The EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK is focusing this year on multimodality and the use of different modes for transport. Amongst these, biking stands out as one of the most sustainable mobility transports. As well as providing health benefits, significant savings can be achieved through a multimodal approach, particularly when short journeys are completed through walking and cycling. In 2017, the EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK  focused on ‘Clean, shared and intelligent mobility’ and the cities showing great effort in this area were awarded at a ceremony on 21 March 2018 in Brussels.

On March 21st and 22nd in Brussels, the EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK organized a EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK Workshop and the EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK Awards.

The EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK Workshop had a program full of new possibilities on multimodality, featuring Mohamed Mezghani, Secretary General of the International Association of Public Transport (UITP) and panels on multimodal city planning, multimodal hubs, Mobility-as-a-Service and successful campaigns. The panels showcased lots of best practices from cities all over Europe such as Brussels, Budapest, Antwerp, Malmo or Marseille. The European Commission was represented by Piotr Rapacz, Sustainable and Intelligent Transport Unit, and Isabelle Vandoorne, Deputy Head of the Sustainable and Intelligent Transport Unit, DG MOVE.

On March 21^st the European Commission announced the winners of the EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK Award 2017 and 6th Award for Sustainable Urban Mobility Planning (SUMP) at a ceremony in Brussels (Belgium). The aim of the award scheme is to encourage the adoption of Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans (SUMPs) by local authorities across Europe and reward outstanding achievements in each year’s thematic priority area.

Vienna(Austria) was named the winner of the EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK Award 2017 for larger municipalities, while Igoumenitsa (Greece) was the winner of the new category for smaller municipalities. The 6th Award for Sustainable Urban Mobility Planning (SUMP) was given to Turda (Romania).

All three finalists for large municipalities,  Granada (Spain) through the region of Andalucia, Prague (Czech Republic) and Vienna (Austria) are members of ECF’s Cities and Regions for Cyclists Network (CRfC).

The awards were presented to the cities by Commissioner Violeta Bulc, responsible for Transport, and Daniel Calleja, Director-General for Environment.

Commissioner for Transport Violeta Bulc stated:

My congratulations to each of the award winners. Through their actions, these cities are not only creating a more sustainable Europe, but are helping their residents to move around in a cleaner, healthier and more enjoyable way. It is my hope that by selecting these cities, their actions will inspire others to embrace the core message of EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK – sustainable mobility is the right choice for everyone."

Vienna, 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.

The city of Igoumenitsa was awarded by its exemplary work in communicating the benefits of sustainable mobility to residents, including those who live in nearby small towns. Residents could take part in cycling events held along the city's coastal front and join a cultural hike through the forest.

The Romania city of Turda was presented with the 6th SUMP Award for its clear planning vision, robust financing strategy, and measurable targets.

Photo credits: 
​© European Union 2018, 
Photographer: Ezequiel Scagnetti