Activity

June 27-28, 2024
Varna

Project meeting of the multinational working group in Varna, Bulgaria (June 27-28, 2024)

Within the project "DANOVA NEXT" (Smart transport network to increase the accessibility of transport for people with disabilities and reduced mobility in the Danube through innovative services) with Czech Smart City Cluster, z.s. participated in the meeting of the multinational working group in Varna, Bulgaria (June 27-28, 2024). The event included a comprehensive program aimed at improving transport accessibility in the Danube.

The first day of the workshop started with registration and administration related to the project. Highlights of the workshop included:

Overview of project implementation: Dubrovnik Airport presented the current status and upcoming activities, highlighted the progress of the project and next steps.
Strategic Framework for Accessible Transport: The University of Maribor and other partners presented updates of best practices, user involvement at local and transnational levels and the innovative DANOVA NEXT toolkit.
Defining an accessible transport strategy: The Municipality of Maribor and the Czech Smart City Cluster led discussions on the macro-regional strategy template and the involvement of key stakeholders.
Creating a Smart Transport Network: Workshops to define a framework for PRM digital accessibility data, brainstorming between partners and determining next steps.

The second day was focused on interactive working group sessions coordinated by the Czech Smart City Cluster:

Coordination of working groups: The morning session included the introduction of the working system and the selection of working group leaders.
Brainstorming: Participants engaged in brainstorming activities, recording outputs and rotating group leaders to ensure diverse input and collaboration.
Final Discussions: The workshop was concluded by summarizing the outputs of the brainstorming sessions that fostered a shared understanding and commitment to the project goals.

June 20, 2024
Prague

On June 20, 2024, a workshop was held in Prague as part of the DANOVA NEXT project

Program: Interreg Danube, no.: DRP0200298, title: "Smart transport network for accessibility for passengers with disabilities and reduced mobility in the Danube region through innovative services"

The workshop was implemented in order to assess the needs and existing solutions of target users (persons with reduced mobility, blind and visually impaired, deaf and hard of hearing).

A total of 11 people participated in the workshop (4 people from the Czech Smart City Cluster, 4 people from the target groups, one representative from the CTU Faculty of Transport, one representative from technology companies and one representative from the National Council of Persons with Disabilities).

The participants discussed the suitability and accessibility of transport in the Czech Republic (water transport, land transport, air transport), reported their experiences and thought about the possibilities for improvement.

Overall, the Czech Republic is among the most advanced countries in the field of transport accessibility for the physically disabled. However, it is important to unify standards and accessibility across the entire republic (ie, so that island systems do not arise within large cities, but that cross-city connectivity works with the same level of accessibility).

At the same time, the need to provide better signage for the orientation of blind people within Prague Airport, where tactile (orientation) signage is completely lacking, was reflected. Individual outputs and findings from the workshop were written into a comprehensive record and handed over to the project manager.