They also identified short-, medium- and long-term solutions that could be replicated in different contexts.

By emphasising the importance of collecting, systematising and updating reliable data on mobility in order to plan rational solutions, this workshop was part of a drive to improve communication and the transmission of information between PROMOVILIDAD and the municipalities. This will make it easier to provide technical assistance and build the capacity of local technical teams.

In addition, in the light of the challenges raised during the activity, the workshop provided an important starting point for defining common objectives and work paths to achieve them, including: raising public awareness of the challenges of sustainable urban mobility, strengthening the institutional capacities and knowledge of local authorities to meet the challenges (training on planning tools, standards, possible sources of funding, etc.), promoting the exchange of practices to learn from the experiences of other Peruvian and regional municipalities.