EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK News

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Registration for EUROPEAN MOBILITY WEEK 2019 now open

17 April 2019

Towns and cities across Europe and further afield can now register their participation in EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK 2019.

The annual campaign, which takes place from 16-22 September each year, is organised by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport and seeks to improve quality of life through promoting clean mobility and sustainable urban transport.

This year’s campaign puts the spotlight on safe walking and cycling and the benefits it can have for our health, environment, and bank balance. The 2019 theme is represented by the slogan Walk with us!

Towns and cities can register their participation online, selecting which of the three options – holding a week of activities focused on sustainable mobility, implementing one or more permanent transport measures, or holding a ‘Car-Free-Day’ – they will be carrying out to celebrate the week.

Last year’s EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK saw 2,792 towns and cities from 54 countries take part in the campaign.

Businesses, NGOs, schools and other actors, including cities, who want to get involved in the EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK campaign are also invited to register their MOBILITYACTION online.

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.

For more information and to register for EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK 2019, click here.

An interview with Transport for Greater Manchester, winner of the 7th SUMP Award

15 April 2019

Nicola Kane, Head of Strategic Planning and Research with Transport for Greater Manchester, spoke to us about winning the sustainable urban mobility planning (SUMP) Award, Manchester's 'bold vision' for sustainable transport, and the importance of working with diverse stakeholders.


What does winning the SUMP Award mean to the city?

Winning the SUMP award is a real honour and endorsement of the hard work that Transport for Greater Manchester and our district colleagues have put in to developing our new Greater Manchester Transport Strategy 2040. It demonstrates to our citizens and stakeholders that Greater Manchester is planning effectively for the future and that we are serious about improving transport in support of a greener, cleaner and more prosperous city-region. 


Can you tell us a little bit about the process of designing your SUMP? What was it, do you think, that appealed to the Jury?

The central theme of our SUMP is “integration”. Our strategy focuses on how we can deliver a truly seamless and sustainable transport system that works for all journeys.

Our strategy has not been developed around individual modes of transport, but more to support the wide range and types of journeys that people and goods need to make in the city region. This includes planning for very short neighbourhood trips to schools, shops and local activities; as well as travel to our towns and city centres, and to other towns and cities across the UK and beyond. I think it is this spatial, rather than modal, approach to planning that attracted the judges. 

We have also set out a bold vision for 50 percent of all trips to be made by sustainable modes by 2040 (from 40 percent today), which will be challenging in a city region that is experiencing rapid growth and is still very car-dominated in many parts of the urban area. This will mean providing for a million more sustainable journeys every day.

We are also embracing innovation, where it supports our wider economic, social and environmental goals. For example, exploring opportunities for shared connected and autonomous vehicles (CAV) services and testing how Mobility as a Service (MaaS) can improve the customer experience.


What advice would you give to cities that are looking to follow in your footsteps and win the SUMP Award?

Demonstrate how you are working with stakeholders and communities to develop a strategy that really meets the needs of the end users, based on a clear and compelling vision of the future. 

Set ambitious goals for your SUMP and demonstrate how they can be achieved through a range of transport and non-transport interventions.

Learn from elsewhere – look at what other cities are doing around the world and “borrow” those elements which are working well, whilst thinking how they should be adapted to meet your local requirements and context. 

We are really delighted to have won this year’s SUMP Award, and it was well worth the time taken to make the awards submission. 

An interview with Lindau, winner of the EUROPEAN MOBILITY WEEK Award 2018 for smaller municipalities

9 April 2019

Jaime Valdés Valverde, Mobility Planner with the City of Lindau, discusses the German city's recent EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK Award for smaller municipalities victory.


1. What activities did Lindau undertake to help it win the EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK Award?

Lindau City Council unanimously approved the climate-friendly Lindauer Mobility Concept (KLiMo) in 2017, which follows the Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan (SUMP) structure. KLiMo aims to facilitate and promote sustainable mobility, making urban traffic more environmentally friendly to achieve the highest possible quality of life. In this context, participation in EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK serves as an awareness-raising measure, one that brings the local population’s attention to the issue of sustainable mobility.

Lindau implemented several mobility measures in 2018, the majority of which promoted multimodality, the theme of EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK 2018. These measures were the key for our application to this award.

At the start of 2018, the City of Lindau and all Public Transport providers entered into the BODO (Bodensee-Oberschwaben-Verkehrsverbund) integrated Public Transport ticketing System. The BODO is a transport ticketing association of bus companies within rural districts of Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria that aims to increase the attractiveness of public transport. Through the system, passengers benefit from lower prices. It also has the positive effect of promoting multimodality.

A total of 10 Bike and Ride stations – so-called KLiMo stations – were established, which are intended to link cycling and public transport. The aim of the "Bike and Ride" is to increase the attractiveness of both modes of transport by expanding the catchment areas of stations and bus stops.

