Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan Award

Summary

The main goal of this measure was to disseminate the SUMP methodology among local councils in the main touristic areas. Through workshops and information leaflets, Transport Malta incentivises involvement and participation in the award of sustainable mobility grants during European Mobility Week (EMW). The purpose of this measure was to present guidelines for sustainable urban mobility measures and to prepare local councils for the submission of proposals.

Implementing sustainable mobility

Transport Malta has compiled documentation that was shared with local councils as to what measures are expected within the frame of a SUMP. A series of workshops were organised in which the underlying principles related to sustainable urban mobility measures were communicated to the local councils.

The terms and conditions for the grant competition were also explained during this workshop. The submissions to the competition were evaluated and the winning measure(s) were implemented during the DESTINATIONS project.

Initially, it was envisaged to support (at least) one measure with a grant awarded during EMW 2018. However, because of its success and high interest from local councils (15 applications, and three measures awarded), the same approach was taken the following year, and a further three measures were awarded a grant during EMW 2019. Transport Malta supported the winning local councils in the implementation of their measures.

Funded measures

The award led to the implementation of new and innovative not yet tested in Malta, such as the shared electric van to serve residents in Pietà, the piloting of electric scooters and pedelecs for youths in Għarb (Gozo), the pedestrianisation of streets in Żabbar and Ħamrun to promote walking to school or to run errands, and the implementation of a cargo-bike used for waste collection and street cleaning in Żebbuġ (Malta). These actions are beneficial for both residents and tourists, as they contribute to a safer and cleaner urban environment.

Evaluation conclusions

The awareness and acceptance levels of local councils were measured respectively by the number of councils that attended the awareness raising workshop and put forward an application for a temporary or permanent sustainable mobility measure. Data has been collected for the participation of local councils in the award of sustainable mobility grants as part of European Mobility Week in 2018.

Outcomes

While the awareness and acceptance levels of local councils may not have reached the quantitative ex-ante targets, in qualitative terms an improvement has been noted in the level of interest from local councils and the quality of their applications.

The sustainable mobility grants have become a part of EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK activities and the workshops and grants will continue even after the DESTINATIONS project finishes.