Education and awareness-raising around sustainable mobility are central to creating a generational change in Lithuania, according to Kęstutis Vanagas, National Coordinator for Lithuania. In this interview he shares his insights, experiences and hopes for EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK in Lithuania.

What activities are you most proud of from the Lithuanian EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK 2023? 

We are particularly pleased by the Sustainable Mobility Fair we organised in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania. More than 30 different organisations, both from the private and public sectors participated. During the event, organisations showcased their products and innovations to the public and promoted alternative ways of travelling. We also held seven panel discussions on various sustainable mobility topics, ranging from utopian notions of whether cities can exist without cars to the inevitable future mode of transport - autonomous transport. The event attracted considerable interest from the public and was broadcast on the internet.

Surprisingly, many of the good practices shared on sustainable mobility during the campaign week, came from private companies. For example, some of the main banks in the country encouraged their employees to travel sustainably to work by providing incentives such as points for public transport tickets or swimming pool passes. In Lithuania we don’t often hear about such promotional activities from private companies, so it was nice to see how they also contribute to sustainable mobility.

The campaign was complemented by the celebration of our National Cycling Conference, and the Lithuanian Sustainable Urban Mobility Conference. Both events, held either during or around the campaign week, helped bring visibility to the campaign and highlighted the importance of these themes. 

What challenges did you face in preparing for EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK?

In some cities we have observed a lack of political will to address issues related to sustainability. In other municipalities, there is motivation, but a lack of the necessary resources (staff availability as well as finances) to successfully push the campaign forward. It has therefore sometimes been challenging to convince local authorities to register for the EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK; those with limited means do not prioritise it. An example of this could be the lack of success with a car-free day within the municipalities, since it is often highly unpopular and requires clear communication with residents highlighting the benefits of such an initiative. However, we, on behalf of the Ministry, are, continuing to push for a car-free day for this year. 

The promotion of sustainable mobility beyond the campaign is also challenging. We believe it should be a part of every-day practice, and not just promoted during a single week; that’s why we have planned other events around the topic throughout the year. This year, for example, we have already managed to organise the second National Cycling Conference.

Let’s focus on ‘Shared Public Space’ – the 2024 theme. What does this mean for Lithuania? 

Public spaces are the reflection of a city’s mentality; they portray the awareness of both its inhabitants and authorities. We understand Shared Public Space as the area that begins outside of our homes. This does not only concern spaces like parks and squares, but connecting elements such as streets, pavements, pedestrian boulevards. These ‘mobility spaces’ are the spaces used daily by citizens to get from one point to another, connecting them with mobility and the shared space they live in. It is highly important that this concept comes hand in hand with the capacity of citizens to move safely and efficiently from point A to point B.

We would like to focus on the idea of sharing mobility for the 2024 campaign; this means, sharing mobility vehicles (bicycles, scooters, cars etc.) to navigate these shared spaces. Car-sharing is already quite popular in Lithuania, especially in larger cities. However, we are aware that we are still heavily car-centred, so the aim is to try and shift the focus to more sustainable ways of travelling. 

Despite improvements being made to infrastructure (investment in public transport, electrification, implementation of subsidies for the purchase of electrical cars and the construction of new cycle paths), we have still seen an increase in private car ownership. An added challenge is, therefore, about convincing car owners to change to more sustainable modes or vehicles. People who already use sustainable mobility options are more likely to switch to shared bikes, scooters, etc.; but this change is less observed among citizens that already own a private vehicle and use it regularly.

What potential is there for spreading awareness?

We see a lot of potential for awareness-raising; particularly with the ‘sharing mobility’ perspective for Lithuania. It could also allow businesses to participate in their own ways. This would be a positive means to going beyond promoting sustainable mobility and focusing on a more sustainable and circular economy too. 

It seems that the main challenge in Lithuania is not related so much to improving infrastructure, but to finding the right incentives for change in citizens’ mobility habits. Education plays a crucial role here in ensuring a generational change; awareness-raising of sustainable mobility needs to start in kindergarten or elementary school. We have seen good examples/initiatives of education in cycling in countries such as the Netherlands, UK and Belgium, where children are taught how to use bicycles safely from a young age. 

