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Mobility and Transport
News article31 March 2020Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport

European Commission announces sustainable mobility award nominees

News originally posted on 27/02/2020

Update: The four winners will be announced during the month of May.

The finalists of the EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK Awards, the Award for Sustainable Urban Mobility Planning (SUMP Award) and the first EU Urban Road Safety Award were revealed today.

All awards recognise remarkable activities carried out in 2019. The EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK Awards showcase local authorities making a significant effort to promote sustainable urban mobility during the focal week; the SUMP Award recognises excellence in sustainable urban mobility planning; and the Road Safety Award celebrates outstanding road safety measures. The annual theme for all awards was safe walking and cycling.

EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK Awards 2019

The finalists for the award for larger municipalities are:

  • Kruševac (Serbia)
  • Rethymno (Greece)
  • Wrocław (Poland)

The jury was impressed by:

  • Kruševac's wide programme of activities, underpinned by strong citizen participation, which saw the redesign of public spaces, removal of parking places, and the creation of urban parks;
  • Rethymno's use of communication activities to engage local residents in discussions on air quality, renewable energy and road safety;
  • Wrocław's strong focus on the week's theme of safe walking and cycling, which was promoted through engaging and informative events.

The finalists for the award for smaller municipalities (less than 50 000 inhabitants) are:

  • Alfândega da Fé (Portugal)
  • Karditsa (Greece)
  • Paide (Estonia)

Alfândega da Fé was praised for its diverse and comprehensive activities, making streets more accessible to pedestrians and cyclists;

Karditsa impressed the jury with its use of promotional materials and partnerships to support sustainable mobility;

Paide's use of local communication channels and involvement of local politicians was appreciated by the jury.

20 JULY 2021
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8th SUMP Award

The finalists for the sustainable urban mobility planning award are:

  • Brussels (Belgium)
  • Kaunas (Lithuania)
  • Wrocław (Poland)

The jury was impressed by:

  • Brussels' policy-driven vision, which is built upon impressive citizen participation, stakeholder outreach, and an understanding of the city as an ecosystem;
  • Kaunas' well thought out and progressive approach to sustainable mobility planning, recognising the role of enforcement in making the plan a reality;
  • Wrocław's integrated, holistic, and innovative approach to sustainable mobility planning, which is bolstered by strong neighbourhood planning and citizen engagement.

EU Urban Road Safety Award

In addition, for the first time, the Urban Road Safety Award celebrates outstanding and innovative achievements by local authorities in the area of road safety. The finalists are:

  • Jaworzno (Poland)
  • Ordu (Turkey)
  • Pontevedra (Spain)

The jury praised in particular:

  • Jaworzno's action to reduce speed limits, increase the number of public transport users, and involve local residents in the design of renovated streets;
  • Ordu's courageous decision to pedestrianise the busiest parts of the city, remove heavy car traffic from the city centre, and create new bicycle routes;
  • Pontevedra's effective and sustained reduction in the number of road fatalities and injuries, its clear monitoring strategy, and its focus on active mobility, such as walking and cycling.

All shortlisted cities were selected by an independent panel of mobility and transport experts, and the four winners will be announced at a ceremony in Brussels (Belgium) on 30 March 2020.

The juries

EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK Awards 2019 Jury:

  • Samantha Clark, International Public Transport Union (UITP)
  • Freya de Muynck, Traject mobility management
  • Niccolò Panozzo, European Cyclists' Federation (ECF)
  • Robert Pressl, FGM-AMOR

8th SUMP Award Jury:

  • Fabian Küster, European Cyclists' Federation (ECF)
  • Siegfried Rupprecht, Rupprecht Consult
  • Bronwen Thornton, Walk21

EU Urban Road Safety Award Jury:

  • Antonio Avenoso, European Transport Safety Council (ETSC)
  • Jeannot Mersch, European Federation of Road Traffic Victims (FEVR)
  • Geert Van Waeg, International Federation of Pedestrians

Background

The EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK campaign runs from 16-22 September each year, providing 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 air quality, and make our urban areas more pleasant places to live and work.

In 2019, over 3 100 towns and cities registered to participate in the campaign, marking it as the most successful year to date.

Details

Publication date
31 March 2020
Author
Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport