A platform for public transport

Eight scheduled buses stop at the Parktheater. It is only a 20-minute walk from the train station. So there are probably many theatergoers coming by public transport. However? Unfortunately: only 6% travels by train and/or bus to the cultural house of Eindhoven. That could be better, says project leader Marjon Ouwens-Reus. We ask her five questions about the how and why.

Mobility broker Jan Waalen from Brainport Bereikbaar gave a presentation on sustainable mobility for BIS (basic culture infrastructure) in May. With your permission, he used figures about the Parktheater. What did you think when you saw that?

'I was shocked! The calculations showed that for a sold-out evening in our theater, 80,366 kilometers are traveled by car. That's twice around the world. This amounts to 14,350,000 kilometers annually. Or around the world 358 times. Together that is about 3,000 tons of CO₂emissions. Too many. Fortunately, Jan also gave us hope right away. By focusing more on cycling and public transport, we can reduce those figures enormously.'

And does the Parktheater want that too?

Absolute. We are a cultural institution with an explicit social role. This goes much further than just providing theater performances, it also concerns social and sustainable goals. That is why we have identified ten Sustainable Development Goals that we as Parktheater can and want to work on together with others. We do this, for example, with about 40 to 50 residents' initiatives, but also with other organizations and institutions, often from healthcare, welfare and education. In the BIS, for example. And in the Public Transport Ambassadors project. Jan Waalen's presentation was part of this.

What are the benefits of working together as public transport ambassadors?

Increasing awareness of the importance of sustainable mobility choices is an important goal for us. By working together as public transport ambassadors, we reach a much larger group of people. And the message gets across even better if we all tell the same story. The support from Brainport Bereikbaar also helps: Jan provides us with a lot of valuable information and offers actions that we can follow up on.

What kind of actions do you mean?

We started a Cycling Challenge together among employees. We cycle with this for Cultuur Inclusief, a charity that ensures that people with an income below the poverty line can enjoy an evening of theater. Very fun, because colleagues are challenged to take a look at each other's homes. In addition, there is an e-bike trial campaign including compensation from the employer when purchasing a safety helmet.

What else is planned?

We would like to make the choice for public transport easier. For example, by offering people the opportunity to purchase a public transport ticket along with their theater ticket. Preferably with a discount, of course, we are in consultation with the NS and bus companies about this. We are also considering placing public transport travel information on our communication screens in the hall. So that people can already see during the break what the connection is for their return journey. Great plans that allow us to provide extra service. Jan Waalen also plays a role in this: he keeps the conversation going. Another great example is that together with him we have added questions to our survey that we send to our visitors after a performance. We now also ask how they experienced their journey there and back and whether they have any suggestions. This showed, for example, that people would like to see more bicycle parking facilities. We've actually been saying that for a few years now, but those bicycle sheds belong to the municipality. With these new questions we can make that need more demonstrable.

You do this based on your sustainability goals. Does it benefit you even more?

We think so. Like almost all other cultural institutions, we are not yet receiving the visitor numbers before corona. So it is important that people know where to find us. Research shows that people who go shopping in Eindhoven often use public transport. Public transport may therefore also give us opportunities to attract more audiences. But above all, it is great to see how our efforts for a more sustainable world are appreciated. By our employees and our audience. That gives a lot of satisfaction and energy!