Introduction

In Sweden, the Swedish Road is assigned by the government to work with measures that affect the demand for transport in a sustainable way, i.e. a more efficient, more environmentally adapted and safer way of travel than the individual travelling by car. It’s also assigned the Swedish Road Administration to co-operate with other actors to pursue this work, i.e. municipalities. In context of what the Swedish Road Administration calls Sustainable Travel, focus is set on changing of attitudes and emphasize on and marketing of alternative ways of travelling. In this context the regional West division of the Swedish Road Administration started up a co-operation project called “KUSTOM” – Municipal co-operation for safety and environment – in 2004. The ultimate aim of the ”KUSTOM” project is improve safety and environment issues related to transport through co-operation between a number of municipalities and the West Division of the Swedish Road Administration. Groups of municipalities with 3-4 municipalities in each grouping were formed. Each group hired an informant; one municipality in the grouping was responsible for the employment. The whole “KUSTOM” project was led by a coordinator. In total, 44 municipalities, divided in 16 groupings, was taking part in the project.

Objectives and target audience

The “KUSTOM” project aims at providing inhabitants of the municipality, companies, decision makers, employees of the municipality, organizations etc within a number of municipalities with facts and understanding of traffic safety and the environmental impacts of transportation. The intention is to increase the awareness level about traffic safety and through this achieves a safer and more environmentally sound society.
The project also aimed at, through dialogue, improving the channel of information for decision makers and employees to reach out to inhabitants, companies, organizations etc. In addition, this created a channel for the Swedish Road Administration to reach out to the municipalities.
The informants have a central role in the project. Their task has mainly been to keep a dialogue with decision makers, employees and inhabitants in the municipality concerning traffic safety and environment related transport issues. Great focus has been put on speed, belts, alcohol and carbon dioxide. There has also been a coordinator keeping in contact with the contact person at the Swedish Road Administration.
Target groups and areas:

• Children 0-18 years
• Youths 18-24 years
• Employees
• Disabled and elderly
• The public, inhabitants of the municipalities
• The local transports of the municipalities

Overall, the “KUSTOM” project directly provides a structural work methodology to tackle safety and environmental related issues within municipalities.

Financial Resources and Partners involved

The project was funded partly by the municipalities themselves and partly by the Swedish Road Administration.
The budget for the project was 5,5 – 5,6 M SEK per year.
The informants have a central role in the project. Their task has mainly been to keep a dialogue with decision makers, employees of and inhabitants in the municipality concerning traffic safety and environment related transport issues. Great focus has been put on speed, belts, alcohol and carbon dioxide. There has also been a co-ordinator keeping in contact with the contact person at the Swedish Road Administration.

Process

For starting up, the municipalities met in their respective groups discussing direction and tasks for the work.
Basically, a work programme was set up for each municipal grouping. Participating in this process was the person responsible for safety issues in the municipalities, the informant of the project and the co-ordinator for the project. During the project, these persons have kept in contact to do necessary adjustments of the work programme and to keep in contact with the Swedish Road Administration.
The process can then be divided into two parallel and interacting activities – co-ordination activities and local activities.

Co-ordination activities
Throughout the project period meetings with the co-ordinator and the informants for the municipal groupings have taken place, as well as a couple of meetings each year between responsible staff in the municipalities, the informants, the co-ordinator and staff from the Swedish Road Administration in order to exchange experiences and transfer knowledge. Education about new experiences has also been held in connection to these meetings. The co-ordinator of the project has provided advice, help and support to the informants and the work programmes have been followed-up and revised. In addition, two local group meetings have taken place where the municipal representative, the informant and staff from the Swedish Road Administration have gone through achieved results, evaluation of the work and what can be further done within the project.
The co-ordinator has also provided the informants with knowledge reinsurance, tips and ideas and information about news. In addition, the co-ordinator has also provided the informants with information material such as brochures, video tapes, exhibition material etc.
Local activities
The work programme is the basis for the focus of the local work. The work within the local municipal grouping is planned 6 months ahead and evaluated semi-annually.
The informant has informed the target groups through dialogues adapted to the specific target group.
Depending on the group, each “session” has taken about 1-2 hours. Exhibits, worked out by the Swedish Road
Administration, have also been shown in the municipalities.
The concrete actions, aimed at the specific target groups, that have taken place are:

• Children 0-18 years: In schools, the informants have focused on awareness rising activities on traffic safety through information material, support for teachers etc. Parent groups have also been formed to inform about the traffic safety environment around the school, but discussions about the transportation of children to and from school has also been held.

• Youths 18-24 years: Youths have been informed about traffic safety through campaigns such as “Don’t Drink & Drive”.

• Employees: Activities towards employees of the municipal organisation have taken place and focused on work place seminars where issues related to the environment and safety within transport has been discussed. The seminars have been very appreciated and inquired for. The seminars have contributed to focus on safety and environment issues within the work places and amongst employees.

• Disabled and elderly: Study circles have been held for this target group, focusing on environment and safety contributing to rising of awareness.

• The public, inhabitants of the municipalities: Information has been spread at traffic events and through a common exhibition about safety, as well as smaller exhibitions and activities in the local area to raise awareness.

• The local transports of the municipalities: The work with transports within the municipal organisation has been called quality assurance for transports, and has involved support to municipalities on how to achieve economic gains from analyzing ones transports and how to follow-up and evaluate actions.

Analyses of the present situation has been done in several municipalities which shows there is a potential to save both money and environment through efficiency actions such as use of car pools, clean vehicles, establishment of transport and purchase policies etc.

Results

The results of the ”KUSTOM” project so far has mainly been qualitative, but will strategically contribute to change in behaviours resulting in a more energy efficient, less fossil dependent and safer transport sector. The results so far:

• 44 municipalities in 16 groupings interacting over geographical borders with environment and safety related challenges in the transport sector.
• A successful work methodology to raise awareness about safety and environment in the transport sector, and the interacting between these two, has been established. This has created a local platform for these topics, which is very valuable since there are often little resources to deal with these topics locally.
• The informants have been given great response from both inhabitants of the municipalities and municipal bodies.
• Positive networking and coordination effects; between the municipal groupings and the between all actors participating in the projects. The ways for channelling information and contacts have been very appreciated. The co-operation within “KUSTOM” has also triggered co-operation within other areas in the municipalities.

Other conclusions from the project were that this type of project needs to proceed under a longer period of time due to several reasons. One is that creation of networks is one important, time consuming, factor. Another is that traffic safety and sustainable travel take a long time to implement. In addition, continuity is of high importance in this process.
Through the work of “KUSTOM” traffic safety and environment have been put on the agenda and a channel for information has been created between the Swedish Road Administration and the municipalities. Political decision makers have been very positive to the project, the work methodology and the use of working structurally in this way.

Critical Success Factors / Challenges

The lessons learned from the “KUSTOM” project is mainly that the structural work methodology of the project – having a specific resource (the informant) working with the topics that employees in the municipalities seldom have time to focus on otherwise – is working very well. This model can be repeated in most municipalities throughout Europe and at the same time be adjusted to local conditions.
One common problem is the financing of a person such as the informant, and this is solved within “KUSTOM” through the dividing of cost between the Swedish Road Administration and groups of municipalities. This solution is not only positive from a financial point of view, but also from a co-operation and coordination point of view – creating a common platform for these topics.
The project has also used several information tools, such as brochures, videos, exhibitions etc that can be translated and adapted to local conditions.
Overall, the model of the “KUSTOM” project is easily repeatable in European municipalities and from a Swedish point of view considered a good way to tackle the challenges municipalities are facing in the transport sector – with safety, air quality and climate change.