The Children and Young People's Mobility in Society project, BUMS, aims to make everyday walking and cycling easier and safer in Eskilstuna. Children and young people take part in design, while pilots are measured before and after. The EU- and municipality-funded project runs from 1 September 2025 to 31 December 2028.
What happened?
BUMS will improve places where children walk, cycle and move, gather evidence about travel patterns and needs, and develop guidelines for child-adapted design. Solutions are to be tested in real settings rather than remain in reports. One stated pilot objective is to increase the share of active journeys.
Children and young people will influence both problem definition and design. This matters because adult assumptions about safety, directness and barriers do not always match children's actual experiences.
Location
Eskilstuna, Södermanlands län
Impact and significance
The municipality links the project to both health and climate. More everyday movement may reduce sedentary time, while journeys without cars may lower emissions. According to the municipality, the 2024 national public-health survey shows fewer Eskilstuna residents than the national average reaching 150 minutes of activity per week, particularly young women.
The national 150-minute measure is not an identical individual requirement for all child age groups. The notice uses it for local context, while the project's own impact will be assessed through before-and-after measurement of active travel in pilots.
Background
The project began on 1 September 2025 and runs for just over three years. Funding comes from EU resources through the Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth and from Eskilstuna Municipality. The source states neither a total budget nor the exact split between funders.
BUMS combines physical planning, mobility data, public health and children's participation. Results may therefore include both concrete changes to places and new guidelines for future projects.
Latest update
The project runs until 31 December 2028. This notice does not yet report final pilot locations, baseline measurements or achieved changes in active travel. Future updates need to show which solutions are tested, which groups participate and whether improvements persist over time.
Sources
Related analysis
Reviewed: 2026-09-15. Independent editorial content. WUA Sverige is not affiliated with any political party.