Seniors voice their opinions on public transport in Zagreb
Partners of the CIVITAS ELAN project in Zagreb are trying to establish a dialogue with senior citizens to give them an opportunity to voice their concerns and ideas for better and safer public transport. In February partners organised, the first but not the last, visit to senior citizens' home Trešnjevka and received many questions and recommendations for the city of Zagreb and ZET through conversation and discussion.
Firstly the group discussed the habits of senior citizens in public transport. Most of Trešnjevka senior citizens home choose buses and trams over cars, taxies and bicycles. This was what the CIVITAS representatives expected.The second part of conversation was about the advantages and disadvantages of public transport. Some of the comments on public transport in Zagreb were that those with disabilities can't always pass with their wheelchairs because cars are parked in their way and that there are no ramps for easier access to the road etc. Senior citizens also have difficulties entering the old trams and buses, but are quite satisfied with new low floor trams. It was clear that some seniors feel insecure in public transport and participants noticed that although the tramway platforms and bus stations are modernised there is still work to do. In addition, the displays do not always show the correct information, for example on some displays citizens can't find information about delays. ZET informed the group about their plans to post more displays, mainly in the city. They plan to display more precise information on stops about arrival of trams and buses. There was also talk about e-ticketing and the way the new tickets will be distributed in senior citizens' homes.During the visits to senior citizens' homes, partners are trying to collect their comments and recommendations, which will be forwarded to the relevant services dealing with these questions. In parallel, partners are working on a leaflet entitled How to use public transport and be safe.
