The municipality of Lidköping has about 37,000 inhabitants (25,000 in the city). The municipality is committed to improve road and rail traffic to urban centres and university towns, particularly with public transport. Västtrafik AB, owned by Region Västra Götaland and the municipalities, is responsible for the local and regional public transport in the county of Västra Götaland. In Lidköping they offer local and regional public transport both with train and buses. Västtrafik, Lidköping municipality and Region Västra Götaland will together work with transnational partners concerning accessibility between different modes of transport, between public transport and the city centre and to the transport system in general.

There is a need to increase travel with public transport in order to reach a sustainable development. There is also a need to improve the accessibility to and from the hinterland into public transport nodes as well as city centres. The transfer between different public transport modes must improve. In Lidköping the railway station and the bus station are located at different places, which complicate transfer. A travelcentra with accessebility to different modes of transport is going to be built. The problem in Lidköping is that the travel-centra can’t be located at the town square, which is most travellers destinationpoint. Therefore much thougt and effort has to be put in on how to solve the accessibility between the travelcentra and the town center so that the travel by public transport really increase.

• To integrate the regional and local bus interchange into the strategic rail interchange in a situation where the ideal of one integrated terminal located in the city centre is hard to reach. This will be achieved by seeking the optimal location with the current physical situation utilising the experience of transnational partners in approaches adopted elsewhere to explore alternative options.
• To integrate the bus and train interchange with the town centre of Lidköping. This will be achieved by minimising the impact of the current physical barriers again utilising the experience of transnational partners in alternative approaches adopted elsewhere.
• To find solutions of a well-functioning public transport system with both local and regional traffic as well as other kind of public transport.
• To involve the public in identifying issues, options, and preferred solutions at all stages of the exercise, building on a good local record of public consultation, and sharing this experience with transnational partners for their benefit.
• To be a true transnational project by transfer of experience and methods. Transfer experience to other regions and interested parties by networking, publication of results and conclusions on SustAccess website, and conference exercises.

Time plan

2004-05
An analysis of the background material, including statistics, will be done. A feasibility study will be done over the travelcentra and how it will influence the public transport system as well as the connection to the city centre. The study will include good examples from the North Sea region and particular from the partners in the project. There w ill be activities to involve the public in the planning process with open meetings etc.

2006-07
A design of a travelcentra will be done. The design will focus on accessibility to the public transport system and also to important areas of interest, like the city centre. Minor investments will be done in improved signed links between the travelcentra and the city centre and administrative centre.

Under construction

Under construction