The Basis of Green Mobility – A Change of Habits

How will the European Green Deal affect mobility and changes in people’s travel habits?

In cooperation with the association Sustainability Cluster Latvia, Latvijas Avīze invited field experts to a discussion – RAITIS MAZJĀNIS, President of the Latvian Automotive Engineers Association, JURIS ZVIRBULIS, President of the automobile club LAMB, JĀNIS BUTĀNS (The Conservatives), Chairman of the Saeima’s Legal Affairs Committee and former Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry of Transport, and urban planner NEILS BALGALIS, head of the company Grupa 93.

Have global political events – namely, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the subsequent international sanctions – influenced Europe’s progress toward the Green Deal? It is known that some European countries are even considering returning to coal use, which would inevitably delay the achievement of the 2030 targets. What can be expected in the transport sector?

J. Butāns: The Green Deal targets set by Europe are, overall, quite ambitious, and these objectives have not changed so far.

Many countries will struggle to achieve them, yet even in the current situation they must be preserved and pursued in good conscience. However, it must be acknowledged that at present, for all European countries, energy independence is a more urgent issue than the Green Deal, so changes in the future are not theoretically excluded.

A real tangle of problems

In the context of the Green Deal, it is precisely the transport sector that faces the greatest challenges – both because the sector is extremely complex and multifaceted, and because it requires a shift in users’ mindsets and habits, and also because, unlike in other areas, many of the technical solutions needed for future transport either do not yet exist or are far more expensive than current ones. What, in your view, will be the biggest challenges facing Latvia’s transport sector?

The main challenge is to change public habits, because every longer-distance movement leaves an environmental impact. Therefore, future life will need to be planned so that distances are shorter and travel is as environmentally friendly as possible, using public transport or bicycles.

N. Balgalis: Future mobility means diversity – using all available modes of transport, considering both needs and cost-effectiveness.

Latvia has all the prerequisites for an excellent future mobility ecosystem.

This will be ensured both by the Rail Baltica high-speed rail project and by the growing share of public transport users and cyclists. Likewise, society is gradually learning to use shared vehicles.

It starts with very small changes – for example, going to work by public transport once a week instead of by car, or working remotely on some days.

When choosing a place to live, one must start thinking not only about the view from the window but also about how much time will be spent commuting to work. The urban environment must become as attractive as the interior of a new car. The number of cars is tending to increase. Perhaps it is worth asking whether a family really needs two or even three cars?

After all – we will not replace all cars with electric vehicles so quickly.

J. Zvirbulis: There may simply not be enough electricity for that, even though Europe, just six weeks after the outbreak of war in Ukraine, has already been able to make significant decisions to address the energy crisis. One of the main prerequisites for achieving the Green Deal goals is the ability of various state and municipal institutions to cooperate. Conditions must be created so that one can travel conveniently from the suburbs to the capital with a single ticket. Currently, municipalities lack mechanisms to subsidize rides. For example, the Road Transport Directorate has already auctioned off all routes until 2030, so no ticket integration will happen. Rail Baltica is an excellent project, but municipalities must be able to provide mobility hubs.

The municipality of Baltezers itself doesn’t need a car park at the Baltezers station, but for Riga and everyone coming from the Vidzeme seaside, it would be an ideal place to leave the car and switch to the train to go into the city. But who will finance such a parking lot – Riga or Baltezers? Riga could, but is not allowed, since it is outside Riga’s territory; Baltezers is allowed, but cannot afford it.

Latvia also needs political decisions to help modernize the car fleet, because out of 650,000 passenger cars, at least 325,000 are 15 years old or more. Nothing works better than the “carrot and whip” principle. But it must be reasonable – the whip must not have nine ends while there is only one carrot for a hundred applicants.

R. Mazjānis: This is essentially not a question about transport, but about habits.

People care about getting from point A to point B quickly enough, at a convenient time, comfortably, and at an affordable price.

If public transport can provide this, people will use it. We don’t need to reinvent the wheel – let’s look at how it works in Western Europe: bicycles and cars are parked at train stations, but people don’t drive them into the city center. The crisis in Ukraine is accelerating the shift to green energy sources – solar panels and wind farms.

I myself drive an electric car, and that was the main reason why I decided to put solar panels on my house roof. After a few years, once I’ve paid off the loan, I will be able to move around practically for free, because I won’t have to pay for electricity. At present, many people, seeing fuel and electricity prices, are ready for such a solution. Moreover, Riga definitely needs to address the bicycle lane infrastructure issue. If the bike path is of good enough quality, people will ride even from Salaspils.

J. Zvirbulis: I would add that mobility is becoming a service.

What does that mean? There will be one application that will plan a person’s route – you’ll drive your car to the station, take the train into the center, then grab a scooter or a shared car and continue your journey.

