Vienna, Igoumenitsa and Turda take home European sustainable mobility awards

The European Commission today announced the winners of the EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK Award 2017 and 6^th Award for Sustainable Urban Mobility Planning (SUMP) at a ceremony in Brussels (Belgium).

Vienna was named the winner of the EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK Award 2017 for larger municipalities, with Igoumenitsa revealed as the inaugural winner of the newly added EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK category for smaller municipalities (below 50,000 inhabitants). The 6^th Award for Sustainable Urban Mobility Planning (SUMP) was presented to Turda (Romania).

Commissioner for Transport Violeta Bulc said: "My congratulations to each of the award winners. Through their actions, Vienna, Igoumenitsa and Turda are creating a more sustainable Europe. They also help their residents to move around in a cleaner, healthier and more enjoyable way. It is my hope that these cities will inspire others to embrace the core message of EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK – sustainable mobility is the right choice for everyone."

Commissioner for the Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Karmenu Vella said: "Mobility Week gets bigger every year! More proof, year after year, that green is everyone's favourite colour. Green means clean, it means convenient, and it means a city where people find it easy to go about their business. And best of all, it's better for your health. My congratulations to these winners – they've understood what citizens really need."

The EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK Award showcases local authorities that demonstrate significant efforts in promoting sustainable urban mobility, while the SUMP Award recognises outstanding sustainable urban mobility planning. This edition of the SUMP award focused on shared mobility in the planning process.

Vienna, Igoumenitsa and Turda were selected by an independent panel of mobility and transport experts and will each receive a promotional video highlighting their achievements.

The awards were presented to the cities by Commissioner for Transport Violeta Bulc and Director General for Environment, Daniel Calleja at a ceremony in Brussels (Belgium).

Learn more about the winners

[collapsed title=Vienna, Austria – winner of the EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK Award 2017]

The Austrian capital, home to around 1.8 million people, impressed the jury with its outstanding programme of activities during EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK, which reflected a firm understanding of the theme of the 2017 campaign - Clean, shared, and intelligent mobility. Among other activities, residents of Vienna were able to rent cargo bikes free of charge, take guided walks through different city neighbourhoods, and join an urban picnic on a street previously reserved for vehicles. One initiative saw crowds positioned at busy bicycle intersections, providing cyclists with a round of applause for choosing a sustainable transport method. The city also worked with kindergartens to educate children on sustainable transport methods.

The other finalists were Granada (Spain) and Prague (Czech Republic).

[/collapsed]

[collapsed title=Igoumenitsa, Greece – winner of the EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK Award 2017 for towns and cities with fewer than 50,000 inhabitants]

The City of Igoumenitsa took home the honour for its exemplary work in communicating the benefits of sustainable mobility to residents, including those who live in nearby small towns. Residents could avail of free transfer by bus at selected times, take part in cycling events held along the city's coastal front, and join a cultural hike through the forest. Seminars on sustainable mobility were held with primary school students, along with a painting exhibition for school children on the benefits of cycling and walking. The city also ran a photo competition on social media, awarding the photographer behind the best sustainable mobility picture with a bicycle.

Lindau (Germany) and Tivat (Montenegro) were also finalists in the new award category.

[/collapsed]

[collapsed title=Turda (Romania) - winner of the 6th Award for Sustainable Urban Mobility Planning]

The Romania city of Turda was presented with the SUMP Award for its clear planning vision, robust financing strategy, and measurable targets. The jury noted the replicability of the strategy and its potential to inspire other similarly-sized cities (Turda has a population of around 50,000 inhabitants). The jury also found that the level of ambition within the plan was high given the relatively small size of the city, particularly in the field of shared mobility.

Greater Manchester (UK), Milan (Italy) were fellow finalists for the 6^th edition of the SUMP Award.

[/collapsed]

Background

The EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK campaign runs from 16 – 22 September each year, and provides towns and cities with an opportunity to test out sustainable transport alternatives. By encouraging individuals to choose sustainable transport modes such as walking and cycling, we can lower our carbon emissions, improve the quality of our air, and make our urban areas more pleasant places to live and work.

2017 was the most successful edition of EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK to date, with over 2,500 towns and cities participating.

For more information, visit http://www.mobilityweek.eu