Earlier this week, the European Commission launched the European Climate Pact, an EU-wide initiative inviting people, communities and organisations to participate in climate action and build a greener Europe. As part of the European Green Deal, the Climate Pact offers a space for everyone to share information, debate and act on the climate crisis, and to be part of an ever-growing European climate movement.

The Pact provides a space for regions, local communities, industry, schools and civil society to share information about climate change and environmental degradation, and how they tackle these existential threats. Through an online platform and citizen dialogues and exchanges, it will foster the link between the digital and green transitions.

In the initial phase, the Pact will focus on four areas offering immediate benefits for the climate and the environment, and also for people’s health and wellbeing: green areas, green mobility, efficient buildings, and green skills.

The Pact’s scope will evolve based on the ideas and contributions of the people and organisations that become part of it.

An annual Climate Pact event will also bring participants together to share their experiences and knowledge, and to shape the Pact’s direction.

The Climate Pact aims to help spread scientifically sound information about climate action and provide practical advice for everyday life choices. It will support local initiatives and encourage climate action pledges by individuals or collectives, thereby helping to mobilise support for those pledges and participation in related climate actions.

The European Commission has also launched an open call inviting people and organisations to become Climate Pact Ambassadors. Climate Pact Ambassadors will lead by example and engage their communities in climate action.

For more information and to read the Climate Pact in full, click here.

This year, we received 900 MOBILITYACTIONs from businesses, schools, NGOs and other organisations across Europe. Five of those have been nominated for the title of Best MOBILITYACTION 2020, and now we need your help to choose our winner!

As of today, 9 December, we have posted each nominee on our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts. The nominee with the most likes and shares by 12.00 CET (Brussels time) on 16 December will be declared the winner! The winner will be announced on 17 December 2020.

Now for the nominees…

Free your city! in Szeged (Hungary)
In order to encourage children to choose sustainable modes of transport, the City of Szeged has created an interactive game that highlights the problems associated with car traffic. Problems identified range from air and noise pollution, to space management. Through the game, children learn about the environmental impact of transport and how their choices can make a difference.

Facebook post | Twitter post | Instagram post
Organiser: City of Szeged

Hive.mobility: innovation centre for smart and green mobility, Groningen (The Netherlands)
Hive.mobility is an innovation centre in northern Netherlands, which works with local stakeholders to develop smart and green mobility solutions for passenger and freight transport.

Facebook post | Twitter post | Instagram post
Organiser: hive.mobility

'Promote Park + Ride' in Antwerp (Belgium)
In an attempt to reduce the number of cars travelling into the city of Antwerp over the weekend, Q-Park offers commuters a 50% discount on their park and ride facility. The facility is located close to the Antwerp Berchem train station and Antwerp ringroad. From there, commuters can travel into the city using public transport.

Facebook post | Twitter post | Instagram post
Organiser: Q-Park Belgium

'Kidical Mass Köln – Kids on the bike!' in Cologne (Germany)
‘Kidical Mass Köln’ follows along the same lines as ‘critical mass’ – a form of direct action whereby people gather together on a certain date and time in order to travel through their neighbourhood or city by bicycle.
Through their action, ‘Kidical Mass Köln’ hopes to highlight and campaign for child-friendly transport policies in the city. The action is open to residents of all ages.

Facebook post | Twitter post | Instagram post
Organiser: Kidical Mass Köln

'Optimised mobility at night' in Padua (Italy)
In order to meet a growing need for night time public transportation in the City of Padua, Padam Mobility developed technology to allow the city, in collaboration with the University of Padua, to roll-out a Demand-Responsive Transport (DRT) solution.
Padam mobility developed the algorithm behind the system, alongside user and driver apps, and helped to implement it in the city.

Facebook post | Twitter post | Instagram post
Organiser: Padam Mobility

On Thursday 8 December, 14:00-15:00 CET, the EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK secretariat will hold a webinar for businesses, NGOs, schools and other actors, including cities, highlighting the best MOBILITYACTIONs of 2020.

A MOBILITYACTION is any action that promotes the idea of sustainable urban mobility. It can be limited to a specific day or last for several weeks/months and can take place at any moment of the year, not just during EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK.

MOBILITYACTION’s promote a behavioural shift towards a more sustainable urban mobility culture and are of a promotional rather than a technical nature (i.e. technical innovations themselves will not be recognised), with examples including cycling to work with your neighbours, or if you’re an employer, taking concrete action to encourage your employees to use public transport.

During the webinar, participants will also gain tips on how to draft their own perfect MOBILITYACTION.

To register for the webinar, click here.

Watch out for car-free streets, walking tours, and interactive workshops as EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK (16-22 September) kicks off today in towns and cities across Europe.

