EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK News

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European Commission announces sustainable mobility award nominees

27 February 2020

The finalists of the EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK Awards, the Award for Sustainable Urban Mobility Planning (SUMP Award) and the first EU Urban Road Safety Award were revealed today.

All awards recognise remarkable activities carried out in 2019. The EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK Awards showcase local authorities making a significant effort to promote sustainable urban mobility during the focal week; the SUMP Award recognises excellence in sustainable urban mobility planning; and the Road Safety Award celebrates outstanding road safety measures. The annual theme for all awards was safe walking and cycling.


EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK Awards 2019

The finalists for the award for larger municipalities are:

  • Kruševac (Serbia)
  • Rethymno (Greece)
  • Wrocław (Poland)

The jury was impressed by:
- Kruševac’s wide programme of activities, underpinned by strong citizen participation, which saw the redesign of public spaces, removal of parking places, and the creation of urban parks;
- Rethymno’s use of communication activities to engage local residents in discussions on air quality, renewable energy and road safety;
- Wrocław’s strong focus on the week’s theme of safe walking and cycling, which was promoted through engaging and informative events.

The finalists for the award for smaller municipalities (less than 50 000 inhabitants) are:

  • Alfândega da Fé (Portugal)
  • Karditsa (Greece)
  • Paide (Estonia)

- Alfândega da Fé was praised for its diverse and comprehensive activities, making streets more accessible to pedestrians and cyclists;
- Karditsa impressed the jury with its use of promotional materials and partnerships to support sustainable mobility;
- Paide’s use of local communication channels and involvement of local politicians was appreciated by the jury.


8th SUMP Award

The finalists for the sustainable urban mobility planning award are:

  • Brussels (Belgium)
  • Kaunas (Lithuania)
  • Wrocław (Poland)

The jury was impressed by:
- Brussels’ policy-driven vision, which is built upon impressive citizen participation, stakeholder outreach, and an understanding of the city as an ecosystem;
- Kaunas’ well thought out and progressive approach to sustainable mobility planning, recognising the role of enforcement in making the plan a reality;
- Wrocław’s integrated, holistic, and innovative approach to sustainable mobility planning, which is bolstered by strong neighbourhood planning and citizen engagement.


EU Urban Road Safety Award

In addition, for the first time, the Urban Road Safety Award celebrates outstanding and innovative achievements by local authorities in the area of road safety.

The finalists are:

  • Jaworzno (Poland)
  • Ordu (Turkey)
  • Pontevedra (Spain)

The jury praised in particular:
- Jaworzno’s action to reduce speed limits, increase the number of public transport users, and involve local residents in the design of renovated streets;
- Ordu’s courageous decision to pedestrianise the busiest parts of the city, remove heavy car traffic from the city centre, and create new bicycle routes;
- Pontevedra’s effective and sustained reduction in the number of road fatalities and injuries, its clear monitoring strategy, and its focus on active mobility, such as walking and cycling.

All shortlisted cities were selected by an independent panel of mobility and transport experts. The four winners will be announced via a press release and on social media during the month of May.

An interview with Soledad Perlado Hergueta, National Coordinator for Spain

26 February 2020

What role do you play in the EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK campaign?
The Spanish Ministry for ‘Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge’ has been responsible for organising the EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK campaign in Spain since its inception, and provides local actors with technical assistance to develop and implement the campaign in their towns and cities.

Such technical assistance includes:

  • Developing communication techniques, and disseminating information about EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK in Spain, as well as disseminating any news related to sustainable mobility;
  • Adapting and translating campaign materials developed by the EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK European Secretariat;
  • Creating communications material, such as our three annual bulletins, detailed final report with participation data, press releases, etc;
  • Managing, reviewing and approving municipality registrations on the EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK website;
  • Providing technical assistance to companies, associations and municipalities;
  • Organising events, such as the National Awards and conferences to promote sustainable mobility.



Spain had a record-breaking year in 2019, registering the most cities, golden participants, and Car-Free Days. How did you achieve this?

