EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK recently sat down with Claudia Kiso, National Coordinator for Germany, to discuss her journey with the campaign since 2016, the transformations she’s witnessed, the significance of this year’s 'Mobility for Everyone' theme, and how becoming a mother has reshaped her perspective on urban mobility. 

 
Tell us a bit about your role and what you enjoy most about the campaign

I first joined EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK in 2016, when we had 11 municipalities participating in the campaign in Germany. We expect to have more than 200 municipalities participating this year. In Germany we focus on developing different support measures for our municipalities: networking events, practical online seminars, design and campaign material as well as lots of inspiration for local activities. In addition, we try to communicate as much as possible on their achievements and I think that this campaign is a great way of showing what local governments can achieve. I also really like the people behind the campaign because there are so many passionate people who sometimes even use their free time to fight for more inclusive urban mobility. I have the privilege of having a sneak peek behind the scenes at all these municipalities and helping to promote their work. It gives me a lot of strength, seeing how passionate people are, on all levels.

What’s the biggest change you have seen in the campaign since you joined and how municipalities organise themselves?

The EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK campaign is a great way of communicating about sustainable mobility as a whole. The campaign is a great vehicle for communicating to ordinary people, especially as it’s not just pushing for one mode of transport. This approach helps us to get away from this conflict of us versus them and cars versus bikes. It provides a space to talk in a positive and inclusive way about a topic that’s normally full of conflicts and partisan feelings. Additionally, I think for some, being European and feeling part of a bigger movement can be inspiring.  

How did you feel, seeing Leipzig as one of the finalists for the EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK Award 2024?

I’m extremely proud of them! Leipzig’s first participation in the campaign was in 2016, just when I myself joined. I also lived there for four years, so seeing them as finalists was a particularly proud moment for me. I think they are a big success story because they have learned from previous mistakes. Over the years they have found ways to engage with all sorts of civil society actors, companies and different organisations. Their activities in 2024 were very impressive, such as having the car-free day on a street which usually has one of the highest traffic flows in eastern Germany. This was a very brave decision. 

This year’s theme is ‘Mobility for Everyone’. What does the theme mean to you? Any ideas on how you plan to approach this?

I think this theme is highly relevant because you can only change mobility if it is fair and if everyone can access it, which unfortunately isn’t the case currently. This theme applies to groups which are sometimes forgotten when thinking about sustainable mobility, like older people, or children. 

You recently became a mother. How has this change in your life affected the way you see sustainable mobility?

It’s actually changed my perspective a lot more than I expected. The first big change was that we’ve started using a cargo bike. I’m now filling all the cliches of a Berlin hipster mum! But it’s also made me appreciate how disadvantaged children are in urban traffic. It’s really difficult for them to cross streets which are dominated by cars, and to give them the freedom that they deserve. I’ve also realised that children don’t have a strong voice to express these concerns. I do hope that this will change. Campaigns like EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK give me hope that we can help to make mobility a less dangerous world for children. 
 

Claudia Kiso works for the German Environment Agency, a scientific body within the German Ministry for the Environment. She has been EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK National Coordinator for Germany since 2016.

Learn more about EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK in Germany on the national website here. 

In this interview, Pia Primec, National Coordinator for EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK in Slovenia, shares insights on the challenges and successes in the campaign. She also reflects on her own experience in shifting mobility habits and the inspiring success of small municipalities like Solčava in making a meaningful contribution to sustainable mobility.

Tell us a bit about yourself and your background and how you ended up becoming a National Coordinator.

Before becoming National Coordinator, I was a Local Coordinator, so I understand how challenging it is to prepare and coordinate a campaign. I have to admit that when I started to work in sustainable mobility, I was using a car. I didn’t change my habits until I faced an illness, and I was away from work for more than half a year. Afterwards, I could see that waking up and facing a traffic jam was really challenging for me. That was the trigger I needed to change my mobility habits. Now, I’m using trains. The train stop is 35 mins walking distance to my office. But I do it anyway because I have noticed that I need this walk. It makes me feel ready to face work in the morning and then ready for my three small children in the afternoon. 

Mobility habits are something that need to be talked about. A co-worker supported me in the transition away from the car. We both took our bikes on the train and then rode together from the station to the office. I think having this support or guidance, especially right at the beginning, is very important. I see my role as the National Coordinator in a similar way. Guiding municipalities and showing that it is possible to make changes to our mobility habits.

How has the campaign in Slovenia changed since you joined?

I started in 2019, when there were 78 participating municipalities, and we now have 120! That’s roughly 65% of all the municipalities in the country. Overall, over 500 campaign activities were implemented, reaching more than 10% of the population of Slovenia. One change we have enacted is to really push decision makers to personally use sustainable transport modes so that they can experience how challenging it is to be a pedestrian or cyclist in their municipality. In this way, they can see where more effort and money need to be invested.

