The Italian municipality of Ventimiglia is committed to strengthen cross-border cooperation with its French neighbours. Debora Bianchin, Coordinator of the Planning Office and European Projects, elaborates on the municipality's mission to enhance connectivity in the border region.
"Our mission," Debora explains, "is to provide a smooth and convenient connection between Ventimiglia and France. We aim to implement a single zonal tariff, improve existing services, and develop an eco-efficient urban mobility plan. This would support travel for both citizens and tourists, significantly reducing road traffic, congestion, and pollution."
However, the path to achieving seamless cross-border mobility is not without its challenges. Debora recalls a significant border obstacle encountered by Ventimiglia, affecting both daily commuters and tourists. The region's high attractiveness, particularly during the summer, leads to an overload of existing public transport. This is exacerbated by a European regulation that complicate the establishment of continuous bus lines crossing borders and the impracticality of year-round ferry services due to weather conditions.
To address these challenges, the municipality of Ventimiglia, along with the French Riviera Agglomeration Community (Communauté d’agglomération de la Riviera française - CARF), turned to the b-solutions initiative, seeking expert analysis and practical solutions.
Professor Michele Vellano produced a report titled “Public Services and Cross-Border Mobility,” with examples of best practices already implemented within the European Union and solutions that could help overcome these obstacles. A practical solution proposed for the ferry system could be a seasonal sea transport subcontracted to a private operator whereas the cross-border bus lines could be addressed via a bilateral agreement and a cross-border urban mobility plan established by an EGTC.
Debora reflects on the experience with b-solutions, noting that "The expert's analysis was highly pertinent and instrumental in identifying potential regulatory solutions to overcome the obstacle”.
Looking ahead, she expresses her hopes for the outcome of the b-solutions advice. "We hope that the solution proposed by Professor Vellano will form the basis for the implementation of cross-border connections. This issue is of great importance to our community, and the b-solutions initiative has been incredibly beneficial."
The b-solutions initiative's impact goes beyond Ventimiglia, involving both Italian and French stakeholders affected by the problem. "B-solutions proved to be a highly beneficial initiative, with Italian and French parties working together to find solutions," she notes. The collaborative nature of the project is a crucial element to develop and implemement long-lasting, politically supported solutions.
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