The clean and sustainable transport campaign will see over 2,700 towns and cities from close to 50 countries host their own events, shining a spotlight on the importance of zero-emission mobility for all. This is the 19th year of EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK and its well-known car-free day, when streets close for motorised traffic and open for pedestrians, cyclists, hoverboarders, e-scooter riders and more!

EU Transport Commissioner Adina Vălean said: “This year is a big challenge for our towns and cities. But the pandemic also showed us that people appreciate and expect our cities to become safer, cleaner and accessible to all. During this week and beyond, our partner cities from all around Europe will show how greener and more digital European towns and cities could look.”

In parallel, and in cooperation with EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK, the European network of road traffic police forces (ROADPOL) is organising a new campaign for road safety – the ROADPOL Safety Days (previously ‘Project EDWARD’). As part of the campaign, national police forces will record the number of road deaths on 17 September, aiming for zero deaths on that day. Public events will highlight the role that every road-user can play in avoiding fatalities, as well as the importance of traffic police in enforcing the rules and working towards the EU’s ‘Vision Zero’ – zero road deaths and serious injuries on European roads by 2050.   

Initiatives across Europe

EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK provides an opportunity for local governments across Europe (and beyond) to enable residents to test out active mobility modes and discover the benefits of sustainable forms of transport.

This year, Essen (Germany) will launch the city’s first sidewalk extension (or parklet), and will organise workshops on road safety and sustainable mobility, examining for example how local businesses can become bicycle-friendly employers. In addition, the city will launch a new e-charging station, and will install smart lamp posts.

Lahti (Finland) will celebrate the week with guided walking tours, workshops and seminars on the importance of sustainable mobility. A clean-up day will be organised, where residents are encouraged to get together clear litter from public areas around the city.

Cesena (Italy) will use the week as an opportunity to seek feedback from local residents on their new sustainable urban mobility plan. In addition, the city will invite children to submit photographs and drawings, illustrating their experience of commuting in the city.

Girona (Spain) will hand out a free breakfast to reward those who cycle to work. In addition, the city will organise guided walking tours, workshops on bicycle safety and maintenance, an exhibition on electric and hybrid vehicles, and a film screening on sustainable mobility.

Gdańsk (Poland) is arranging bicycle trips to local monuments and attractions. During car-free day, residents owning a car will be able to access public transport for free.

Participation

This year, in light of the pandemic, towns and cities have maximum flexibility when participating. Local authorities can register their events and permanent infrastructure initiatives as usual, but also their online alternatives and their short-term measures to help people move around safely during the COVID-19 pandemic. Measures may include the temporary reallocation of road space to create pop-up bike lanes, or the introduction of speed restrictions.

Besides towns and cities, participation is warmly encouraged by others, including businesses, institutions, NGOs, schools and higher education institutions. All may register their MOBILITYACTION all year round.

Local authorities can apply for several awards in the context of the EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK:

• EU Urban Road Safety Award, rewarding local authorities for innovative measures to improve road safety. The call for applications is open from 29 September to 31 October 2020.
  
  
• EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK Awards for local authorities that make significant efforts to promote sustainable urban mobility during the campaign. The application period is from 29 September to 31 October 2020.
  
  
• SUMP Award presented to local and regional authorities that have achieved excellence in sustainable urban mobility planning (SUMP). The deadline for applications is 31 October 2020.

The 2020 edition of the EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK Best Practice Guide features the outstanding achievements of the six local authorities that were selected as finalists for the 2019 EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK Awards.

Kruševac (Serbia) the winner of the EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK Award for larger municipalities impressed the jury with its strong citizen participation and political support. During the week, the city installed new cycle paths, walkways, public squares,  urban parks,  benches, a public garage, and turned several traffic light junctions into roundabouts with greenery and sculptures.

Rethymno (Greece) and Wrocław (Poland) were the runners up for the EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK Award for larger municipalities.

Karditsa (Greece) the winner of the EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK Award for smaller municipalities organised a festival-like week of mobility celebrations, involving dozens of partners, including schools, music schools, government departments, police, firemen, associations and businesses. 

If the atmosphere alone wasn’t enough, new incentives like financial benefits for companies adopting sustainable mobility measures, and days off work for employees commuting by bicycle or on foot showed people that safe walking and cycling are appealing for reasons beyond health and wellbeing.

Alfândega da Fé (Portugal) and Paide (Estonia) were the runners up for the EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK Award for smaller municipalities.

The guide also includes a number of inspiring MOBILITYACTIONs organised by NGOs, universities and private organisations, alongside good examples of activities carried out by municipalities both in and outside of Europe, and best practice by the National Coordination teams in a number of countries.

To download and read the Best Practice Guide, visit the Campaign Materials page.