Development of Urban Mobility for Introduction of A Pedestrian Zone in the Center of Bitola Using A Microsimulation Model

Abstract

The SUMP – Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan – introduced by the European Union in 2013, is a strategic mobility tool intended to promote sustainable activities at an urban level. The SUMP wants to improve the quality of life of citizens and to involve people and stakeholders in the decision-making process. SUMP contributes to achieving balance of social equity, environmental quality and economic development. It represents a new approach to traffic planning and does not replace, but complements and builds on the existing strategic documents of the city. Consequently, in the process of traffic and urban development, walking, cycling, public transport should be put into the first place, and then the use of private cars in a sustainable way. This paper is focused of developing sustainable urban mobility plan in center of city Bitola for safe urban space. In order to protect pedestrian and bicycle traffic, two variant of traffic solutions are envisaged, which envisage closing part of the streets for traffic, connection with a pedestrian street which result with continuous pedestrian street, introduction of a zone of calm traffic, application of a "contra flow" bicycle lane on streets with one-way traffic regime and "Zone 30". For the variants of the traffic solutions were used a microsimulation model VISSIM.