And with the same app you will also be able to pay for the whole trip.

This is not science fiction – in many countries nearby, for example, Helsinki and Stockholm, this is already today’s reality.

The key word in this service is cooperation, since providing such a convenient and affordable service involves multiple stakeholders. Infrastructure is also needed – multifunctional green bike paths, parking lots, and other elements.

N. Balgalis: Exactly. For the city of Riga, this is task number one. Proper, connected infrastructure. Separate stretches won’t do. Electric bicycles, scooters, and other modern

e-vehicles are becoming more and more popular worldwide.

There are countries where it’s not unusual to see an 80-year-old gentleman riding an

e-vehicle with his wife sitting behind him and even a little dog in front.

There will be more and more people, including older ones, moving around cities on electric vehicles.

This requires a well-connected public transport system. The possibility of introducing a congestion charge for entering the capital should also be considered. Latvia’s bigger pain point is the lack of joint projects between the state, municipalities, and private investors.

With private co-investments, we could build this infrastructure faster and more efficiently. In this country, they just keep saying there’s no money, but in fact they don’t allow different financial sources to be pooled together, except maybe in large public-private partnership projects.

If pooling were allowed – it would be much easier to implement relatively smaller projects, such as rebuilding a single intersection.

R. Mazjānis: I’d also add that urbanization is happening worldwide – 90% of people will live in large cities, while rural areas will be left either to major farmers or to very wealthy people who can afford to live there. We must prepare for this in advance by providing adequate infrastructure, because this will also be Latvia’s reality.

J. Zvirbulis: Of course, but that requires significant investments and a change of habits.

This won’t happen in one or two years. But what pushes us forward is that the European Union has set certain frameworks for us. It is a kind of “Procrustean bed” – at some point the guillotine will fall, and if we haven’t managed to get our arms and legs out of the way, it will hurt very badly. Either we will pay EU fines for not meeting the criteria, or we will be forced to put things in order.

J. Butāns: The foundations for change have already been laid, the system shift has begun. The Ministry of Transport already started work on modernizing the sector back in 2019. Work is already underway on raised platforms, a tender for battery-electric trains has been announced, the concept for a Latvian cycling network has been developed, and major route studies are being carried out. Likewise, the Riga agglomeration mobility plan has been drawn up, which already includes train traffic financing, route connections, and micromobility hubs. Of course, one always wishes for more funding, but when you put the pieces together like a puzzle, using state, EU, and other funds, the bigger picture is already emerging.

With EU Recovery Fund co-financing, electric trains will be purchased, and bike paths will be built not only from Riga to the suburbs but also within the capital itself.

One would hope that Riga City Council will increase its capacity to keep up with what the state has already done.

If the municipality could keep pace with the state, by 2030 Riga’s residents would already see significant mobility changes.

R. Mazjānis: In the past, we fell into the trap of Harmony’s ten-year rule in Riga, during which they could not agree on anything with the national government. As a result, the city couldn’t even introduce a unified ticketing system. We must remember that Riga is half of Latvia. Perhaps a special law is needed to exclude the possibility of friction between Riga City Council and the government.

Not falling behind the neighbors

How does Latvia compare to its neighbors – Lithuania and Estonia – in terms of mobility changes? Is our country further ahead, or lagging behind?

J. Butāns: Hard to compare.

They say Lithuanians have better roads, but it depends which road you drive on. If you compare Vilnius with Riga, then of course, Vilnius has done better. At the same time, Lithuania in many areas tries to follow Latvia, for example in organizing the railway system.

Lithuania has had average speed cameras for a long time, while in Latvia procurement has only just taken place, and we hope to install them this year. Our EV charging network is paid, but high quality. In Lithuania, it is free, but the service is much worse. In passenger transport, we are trying to catch up with Lithuania’s level.

R. Mazjānis: I agree with Mr. Butāns – Latvia’s EV charging network is of very high quality.

J. Zvirbulis: But if we compare Baltic countries in terms of road safety, Latvia has fallen behind in the last three years. Last year, the number of fatalities even increased.

N. Balgalis: Road safety must be an absolute policy priority. In this regard, Latvia looks bad even in a European context.

It is tied both to infrastructure and driving culture.

There are various awareness campaigns, but I would like to know what concrete steps will be taken to improve road safety in Latvia.

J. Butāns: A large part of the injured and deceased are precisely the more vulnerable road users – pedestrians and cyclists. To encourage green mobility, people must feel safe on the roads. Infrastructure must be such that cars cannot run into them. Traffic flows must be separated – this is what we need to work on.

The carrot and the stick

In Latvia, it is characteristic not to invest in infrastructure improvements, but to solve problems “on the cheap.” Instead of fixing roads and building bike lanes so that cyclists can move safely, speed-limiting signs are put up, or warnings about bumpy roads, or traffic-calming signs. A similar-quality idea, in my view, is reducing urban speed limits to 30 km/h.

