The latest EUROPEAN MOBILITY WEEK award has recognised the enormous efforts of our members in leading the way on sustainable mobility!

The first prize was scooped up by Lisbon, which impressed the jury with its strong vision for a more sustainable mobility culture. Greater Manchester scooped up the SUMP Award for its ambitious multimodality goals, its integration of mobility options, and the in-depth approach that takes each part of the city on its own terms. Dresden also made into the SUMP Award finalists. Its measures, such as single cards for multiple modes of transport, and handy apps, mean that it is already beating its own ambitious targets.

Progress in mobility needs both physical and social infrastructure. During the last edition of EUROPEAN MOBILITY WEEK in September 2018, Lisbon inaugurated 31 new bike-sharing stations, new and expanded bike lanes and 800 new bike parking areas. But these were paired with a far-reaching communications campaign that reached out to both residents and tourists, and with tonnes of activities to get people enthusiastic about last year’s ‘Mix and Move’ mobility theme. These included bike trips to local museums, free bike repair workshops, and a special prize for people and organisations effectively promoting bike use.

Greater Manchester brought residents into its sustainable mobility planning from the start, forming its SUMP in consultation with people around their vision for the city by 2040. The plan aims to create easy access to local amenities so that people stop choosing their cars for shorter trips; the city also wants to improve orbital public transport so that longer trips can avoid the city centre. The ‘streets for all’ appraoch means that all mobility actions are taken with a view to making a people-friendly and place based city.

The winning cities received congratulations from commissioner for transport Violeta Bulc: “I would like to sincerely congratulate the winning cities, all of whom carried out inspiring activities to promote sustainable urban mobility. They are true examples of how local leaders across Europe are combining different modes of transport as a means to make our cities cleaner, safer and more sustainable.”

Commissioner for the environment Karmenu Vella added that, “Today’s winners show that the way we move about our city matters, and that bold decisions encouraging sustainable transport can help us tackle major issues like air pollution and climate change.”