European Commission announces sustainable mobility awards nominees

The finalists of the EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK Awards, the Award for Sustainable Urban Mobility Planning (SUMP Award) and the first EU Urban Road Safety Award have been revealed by the European Commission.

The awards are said to recognise remarkable activities carried out in 2019 and showcase local authorities making a significant effort to promote sustainable urban mobility, display excellence in sustainable urban mobility planning and the implementation of outstanding road safety measures. 

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

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.

For the first time, the Urban Road Safety Award is said to celebrate 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 on 30 March 2020.