The European Commission on 19 April 2021 announced the winners of the EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK Awards 2020, the 9th Award for Sustainable Urban Mobility Planning (SUMP Award) and the EU Urban Road Safety Award.
Mönchengladbach (Germany) was revealed as the winner of the EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK Award 2020 for larger municipalities, while Lilienthal (Germany) won the award for smaller municipalities. The 9th SUMP Award was won by Greater Grenoble Area Mobility Authority (SMMAG) for Grenoble-Alpes SUMP (France), while Bilbao (Spain) won the EU Urban Road Safety Award.
The awards were presented during an online ceremony hosted by European Commissioner for Transport, Adina Vălean, and Deputy Director-General of the European Commission's Directorate-General for Transport and Mobility, Matthew Baldwin.
Speaking about the finalists, Commissioner for Transport, Adina Vălean said: “I would like to extend my congratulations to all finalists and winners. Your inspiring achievements really show how cities and towns across Europe can improve people’s wellbeing by shifting towards cleaner, greener and more sustainable travel options for all. I invite others to follow this path and to join forces in building a mobility system for future generations that is smart, resilient, and does its share to achieve our ambitious emission reduction goals. I look forward to celebrating with you the 20th Year of EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK under our call to action Move Sustainably. Stay Healthy.”
The EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK campaign runs from 16-22 September each year, providing towns and cities with an opportunity to test out sustainable transport alternatives. Last year, over 2,900 towns and cities registered their participation in the campaign, marking 2020 as the second most successful year to date.
The awards all recognise remarkable initiatives carried out in 2020. The annual theme for the EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK and the SUMP Awards was ‘Zero-emission mobility for all’. The winning cities were selected by an independent panel of mobility and transport experts. The annual theme for the 2021 campaign is ‘Safe and Healthy with Sustainable Mobility’.
The EU Road Safety Award was presented in the eve of the EU Road Safety Results Conference, which brings together policymakers, civil society and road safety practitioners to assess the state of play of road safety in the EU and how best to take the next steps towards ‘Vision Zero’.
The following provides an overview of the winners of the various awards:
Mönchengladbach, Germany – winner of the EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK Award 2020 for larger municipalities
Mönchengladbach impressed the jury with its broad programme of activities and events for people of all ages and abilities, as well as the strong resident engagement and number of partnerships that underpinned the activities organised during the EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK 2020. The city organised a number of information and awareness-raising initiatives on sustainable mobility, and took a creative approach to promoting sustainable mobility through events such as colouring competitions for children and repurposing 50 car parking spaces as areas for people to read, play minigolf or park their bicycles. The other finalists are Granada (Spain) and Sofia (Bulgaria).
Lilienthal, Germany – winner of the EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK Award 2020 for smaller municipalities
During EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK 2020, Lilienthal organised a broad array of initiatives on the theme of ‘zero-emission mobility for all’. Activities included walking and bicycle trips, information sessions with senior residnets, a rubbish collection event and an exhibition on the history of city transport. In total more than 2,000 local residents participated in related activities. In addition, Lilienthal worked together with the City of Bremen (Germany) to organise a Car-Free School Day with the participation of 55 schools and over 60,000 students. The jury was particularly impressed with the strong support shown by the local government, with local politicians opting to leave their cars at home and travel to work by public transport. The other finalists are Bruck an der Leitha (Austria) and Nea Moudania (Greece).
Greater Grenoble Area Mobility Authority (SMMAG) for Grenoble-Alpes SUMP (France) – winner of the 9th Award for Sustainable Urban Mobility Planning (SUMP)
SMMAG’s Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan (SUMP) sets clear and ambitious goals for Grenoble-Alpes, which seek to make sustainable mobility accessible to all, prioritise active and shared travel options, and render city travel more interconnected. The jury was particularly impressed by SMMAG’s integrated and structured approach, which aims to meet the mobility needs of all public transport users, including socially vulnerable groups. The other finalists are Belgrade (Serbia) and Bilbao (Spain).
Bilbao, Spain – winner of the first EU Urban Road Safety Award
Bilbao has sought to improve road safety in the city by reducing the speed limit to 30km/h. Speed limits were first reduced in June 2018 on 87% of all roads in the city. In September 2020, Bilbao extended the 30km/h speed limit to cover the entire city. The jury was also impressed by Bilbao’s communication and awareness-raising activities to promote road safety, and its steps to include residents in discussions and decision-making. The other finalists are Heraklion (Greece) and Quart de Poblet (Spain).
For further information on the campaign, and to rewatch the award ceremony or videos about all the finalists, visit the following websites:
EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK - YouTube
EU Urban Road Safety Award 2021
The applications for the EU Urban Road Safety Award 2021 are now open. This award rewards local authorities for implementing measures, in the spirit of the internationally recognised 'Safe System' concept to improve road safety. The applications are open until 31 October 2021.
For further information see here and to submit an application see here.