Since the campaign was first launched in Spain, we have sought to integrate different actors and stakeholders (cities and towns, companies etc.) into the process. Therefore, the successes seen last year are in part the result of many years’ work.

From the beginning, we have given added value to the implementation of permanent measures, even making them a mandatory participation criterion for some years. This explains the large number of permanent measures implemented by Spanish municipalities throughout the years.

Additionally, the participation of companies, institutions, civil society organisations, etc. was encouraged through a charter of commitment.

Finally, EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK in Spain is organised through a pyramid structure, which includes autonomous communities, municipalities, and other national institutions such as the IDAE (Institute for Diversification and Saving of Energy), the General Directorate of Traffic, etc.


What do you think Spanish cities and towns gain from taking part in
EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK?
On the one hand, cities and towns feel that by participating in EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK, they are working towards a common goal with other European municipalities. This helps them develop specific policies that, although sometimes viewed as being controversial (traffic closure, pedestrianization, etc.), are accepted by local residents as part of a common European policy.

On the other hand, cities and towns benefit from conceptual support for their sustainable urban mobility policy by the European Commission and the European Secretariat for EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK, such as the Good Practice Guide.

In addition, the European nature of the campaign fosters a connection between participants from different countries, and enables networking and the exchange of knowledge and good practice. Many of the measures implemented in one municipality are replicable in others, so having an information bank, such as the EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK website, with details of past participation, is a great resource for everyone.

Finally, through winning or even being nominated for the EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK awards, municipalities gain important recognition at the European level.

Such recognition brings the work done by the administration to the attention of the local residents, and provides an impetus for cities and towns to implement new measures and further increase public awareness.


What are the main challenges that you faced in getting cities interested and engaged in EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK in Spain?
The main challenge was the number of elections (national, regional, municipal and European) which took place last year.

Changing government and especially local administrations, in the months before the start of EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK, makes it difficult for towns and cities to participate.

Additionally, there are still a number of municipalities who participate with activities during the week, but do not register their formal participation on the campaign website. Therefore, they are not included in the participation data.

During last year’s campaign, we paid special attention to these cases, contacting those municipalities to communicate the importance and advantages of officially joining the campaign.


What are your hopes for the campaign in 2020 in Spain?
In 2020 I hope to:

  • Continue increasing the active involvement of municipalities, companies, institutions, civil society organisations and trade unions;
  • Get more municipalities to implement permanent measures, integrating them into their Urban Mobility Plans;· Expand our network of regional coordinators;
  • Ensure that the social aspect of sustainable mobility becomes more important, especially taking into account the theme of the 2020 EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK campaign (zero-emission mobility for all. Also, increase the importance of the Workplace Travel Plans, both in Spanish and European policies).
  • Promote a Technical Committee for the coordination of EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK, which will serve as an advisory department for the further development of the project in Spain, and will be composed of different departments of the National Administration, companies, institutions, civil society organisations, the Autonomous Communities, etc.

Local authorities invited to fill in EU transport survey

18 February 2020

The European Commission is conducting an evaluation of its 2011 White Paper titled, ‘Roadmap to a single European transport area – towards a competitive and resource efficient transport system’.

The White Paper was adopted in 2011 and defined the long-term vision for a European transport sector that serves the needs of the economy and citizens, whilst responding to future challenges related to oil dependency, growing congestion and pollution, and the need to cut CO2 emissions.

It set out a strategy based on 40 action points in four broad areas. These aim to eliminate internal market barriers, and support innovation and infrastructure.

The Commission has contracted a team led to undertake a study to evaluate the White Paper. The objective of the support study is to provide a comprehensive evaluation and to collect and analyse evidence to help assess whether it has achieved its objectives in an effective and efficient manner.

In addition, the study aims to determine whether its objectives and priorities remain relevant with emerging needs, and whether it remains consistent with other EU policies and priorities.

It will cover all areas of the White Paper, examine transport policy needs, the Paper's objectives and goals, the proposed action points, as well as the outcomes achieved and, where applicable, their preliminary impacts.

The deadline to fill in the survey and provide your input is 28 February 2020.

Fill in the survey here.