How do I create a vital coalition between involved parties?
Border-transcending collaboration: Accessibility of West Gelderland
Berenschot, under contract to the Province of Gelderland, supplied the project management for the Verder via Veluwe(Going Further via the Veluwe Region) Project. Based on a regionally-oriented accessibility strategy, a coalition consisting of the province, municipalities, the Province of Utrecht’s VERDER Programme and partners such as the Dutch National Railways, ProRail, the Directorate-General for Public Works and Water Management and the VNO-NCW (Confederation of Netherlands Industry and Employers) was formed. This coalition subsequently committed to an area-oriented implementation programme with the objective of keeping the region accessible and to reduce traffic pressures on the corridors surrounding Hoevelaken over the short term.
Jan-Hendrik Leopold, Consultant, Mobility and Infrastructure at Berenschot: “The time for tackling one issue at a time has passed. Thinking from the perspective of the traveller means thinking in terms of chains and junctions that are consistent with spatial development. We expect that successful public transportation initiatives such as the integrated bus/train Valleilijn, the ‘new’ cycling approach and the involvement of the demand side (employers/employees) in the development of such concepts, will furthermore lead to increased public and business value. In terms of the process, a new reference framework and significant focus emerged. Together with the team’s motivation, this also gave the coalition vitality. An important impact furthermore included the acceleration of the decision-making process, since people after all are able to shift gears more rapidly than organisations.”