The goal – reducing casualties – will be achieved, but a whole range of other problems will be created.

J. Zvirbulis: This is a question of whether a scalpel is life-saving or deadly? In a surgeon’s hands, it’s a life-saving tool; in a murderer’s hands, it becomes a lethal weapon.

If a 30 km/h speed limit is imposed, for example, on the Jūrmala highway, there will be bigger traffic jams and more emissions. If it is done in residential areas, where one cannot drive much faster anyway, then it is an adequate solution.

Bigger problems arise when speed-limit signs are not removed after roadworks are finished.

This is a kind of legal nihilism – when the signs do not match what is actually happening on the road.

Another, no less important, issue is that these signs are not respected.

This comes down to the carrot-and-stick question. There are two ways we can achieve societal change. First, by making new options and alternatives more convenient, cheaper, and more attractive.

Second, by making everything else very unattractive. In Oslo, for example, it is completely forbidden to park cars in the city center. Thus, driving to work in the city center is simply not possible.

Which path will Latvia take – the first or the second?

N. Balgalis: The off-road path.

(Laughs.) We can’t really commit to either one yet.

One solution would be introducing a congestion charge for central Riga. It’s just a matter of time.

London was the first European city to do this, and I predict that within two years Riga will also introduce a congestion charge for entering the city center. There are many instruments available worldwide to address this – free public transport tickets, special buses that carry company employees, etc.

J. Butāns: It’s clear that Riga will also have a congestion charge.

The only question is – how quickly can it be implemented technically?

Far too little money

Latvia has about 650,000 passenger cars. The government has allocated €10 million in subsidies for the transition to electric and hybrid cars, but Latvenergo forecasts that by 2030 there will be 30,000 electric cars in Latvia – barely 5% of the total fleet. Will that be enough to meet the Green Deal’s targets?

N. Balgalis: Of course, it is good that subsidies have been allocated, but it is too little. There are no subsidies for commercial transport, whose environmental impact is incomparably larger. No subsidies for e-bikes.

In Denver, each city resident receives $500 for purchasing an e-bike and $900 for a cargo bike. Those are the carrots we should also provide in Latvia.

J. Butāns: This support program was developed by the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Regional Development.

The Ministry of Transport already at that time gave its opinion that support for cars alone was insufficient, and that it was also necessary for e-bikes, since they are relatively expensive. The Ministry had proposed a compensation scheme for people giving up old cars, so that they could use the money to buy an e-bike.

J. Zvirbulis: I think Latvenergo’s forecast is very conservative.

I assume it was made before energy prices rose. With higher fuel prices and the significant increase in the cost of new cars, many will change their driving habits. The problem, of course, is linked to people’s welfare and purchasing power.

And for seniors?

Is smart mobility – scooters, bicycles, and other urban micro-mobility tools – only for young people? Will the time come when we see seniors on scooters too?

This question is somewhat similar to the one about up to what age people should be allowed to drive. Right now, in Latvia, a 94-year-old man still has a valid driver’s license. It is very individual how seniors can integrate into mobility activities.

To a large extent, it is linked to the accessibility of public transport and payment options.

R. Mazjānis: No planning document provides for horse-drawn carriages either.

(Laughs.) Everyone will have to adapt and learn, because the world won’t wait.

N. Balgalis: In Belgium, special services are provided to help seniors use smart mobility.

The elite must lead by example

The biggest obstacle to smart mobility is the people themselves, since habits and thinking change more slowly than technologies.

How can the change in mindset be accelerated?

R. Mazjānis: First, state officials should lead by example.

Go to work not by car, but by bike or public transport. Second, individual example – friend to friend, neighbor to neighbor.

Third, the carrot-and-stick principle. The carrot will work well for young people living on their smartphones, while the stick will be useful for changing the habits and thinking of some practical Latvians.

J. Butāns: I myself only use public transport to get around Riga. The Minister of Transport also never drives to work by car. If policymakers do not know how public transport works, they cannot implement reforms.

N. Balgalis: All those children and young people riding bicycles now will be the ones using the infrastructure of the future.

J. Zvirbulis: Every school should have bicycle parking.

There should also be one by the Latvian National Opera. Why shouldn’t a gentleman and a lady, in nice weather, ride their bikes to the performance? At some point, the guillotine will fall – if we haven’t managed to pull back our paws and tails, it will hurt very badly.

Discussion organized in cooperation with:"Sustainability Cluster Latvia"

Neils Balgalis, Urban planner, Grupa 93 head

Juris Zvirbulis, President of automobile club LAMB

Jānis Butāns, Chairman of the Saeima's Legal Affairs Committee, former Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry of Transport

Raitis Mazjānis, President of the Latvian Automotive Engineers Association