The free App "Mobility Choices" shows alternative connections as well as multimodal paths. It analyses each journey according to the criteria of environment, health, costs and time and automatically recognises the means of transport used. Recording and releasing the anonymous travel data helps us to analyse real traffic flows and improve transport infrastructure in Lindau.


2. What does winning the EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK Award for smaller municipalities mean to the city?

The mobility department has been working to improve mobility in Lindau since 2015. Since 2017, we have been working on the implementation of our SUMP measures.

In 2018, Lindau participated in EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK for the second time and was selected by the European Commission for the second year in a row as one of three finalists in the category for municipalities with less than 50,000 inhabitants.

Lindau is a small municipality with a lot of mobility projects going on; as a result of EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK we noticed an increase in awareness of these projects and sustainable mobility more broadly among our citizens. Winning this award will hopefully give us the support to implement all of our ambitious measures and a renewed drive to achieve our climate goals. As a small municipality we are really proud of this achievement. It is not without a reason that Lindau is the first German municipality to win a EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK Award.


3. What are the benefits of taking part in
EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK for smaller cities?

The most important benefit of participating in EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK is raising awareness for sustainable mobility. The week provides us with a great platform to test pilot projects and at the same time works as an awareness-raising measure for sustainable urban mobility in Lindau.

For me as a planner, it is also the perfect opportunity to test some of the measures that are being planned in order to get a better perception of the level of acceptance from citizens.

We have many ambitious measures, such as the implementation of Water-Taxis and the revitalisation of historical plazas. Putting in place these pilot measures during EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK is really helpful for us to achieve our goals.


4. What advice would you give to smaller cities that are looking to follow in your footsteps and take home the
EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK Award?

Measures to promote sustainable urban mobility must be well communicated so that they are also accepted by citizens; the promotion of sustainable mobility doesn’t only depend on new infrastructural measures. Communication is the key factor between all stakeholders: politicians, the city administration and the citizens. Sustainable mobility can be achieved through educational, motivational and behavioural communications.

If a city wants to be successful at EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK they first have to concentrate the campaign on the theme of the year. Secondly, they have to involve as many stakeholders as possible. A good communication strategy and marketing campaign for the whole week is also something that the jury pays attentions to.

The main goal for the cities should not be solely wining this award, but rather motivating their citizens to practice sustainable mobility!

An interview with Lisbon, winner of the EUROPEAN MOBILITY WEEK Award 2018 for larger municipalities

8 April 2019

To view this interview in Portuguese, click here.

Lisbon (Portugal) was revealed as the winner of the EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK Award 2018 for larger municipalities at a ceremony in Brussels (Belgium) on 21 March 2019. We spoke with Miguel Gaspar, Deputy Mayor for Mobility and Safety, about what the win meant to the Portuguese capital.


1. What activities did Lisbon undertake to help it win the
EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK Award?

EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK 2018 in Lisbon benefitted from a strong, diverse agenda, focusing, of course, on multimodality and sustainable mobility activities.

Scheduled initiatives included seminars and conferences on sustainable urban mobility, awareness-raising actions related to cycling to school and work, bicycle and scooter rides and a vintage tram parade.

One of the highlights of the EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK was the Wise Mobility Conference, a debate on Lisbon’s ambition to see its mobility system evolve rapidly towards sustainability, efficiency, accessibility and security. A diverse panel of speakers gave their opinion in front of an audience of 200 participants. Tickets for the event sold out within days.

On the last day of EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK, part of the Liberdade Avenue (one of the main arteries of the city) was closed to road traffic, hosting a festivity of mobility with leisure activities for the whole family. The festival allowed attendees to try out different vehicles, including pedal vehicles and scooters, and saw activities such as virtual reality games, dance classes, street art and bicycle sprints. It was also possible to ride a suspended bike (Skybike), which could climb up to 14 metres high, providing an excellent view over the surrounding area. The event was attended by around 3,800 people.


2. What has the reaction been among citizens and stakeholders to the city winning the award?

There were countless positive reactions. It was acknowledged by partners, citizens and other stakeholders that the city has improved significantly in the past few years in relation to mobility.

This award provides recognition of the work that has been carried out in favor of better mobility in Lisbon. This international recognition reinforces our determination and our willpower to do more and better every single day.


3. What are the benefits of taking part in
EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK for your city?

EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK is a moment of celebration. It is the highlight of work that has been developed throughout the year. It brings together actors contributing to better mobility in Lisbon and encourages citizens to rethink their mobility choices. It is about providing opportunities to explore the city in more sustainable ways, whether through public transportation, cycling or shared modes.  


4. What advice would you give to cities that are looking to take home the
EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK Award?

First of all, the city must have a clear vision of what kind of mobility it wants to implement, and put in place permanent structural measures accordingly.

Mobility relies on people, those who live in the city and those who use it. Involving everyone, including mobility companies and associations, public transport operators and schools, is a key element of successfully shifting to a more sustainable, shared and linked mobility policy.  

Hence, a strong commitment to communication is really important, as well as a diverse agenda addressing various audiences.