Kęstutis Vanagas works as Future Mobility Policy Group Advisor for the Ministry of Transport and Communications. He has been EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK National Coordinator for Lithuania since 2022. 

Learn more about EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK in Lithuania. 

The City of Budapest has planned and tested car-free initiatives for several years, with its most recent iteration during the 2023 EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK - a car-free weekend counting over 10,000 participants and a car-free day - emerging as a resounding success. Alongside other promotional activities and the implementation of mobility measures, the city’s ambition to open the lower Pest embankment to pedestrians and cyclists permanently caught the attention of the EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK Award jury, resulting in the city’s award win earlier this spring.

A tradition established during the pandemic, which saw a large section of the lower Pest embankment open to pedestrians during summer and holiday weekends, is now set to become a reality: from the Chain Bridge to the Elizabeth Bridge, cyclists, pedestrians and public transport will get to experience a new area along the Danube. The first phase of construction, which includes a promenade on former parking areas with trees, green spaces and benches, is set to begin in the coming months.

Arriving at this point though, was a multi-step, collaborative process according to Orsolya Barsi, Head of the Department of Climate and Environmental Affairs, Budapest:

“The first openings started only on the weekends during the first COVID lockdown and this was then extended for a couple of weeks for the summer period, when kids were out of school. Then we added more months with weekend closures, so last year this period encompassed 7 months and the year before was more or less the same. The period when it was completely closed to traffic and opened to pedestrians, cycling and community programmes was one month.

We have also been measuring the effect on traffic on other roads, and there are agreements with different NGOs and municipalities that after this test period there will be a decision on the opening based on these results. Meanwhile, we have already closed the Chain Bridge to cars, making it more attractive for people using buses, bicycles, taxis and motorcycles. This represents a big milestone because this bridge marks where the embankment point starts and has resulted in the traffic calming of a much larger area on both sides of the Danube.”

Before the City introduced its ambitious plans for the area, however, the embankment had quite a different future in store.

“In the early 2000s there were plans to expand the Buda side embankment to a two-by-two lane road to create a tunnel to double [motor vehicle] capacity; and instead of having a sort of highway in the middle of the city, we decided to take a different route and to give a part on the Pest side back to the citizens.”

In addition to receiving overwhelmingly positive reactions from users and a general increasing acceptance for this type of large-scale change, Orsolya’s team, together with public institutions, has continued to measure the impact of the car-free initiatives.

“The traffic results show that emissions were lowered in the centre significantly and there were some increases on other bridges and the outer ring road, but they were not significant. So really what we have seen is that some of the motorised traffic has completely disappeared.”

Budapest is one of a growing number of cities permanently opening areas of their city centre to pedestrians and cyclists, in addition to organising expansive car-free days and/or weekends. In 2023, 1,182 towns and cities participating in EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK registered a car-free day. Many are also working towards making these events more regular or broadening their scope.

The Hungarian capital’s replicable car-free initiative offers further inspiration for towns and cities, following our recent interview on the annual city-wide Car-Free Sunday in the Brussels Capital Region. When asked what advice she would give to towns and cities hoping to organise a car-free day or transition from a car-free initiative to a permanent pedestrian area, Orsolya emphasised the importance of families and collaboration:

“I think it’s very important to target families. A big part of the programmes we organised focused on families and how to involve children by also providing events dedicated to them. For example, we lined up all the different types of vehicles (tram, bus, taxi, etc.) which kids could enter and see the driver’s area. The kids loved it, and you could see them queueing up to push the horn of the tram.

Last year, we also had a festival on the Chain Bridge combining many different activities and emphasising the traffic reforms. We also provided some minor funding to NGOs for activities organised during European Mobility Week. It is important to also focus on professional communities, to involve different people working with city transport and mobility, listening to different opinions and providing communications channels and a platform to discuss issues.”

Check out the EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK’s How to organise a car-free day in ten steps to get started on organising a car-free day in your town or city.

