Roundtable on alternative lighthouse project activities during the pandemic
This month, G-PaTRA took part in an Interreg NSR roundtable which discussed lighthouse project alternative activities during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Project Manager Andy Grinnall outlined Scottish G-PaTRA partner HiTRANS' efforts to adapt their lighthouse project demonstrations (lighthouses are pilot projects demonstrating practical application of a particular transport solution in a specific geographical area).
As G-PaTRA is a transport project, the team had to quickly adapt their work when the pandemic hit.
HiTRANS had two lighthouse projects impacted by the pandemic: an electric bus service; and an e-bike pilot.
The electric bus had already been launched, but was halted in March 2020 when the UK went into its first lockdown. The bus was switched to an alternative route where demand existed.
The bike hire scheme was launched in February 2020, but when the later lockdown drastically reduced public transport and tourist users of the scheme, the pilot adapted to allow long-term use of the bikes by key workers in rural areas.
In February, the Joint Secretariat hosted four roundtables with a focus on the impact of Covid-19 on projects. The roundtables were designed for project managers to share ideas and solutions to the challenges brought by Covid-19 in running North Sea Region Programme projects.