European Sustainable Mobility Awards 2020 received by Bilbao, Grenoble, Lilienthal and Mönchengladbach
Four cities were the big winners yesterday afternoon at the European Sustainable Mobility Awards 2020. Held in an online format, the awards were hosted by European Commissioner for Transport, AdinaVălean, and Deputy Director-General of the European Commission's Directorate-General for Transport and Mobility, Matthew Baldwin. The awards recognize 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.
Discover the winners and some of the achievements that impressed the judges below:
Mönchengladbach, Germany – winner of theEUROPEANMOBILITYWEEKAward 2020 for larger municipalities
- Organized multiple information and awareness-raising initiatives on sustainable mobility, including public participation meetings where local residents could ask questions and voice their opinions
- Promoted sustainable mobility through colouring competitions for children, poetry recitals on urban car parking and by turning 50 car parking spaces into areas for relaxation, play and bicycle parking
- Strong citizen engagement and number of activity partnerships particularly impressed the judges
The other finalists included Granada (Spain) and Sofia (Bulgaria).
Lilienthal, Germany – winner of theEUROPEANMOBILITYWEEKAward 2020 for smaller municipalities
- Organized an array of initiatives on the theme of ‘zero-emission mobility for all’, which included walking and bicycle trips, information sessions with senior citizens, a rubbish collection event and an exhibition on the history of city transport
- Worked together with the City of Bremen (Germany) to organize a Car-Free School Day with the participation of 55 schools and over 60,000 students
- Strong local government, with local politicians opting to leave their cars at home and travel to work by public transport, particularly impressed the judges
The other finalists included Bruck an der Leitha (Austria) and NeaMoudania (Greece).
Greater Grenoble Area Mobility Authority (SMMAG) for Grenoble-Alpes SUMP (France) – winner of the 9th Award for Sustainable Urban Mobility Planning (SUMP)
- Sought to make sustainable mobility widely accessible, with active and shared travel options and city connectivity prioritized
- An integrated and structured approach, which aims to meet the mobility needs of all public transport users, particularly impressed the judges
The other finalists included Belgrade (Serbia) and Bilbao (Spain).
Bilbao, Spain – winner of the EU Urban Road Safety Award
- Improved road safety in the city by reducing the speed limit to 30km/h on all city roads, following an initial reduction of 87% of speed limits on city roads in June 2018
- Communication and awareness-raising activities to promote road safety particularly impressed the judges
The other finalists included Heraklion (Greece) and Quart de Poblet (Spain).
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 annual theme for the 2021 campaign is ‘Safe and Healthy with Sustainable Mobility’.
Watch again the award ceremony here.
For more information on the campaign, visit www.mobilityweek.eu.