What goes into a EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK national campaign? A lot of dedication, enthusiasm and collaboration, according to Petra Völkl, the National Coordinator for Austria. Petra recently shared her experiences of coordinating these efforts with us.

What activities are you most proud of from the Austrian EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK 2023?

We are proud that Innsbruck was a finalist for the EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK Award. We are really happy that Innsbruck sent in their application because they really do great work every year.

We are also proud of the very many small municipalities that participated. Towns of 2000 inhabitants, for example, don’t have a chance of being nominated for the Award and competing with cities such as Budapest. But they contributed greatly to the 635 Austrian municipalities and cities participating in EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK 2023. For such a small country like Austria, this amount is a great success!

What focus do you put on partnerships in preparing for EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK? 

We worked with many different partners, to reach different target audiences. It is always useful to link the campaign to national-level legislation changes or to promote new sustainable mobility strategies. For example, a great project from last year was the School Streets Campaign; following a change in the legislation that enables the simple implementation of school streets - together with a focus on 30km/h speed limits - the campaign helped gain a lot of interest and support among citizens. We also worked together with 135 health institutions via the Austrian Competence Centre for Climate and Health.

Interestingly, 75 regions (authorities responsible for several municipalities) participated in EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK 2023. This was partly due to Austria’s system of Climate and Energy Model Regions and Climate Adaptation Regions, which also made the most of the campaign to promote their initiatives. 

We always have great cooperation with the public transport companies; they provide free travel on car-free days and last year, Edgar (the campaign mascot) travelled around and everyone loved him!

In 2023 we worked with influencers for the first time. One of them, in particular, was ‘Austrian Kiwi’. His contribution was a really funny video – it was a great success. Everyone likes him because both young and old can relate to him. He has since then won lots of prizes as best influencer.

What challenges have you faced in preparing for EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK?

On 15 September (the day before the beginning of the week) the global climate strike (Fridays for Future) took place. Of course, we support this, but it took attention away from EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK. We had put a lot of work into a particularly impressive photo on a bridge in Vienna and it wasn’t as present as we’d hoped in the media. 

This year, we have another timing challenge with national elections taking place on 29 September. Considering the week takes place on 16 - 22 September, we will again have to compete for attention in the media.

Let’s focus on ‘Shared Public Space’ – the 2024 theme. What does this mean for Austria? 

It is all about the fair sharing of public space for everyone and quality of life in communities! It is about the use of eco-mobility and giving cyclists and pedestrians the space they need in public areas to get from A to B safely and comfortably. In times of climate change and long periods of heat, we also need places where we can relax and rest, where there is shade, a small fountain, water, trees and plants and, ideally, public toilets.

What can we expect from EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK in Austria this year?

In Austria, the 2024 campaign is taking place under the motto ‘MeterMachen’ (translates as ‘moving forward’), which focuses literally on moving around - so it is linked to Shared Public Space. Municipalities will implement temporary measures such as pop-up parks and cafes, school- or play streets, street art projects and markets. The EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK offers an ideal platform to demonstrate the variety of ways in which public space can be used fairly and sustainably to increase well-being and strengthen the sense of community. 

Active mobility, with a focus on walking, is the priority topic this year for Austria. Many people in Austria still use their cars, even for very short distances. However, those who cover these distances by bike or on foot are not only doing something good for the environment, but also for their own health. We want greater visibility for footpaths. 

We are also currently revising our technical guidelines for child-friendly mobility. Children and young people are the active travellers of today and tomorrow; they represent the future. After all, a child- and youth-friendly city is a city for everyone.

This year we will also cooperate with the Austrian Railway company and One Mobility because, on World Car-Free Day, on Sunday 22 September, we want to send a climate ticket-branded train from Vienna to Innsbruck. We hope that some influencers will take this train.

What potential is there for spreading awareness around this theme?

There is a lot of potential. This year, we will continue to work on a broad catalogue of actions towards a broad mobilisation of the population for the mobility transition towards climate neutrality. In addition, we have our active mobility programme (Klimaaktiv Mobil) for mobility management targeting municipalities, cities, regions, companies, tourist destinations, educational institutions and youth centres. To prepare for EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK 2024, we are using various formats such as webinars, videos with experts, competitions and awards, newsletters, round tables and much more.

