Ćuprija becomes first Serbian member of CIVITAS
The town of Ćuprija, with a rich history dating back to Roman times, has become the first Serbian link in the CIVITAS Forum Network.
Ćuprija has 33,500 residents and is a centre of health, education, music and athletes, as well as a site of Roman ruins and two cultural pearls of the Pomoravlje region: the Ravanica Monastery and the historical Ivankovac Monument Park. However it also faces a typical problem of Central and Eastern Europe: rapidly growing car ownership that goes hand-in-hand with economic growth. In fact, the number of registered cars in the town has doubled since the 1990s.Car parking in the town centre remains unruly with drivers seldom following the rules of restricted zones. According to city plans, the first step will be to redefine town parking through two public car parks, while in the longer term park & rides may also be considered. Future plans include bicycle sharing and bicycle renting, as well as the reconstruction of pedestrian areas.“One reason the municipality joined the CIVITAS Initiative was its innovative measures to improve urban transport,” says Dragana Atanaskovic, associate expert for local economic development for the Municipality of Ćuprija. “Also, our community is very interested in promoting walking and cycling,” Atanaskovic says. the main reason we wanted to be part of the CIVITAS Forum Network is to share new information, as well as cooperate and exchange experiences with other towns from CIVITAS.” The CIVITAS Forum Network now includes 186 cities. It is open to all local authorities that want to share experiences in the pursuit of more sustainable urban transport. For information about joining up, click here.
Author: CIVITAS Secretariat
