E-charging points and green light corridors
Image from Aberdeen City Council
Through CIVITAS PORTIS, cities undertook measures related to the use of, and support for, electric vehicles to encourage sustainable mobility. These measures recognise the importance of making e-mobility visible, through branding and communication with the public, as well as by considering the energy lifecycle and supporting sustainable energy production.
Here, stakeholder collaboration was viewed as a key driver for success, particularly given the need for enabling infrastructure (such as charging points and clean energy sources) to be both efficient and accessible, and the investment required from fleet and vehicle operators to make significant changes towards e-mobility.
In Antwerp, for example, e-mobility was supported through a bundle of three activities:
- The development of an online tool to request installation of e-charging points;
- Analysis of locations in terms of need, possibility for providing charging infrastructure, and potential business models to roll-out and operate the infrastructure; and
- Equipping new buildings with parking spaces with all necessary provisions to install e-charging infrastructure.
Antwerp has invested in creating parking spaces for electric charging and this commitment has led to a significant increase in charging points available in public space; this has also supported an increase in e-vehicle purchase by consumers and car clubs.
The availability of public funding, the willingness of the business community to contribute financially, and the initiation of a Low Emission Zone can attributed as main drivers of success, and together led to an increase of public e-charging points from nine to 96 points, a 29% increase in off-street e-charging points, and a 50% increase in the number of e-vehicles.
Electric vehicles are far from the only focus of PORTIS cities. For its part, Klaipeda worked to improve the efficiency of urban freight transport by creating a “green corridor” through the installation and use of smart traffic lights on routes used by freight vehicles. The city's Strategic Development Plan includes the need to prioritise integrating sustainability principles in transport system development.
Modernisation of the transport management system to better manage freight traffic and service the port is also considered a strategic objective that has been approved by the Municipal Administration and Port Authorities, and additional financing was allocated for the implementation of measures.
After four years of intensive work, CIVITAS PORTIS has a much longer story to tell. Discover highlight measures from each PORTIS city, as well as best practices and lessons learnt, in the CIVITAS PORTIS Consolidated Findings and Key Lessons publication. Find it here.
Photo credit: Aberdeen City Council