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Petra Völkl has been the National Coordinator for Austria since 2004. She is a Spatial Planner at the Federal Ministry for Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology.

Learn more about EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK in Austria. 

Every year Brussels residents and day-trippers celebrate Car-Free Sunday, with its lively agenda of events and activities, plus a commercial boom for local retailers. Children, pedestrians and cyclists safely reclaim the streets and the entire capital becomes a city-wide street party. While over 3,000 towns and cities participate in EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK every year, Brussels Capital Region’s city-wide car-free day is the largest annual car-free celebration in Europe! 

Opening the streets to pedestrians and cyclists requires time, funding, dedicated management and political support. To help other municipalities organise or expand their own car-free day, Stefan Vandenhende, (Brussels Capital Region, Cabinet of the Minister of Mobility, Road Safety and Public Works), shares invaluable insights into the workings, challenges and successes of this extremely popular Brussels tradition.

How to expand your car-free day

Even though Brussels’ Car-Free Sunday looks and feels like an extended street party, there are some rules – and exceptions – to ensure a smooth flow on the day: Public transport continues to circulate (and is free for all), while emergency services, people with disabilities and taxis are among the exceptions allowed to use cars; individuals can also request exceptions (e.g. people who need to move house), and any non-authorised use of motorised vehicles is prohibited. Enforcing this, and enabling the transformation of public space across the 162 km² region, means not only organising road closures and managing exception requests, but also clearly communicating these rules and transformations to the public.

“You start by defining an area, a bigger but coherent area can sometimes be easier. Communicate well in advance on the date, rules and exceptions. And then, most of all, make sure you facilitate both bottom-up as well as top-down events of all sizes and shapes, a car-free day should be about having fun,” shares Vandenhende.

Of course, regular car users need to plan alternative means of moving around, cafe owners need to be ready for big business, and pedestrians, cyclists and roller-bladers need to plan their social events and ensure they make the most of the shared public space. 

Reaping the rewards

A car-free day of this magnitude also requires financial investment and political backing. The Brussels Capital Region spends a significant amount on promoting and managing the event. However, its continued popularity, impact reducing air and noise pollution, and ability to show an alternative daily reality, make the investment worth it, as Vandenhende points out:

“For many of us in Brussels, it’s our favourite day of the year. It’s a day without worries, to meet your friends and neighbours in the street, to suddenly see kids cycle and play everywhere. A whole new city appears and it’s the most lively and pleasant chaos you cannot experience any other day of the year.”

Despite challenges originally raised by car lobbyists and those concerned about potential negative economic consequences arising from the Car-Free Sunday, Vandenhende and the organising team highlight that local businesses thrive on the day. In addition, drastically improved rates of air quality are achieved. The relaxed atmosphere and joy experienced by those present, and the ever-increasing number of participants from all around the country, clearly show that Car-Free Sunday is here to stay. In the latest opinion survey, carried out in 2018, more than 90% of inhabitants showed support for Car-Free Sunday. In a citizens' panel carried out by Brussels Mobility in 2018, the top three requests for improved mobility in Brussels included more and better-quality cycle paths, a larger cycling network connecting the suburbs with the city, and a Car-Free Sunday once per month!

Starting small is better than not at all

While a city-wide car-free day is the ultimate goal, it is clear that not all cities can afford to organise one on a similar scale. Vandenhende emphasises that Brussels also started small; car-free neighbourhoods were tested already in the year 2000 and quickly developed into the city-wide Car-Free Sunday people know and love today. While a coherent, larger area can also bring many economies of scale and may be easier to communicate, it is better to start small rather than not at all.

Check out the EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK 10 essential steps to organising any car-free day, especially one that extends across an entire town or city. 

Last month, we sat down with Dr. Vana Gkania, the EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK National Coordinator for Cyprus, to hear her insights from the 2023 campaign, her thoughts on the 2024 theme ‘Shared Public Space’, and the potential for greater awareness around sustainable mobility in Cyprus.

