2nd Stakeholder Meeting in Geel

On Monday afternoon, February 10, 2025, the second stakeholder meeting for the MaaSolutions project took place at the Belgian partner with key participants from Stad Geel, Thomas More, KU Leuven, and other important stakeholders. Here's a summary of what was discussed:

📝 Survey and Research Update
Despite a challenging start, the MaaS external parties' questionnaire has been successfully completed. Profacts is conducting the surveys for different target groups in Geel: students, workers, and residents. A sample of 5,000 residents will participate, with incentives for increased response rates. The results will be shared in both Dutch and English at the next meeting.

🌍 International Exchange
An international working visit to Hungary is planned for February 2025. Rob Testelmans and Seppe Van Springel have already signed up! There is also a future visit planned to Geel in May/June 2026, where international partners will get a chance to experience the MaaS results firsthand through a bike tour visiting strategic mobility locations. 🚲

🏙️ MaaSolutions Scenario Building
One of the key discussions revolved around developing mobility scenarios for the Innovation Campus, addressing challenges related to mobility, parking facilities, and integration with MaaS and NEBA. These scenarios will be based on both statistics and narrative components for better practical solutions.

🚧 Identifying Bottlenecks
Participants also discussed existing mobility bottlenecks in Geel, as noted in the Arcadis 2022 Mobility Plan. The focus will be on distinguishing between completed projects, ongoing ones, and the challenges posed by the division of powers between federal, Flemish, and local governments.

👩‍🎓 Engaging Students
A special emphasis was placed on involving students from Thomas More and KU Leuven. Their participation in surveys and scenario development is crucial to the project’s success.

🔑 Next Steps:

• Follow up on the missing survey data with Profacts
• Confirm participation in the site visit to Hungary
• Finalize the bike tour route and Blue-bikes for the Geel visit
• Develop scenarios focused on collaboration with student groups from Thomas More-KU Leuven
• Integrate MaaS and NEBA into the research

Stay tuned for more updates on this exciting project!