How Antwerp's car-free Sunday became CIVITAS PORTIS day

On Sunday 17 September, Antwerp organised its latest car-free Sunday. Taking place as part of European Mobility Week, the annual event has become something of a city tradition, having run for nearly 15 years.  

People who live in Antwerp are mostly used to busy traffic. To change this, the city and its partners have invested heavily in sustainable mobility,  smart mobility planning, and infrastructural innovations.

One day per year, the city lets its inhabitants and visitors enjoy a city centre free of cars. It marks the perfect occasion to think about sustainable mobility and smart modes of transport in a fun way. To encourage this, activities are organised for both children and adults.

Antwerp's main shopping street, the Meir, was transformed into a major mobility fair. Visitors could discover the newest trends in mobility and transport and even test things out! This is where Antwerp's PORTIS Day took place.

The stand, decorated with PORTIS banners,  balloons, and flags, brought the CIVITAS PORTIS project directly to the people. Interested visitors received a goodie bag with PORTIS gadgets and the information leaflet, whilst the PORTIS team were there to provide more information about the project. Visitors were challenged to name other CIVITAS PORTIS cities from pictures and indicate their locations on a map - certainly not easy tasks!
 
A colouring competition saw children competiting to fill in a  PORTIS colour plate. Two of them will win a series of cycling goodie bag, including a safety vest, lights, seat cover, and bell.

Furthermore, a large information pillar about CIVITAS PORTIS was placed on one of Antwerp's most popular squares. It informed passers-by about the project's goals, the participating cities, and the project partners in Antwerp.  

The PORTIS Day was a really positive experience. Attendance was high, and people responded enthusiastically to the the project. All in all, it raised a large amount of awareness in Antwerp, both informing the public about and involving them in PORTIS.

To find out more about what is going on in Antwerp for CIVITAS PORTIS, click here.

For more information about CIVITAS PORTIS, click here.

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