What activities are you most proud of from the Cyprus EUROPEAN MOBILITY WEEK 2023?

Gkania: I am very proud of the achievements of our capital, Nicosia. The municipality organised many activities during EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK, in particular to promote their latest permanent mobility measures. Many of these measures focussed on achieving a better modal share and promoting bike networks. One focus, for example, is on better connecting the Universities of Nicosia with the city centre with new cycle lanes. 

There was also a special race with people dressed to impress while riding bicycles, scooters or roller blades. The focus was on dressing fancy, with the winners chosen because of the fanciest costumes. The prize was an impressive e-scooter! It all ended with a big party. This event took place at the beginning of the week and served as a launch - or kick-start - for the rest of the week. Nicosia was a Golden Participant (meaning it registered activities during the main event week, installed at least one permanent measure, and organised a Car-Free Day) and later applied for the EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK Award. I am very proud because it is not easy to become a Golden Participant. 

How has participation developed in recent years? 

Gkania: It has increased. In 2023, not only was the participation greater in quantity, but also the quality. In previous years, the activities tended to repeat themselves but now, local coordinators and organisers are being more creative and doing more interesting things to stand out.

What impressed you the most?

Gkania: In Aglantzia (a suburb of Nicosia), the local coordinator organised an art installation outside the Athalassa park that represents the space occupied by a car, relative to bikes. Essentially it is a bike parking space in the shape of a car. It was the motivated new local EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK coordinator for Aglantzia, who made the difference here. 

Let’s talk about Shared Public Space – the 2024 theme. What does this theme mean to you? 

Gkania: I believe that Shared Public Space is about the humanisation of public space. It is about freeing up space that is normally used by car traffic to non-motorised mobility. Space is where you feel safe to move without having to follow specific signs or routes, regardless of how you choose to move. All should feel equal on the streets.

What Shared Public Space challenges have you faced in Cyprus?

Gkania: Cyprus doesn’t have big plazas like those in other European countries. Public space is therefore mostly about our streets. In Cyprus you cannot see many pedestrians; car drivers are not used to them. Car drivers still feel dominant; over 90% of all trips are made by car in Cyprus. We need to raise the visibility of pedestrians and balance out the streets. It is hard to imagine removing the traffic lanes or on-street parking. Political pressure is huge to not change; shopkeepers and traders are reluctant to embrace change. It is not easy to stimulate interest. The Ministry of Transport, Communication and Works and the municipalities try to promote sustainable travel, but the car is the dominant mode of transport in Cyprus and many people still use it, even for short distances. Our streets have been oriented for years around the needs of cars. They weren’t built like this in one night; so, we can’t fix them in one night either.

What Shared Public Space successes have you achieved?

Gkania: Over the last years Cyprus has introduced lower speed limits for shared streets. In the historic core areas, the limit is 30 km/h. But a new law is about to be implemented regarding Special Measures for the Reduction of Atmospheric Pollutants and Greenhouse Emissions from Road Transport that refers to low emissions zones, through which the movement of polluting vehicles will be prohibited, allowing exceptions only for residents. In recent years, SUMPs (Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans) have helped a lot. So, things are moving forward, despite resistance.

What potential is there for spreading more awareness around sustainable mobility?

Gkania: We continue to push for change; we have given free promotional materials to municipalities - for example stickers of the EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK mascots and colouring blocks for children. This helps. The front cover of the colouring block translates as ‘Imagine your city in whatever colours you want!’.  We also have local awards to encourage active participation. The public has increasingly participated in EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK, so it is making a difference.

The potential lies with younger people; they want to see change. Older people aren’t willing to change as much or give up old habits. With the youth, change is progressing. The more people see mobility initiatives and new permanent measures, the more they support them and open up. 

Dr. Vana Gkania has been the National Coordinator for Cyprus for EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK since 2018. She is an Executive Engineer in Sustainable Mobility at the Public Works Department, Ministry of Transport, Communications and Works, Cyprus.

Learn more about EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK in Cyprus via the facebook page and the website.