The European Commission announced the winners of the EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK Awards 2020, the 9th Award for Sustainable Urban Mobility Planning (SUMP Award) and the EU Urban Road Safety Award on 19 April.
Mönchengladbach (Germany) was revealed as the winner of the EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK Award 2020 for larger municipalities, while Lilienthal (Germany) took home the title for smaller municipalities. The 9th SUMP Award was won by Greater Grenoble Area Mobility Authority (SMMAG) for Grenoble-Alpes SUMP (France), and the EU Urban Road Safety Award went to Bilbao (Spain). The awards were presented during an online ceremony hosted by European Commissioner for Transport, Adina Vălean, and Deputy Director-General of the European Commission's Directorate-General for Transport and Mobility, Matthew Baldwin.
Speaking about the finalists, Commissioner for Transport, Adina Vălean said: “I would like to extend my congratulations to all finalists and winners. Your inspiring achievements really show how cities and towns across Europe can improve people’s wellbeing by shifting towards cleaner, greener and more sustainable travel options for all. I invite others to follow this path and to join forces in building a mobility system for future generations that is smart, resilient, and does its share to achieve our ambitious emission reduction goals. I look forward to celebrating with you the 20th Year of EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK under our call to action Move Sustainably. Stay Healthy.”
Mönchengladbach, Germany – winner of the EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK Award 2020 for larger municipalities
The German city of Mönchengladbach impressed the jury with its broad programme of activities and events for people of all ages and abilities. During EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK 2020, the city organised a number of information and awareness-raising initiatives on sustainable mobility, including public participation meetings where local residents could ask questions and voice their opinions. The city also took a creative approach to promoting sustainable mobility, through organising colouring competitions for children, poetry recitals on urban car parking, and by turning 50 car parking spaces into areas where people could read, play mini golf, or park their bicycles. The jury was also impressed by the strong citizen engagement and number of partnerships that underpinned the activities.
The other finalists are Granada (Spain) and Sofia (Bulgaria).
Lilienthal, Germany – winner of the EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK Award 2020 for smaller municipalities
During EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK 2020, Lilienthal organised a broad array of initiatives on the theme of ‘zero-emission mobility for all’. Activities included walking and bicycle trips, information sessions with senior citizens, a rubbish collection event and an exhibition on the history of city transport. In total more than 2,000 local residents participated in related activities. In addition, Lilienthal worked together with the City of Bremen (Germany) to organise a Car-Free School Day with the participation of 55 schools and over 60,000 students. The jury was particularly impressed with the strong support shown by the local government, with local politicians opting to leave their cars at home and travel to work by public transport.
The other finalists are Bruck an der Leitha (Austria) and Nea Moudania (Greece).
Greater Grenoble Area Mobility Authority (SMMAG) for Grenoble-Alpes SUMP (France) – winner of the 9th Award for Sustainable Urban Mobility Planning (SUMP)
SMMAG’s Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan (SUMP) sets clear and ambitious goals for Grenoble-Alpes, which seek to make sustainable mobility accessible to all, prioritise active and shared travel options, and render city travel more interconnected. The jury was particularly impressed by SMMAG’s integrated and structured approach, which aims to meet the mobility needs of all public transport users, including socially vulnerable groups.
The other finalists are Belgrade (Serbia) and Bilbao (Spain).
Bilbao, Spain – winner of the EU Urban Road Safety Award
Bilbao has sought to improve road safety in the city by reducing the speed limit to 30km/h. Speed limits were first reduced in June 2018 on 87% of all roads in the city. In September 2020, Bilbao extended the 30km/h speed limit to cover the entire city. The jury was also impressed by Bilbao’s communication and awareness-raising activities to promote road safety, and its steps to include residents in discussions and decision-making.
The other finalists are Heraklion (Greece) and Quart de Poblet (Spain).
The EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK campaign is a great initiative to promote environmentally-friendly, safe, and effective means of transportation. ECOPNET (European Cooperation and Partnership Network) congratulates the award winning municipalities and continues to work with its partner municipalities to better align with the European standards on cleaner and better means of transportation. For your inquiries, please do not hesitate to contact our European Cities Cooperation and Partnership Network (ECCPN), Energy, and Green Deal Working Groups.
Background
The EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK campaign runs from 16-22 September each year, providing towns and cities with an opportunity to test out sustainable transport alternatives. Last year, over 2,900 towns and cities registered their participation in the campaign, marking 2020 as the second most successful year to date.
The awards all recognise remarkable initiatives carried out in 2020. The annual theme for the EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK and the SUMP Awards was ‘Zero-emission mobility for all’. The winning cities were selected by an independent panel of mobility and transport experts.
The annual theme for the 2021 campaign is ‘Safe and Healthy with Sustainable Mobility’.
The EU Road Safety Award was presented in the eve of the EU Road Safety Results Conference, which brings together policymakers, civil society and road safety practitioners to assess the state of play of road safety in the EU and how best to take the next steps towards ‘Vision Zero’.
Source: European Commission Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport Press Corner
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