Did last year’s theme of ‘shared public space’ play a large role in your campaign activities?

Yes, I’m quite proud as we achieved our goal, which was the temporary pedestrianisation of public space normally used by cars. This happened in 50 municipalities and the transformation lasted for several days. Three municipalities even made a permanent transformation in favour of pedestrianisation. That’s a big success, because people are used to this kind of closure for single-day events. But if it lasts for a longer period, people start to ask questions and think about it more. In my perspective, this was the best part of our campaign this year.

Were there any other challenges or hurdles that you faced this year?

Yes, during the summer, our public transport agency implemented some infrastructure changes, which lasted into September, when children returned to schools. This created total chaos. And then, two weeks later, the campaign started. Our public transport system was not operating fully, but we were still promoting sustainable mobility - it was quite a challenge! But despite all this, the results were very positive. Without challenges the campaign would be boring!

What are your thoughts on Solčava receiving a special mention during the European Mobility Week award ceremony?

I was very surprised, but above all happy for them. Especially as it was a special category made just for them. I’m extremely proud of Solčava. It is a very small place, but the level of commitment and dedication shown by the organising team was wonderful to witness. They contacted every single inhabitant of the municipality to let them know about the activities, which is, of course, an approach that only small municipalities can do. But this personal approach was very successful and showed how even small towns and villages can actively participate in the EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK campaign. We hope that Solčava can inspire similarly sized municipalities, in Slovenia and beyond. 
  
Pia Primec has been the National Coordinator for Slovenia for EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK since 2019. She works in the Ministry of Infrastructure of Slovenia.

Learn more about EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK in Slovenia via the national campaign website. 

On 27 March, Bologna and Czech association Pěšky městem (Walk to School) won the EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK Award and the MOBILITYACTION Award respectively, during a public award ceremony in Brussels. The awards were handed over  by Apostolos Tzitzikostas, Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism, and Magda Kopczyńska, Director-General for Mobility and Transport at the European Commission, in the presence of around 150 city representatives, mobility practitioners and local campaigners.

Bologna won the EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK Award for its efforts in making sustainable mobility concepts and activities more accessible to the public during the main week of the campaign. The city hosted a variety of information stands and educational activities, ending the events with a car-free day in the city’s historical and commercial centre. 

Anna Lisa Boni, Deputy Mayor of Bologna, shared her enthusiasm for receiving the prestigious EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK Award on stage, speaking proudly of her city’s transformative efforts, leading the way by permanently introducing 30 km/h zones on 70% of roads in the municipality. She remarked on the truly life-saving impact that such measures can have, dedicating the award to the 10 fewer people who lost their lives since the changes were enacted. 

“It’s hard work to transform your city into a more sustainable city and to shape public space that is really shared […]. It’s about the future for our children and making cities places which are worth living in […] so we are extremely proud and grateful to have received this award, because it really tells us that we are going in the right direction.”: Deputy Mayor of Bologna, Anna Lisa Boni.

Petra Syrová, Chair of Pěšky městem (Walk to School), received the MOBILITYACTION Award on behalf of the organisation. The association was recognised for its innovative approach towards encouraging parents and children to walk to school, promoting healthier and more environmentally friendly behaviour from a young age.  

Petra Syrová pointed out the growth in their ‘walk to school’ campaign, which started in 2017, with just three schools in Prague. The campaign now covers more than 500 schools from over 300 cities, towns and villages nationwide: 

“We are very grateful that our campaign was selected by the European Commission, so thank you very much. We know that it helps to open our streets in our cities to children. We help them to enjoy their walks to school, their everyday adventures and to grow through walking”: Petra Syrová, Chair of Pěšky městem. 

In addition to the two award winners, the small town of Solčava (Slovenia) also received a special mention during the ceremony. Solčava, with its 500 inhabitants, showcased that rural communities can play a vital role in encouraging greater use of public transport, having made remarkable efforts in engaging both senior and younger residents. 

Katarina Prelesnik, Mayor of Solčava, reflected that this is the most sparsely populated municipality in Slovenia and commented: “Distance has not separated us, quite the opposite. It has brought us closer and encouraged us to seek sustainable and innovative ways of sustainability. […] Participation in the EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK is motivation for the future. To keep thinking in a connected and green way.” 

Speeches by Apostolos Tzitzikostas, Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism, and by Magda Kopczyńska, Director-General for Mobility and Transport at the European Commission, focused not only on the winners and finalists but on all those who came together to make the EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK campaign a success last year, celebrating the huge efforts of all participants in promoting better sustainable urban mobility and ensuring safer, greener and more accessible spaces for all.  

A highlight video of the award ceremony is available here.

Official photos from the event can be viewed here.