As part of the BioRider – Bridging Communities: Co-creating a Sustainable and Beautiful Đetinja Riverfront project, a participatory workshop was held with representatives and members of the Organisation of Persons with Disabilities Užice (OSI Užice), dedicated to jointly shaping the future cycling and walking route along the Đetinja River. Those for whom physical barriers are an everyday reality know best who can use a route, and how safely and independently — which is why this meeting focused on accessibility, safety, removal of physical barriers and making the route work for all users: from people using wheelchairs and other mobility aids, to parents with prams and older residents, to recreational walkers and cyclists.
Participants used the BioRider Co-creation Map to mark critical locations along the route directly on the map, and then proposed possible improvements — from accessible sections and safe connections to resting areas, ramps and other facilities important for persons with disabilities. This way of working brings users' experience straight into planning: instead of discovering obstacles once the route is built, they are spotted and resolved in advance, on the map. The workshop is another important step towards developing the future route together with its users, through an inclusive and participatory planning process. The BioRider project is co-funded by EIT Urban Mobility and carried out by the Regional Development Agency Zlatibor, Green Mobility and the Institute of Architecture and Urban & Spatial Planning of Serbia (IAUS). We thank all OSI Užice members for their time, openness and concrete proposals — the points they mapped become part of our shared picture of what the Đetinja riverfront should be.