Braga, Sofia and Zagreb among the finalists for European Urban Mobility Awards

Six finalists have been shortlisted for the EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK award 2022 and the new MOBILITYACTION award promoting mobility management. Both awards are presented in recognition of remarkable activities conducted in 2022. The winners will be announced at an award ceremony in Ghent on 23 March.

The nominees for the EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK Award 2022 are:

• Braga (Portugal) for its commitment to better connect people, local businesses and universities through sustainable mobility. During EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK, the Portuguese city worked with one hundred companies to open streets for pedestrian use and construct public mini-parks. Activities included intergenerational gymnastics, the production of street art and safe cycling for children.
• Sofia (Bulgaria) for its new transportation service that better combines citizens' mobility demands and reduced environmental impact. Services include electric buses, an on-demand mobile application, green corridors and new more affordable tariffs. In addition to providing cleaner and more accessible transport, the Bulgarian capital is working within the framework of the InnoAir project, which seeks to reduce air pollution through traffic calming measures as part of the European Union’s Urban Innovative Actions.
• Zagreb (Croatia) for its integration of strategies - including the Zagreb Smart City Strategy, Air Protection Programme 2022 - 2026 and Noise Management Action Plan - that advance an ecological and digital transition with the help of sustainable mobility. In particular, Zagreb is building a 122 km bicycle path to the Slovenian border and a 23 km bicycle highway to Dugo Selo. It has also conducted studies on how to expand pedestrian zones and move away from a car-centric city model.

The nominees for the first edition of the MOBILITYACTION Award are:

• Ar2gether, Strade Future (Rome, Italy) for its public art project promoting more sustainable mobility solutions. Art installations were located along the walls of the Tiber River, below Castel Sant’Angelo and in front of the renowned Parco della Musica Auditorium. The installations were composed of recyclable materials and showcased mobility’s close connection to improving urban quality of life and protecting the environment.
• Metropolia GZM (Katowice, Poland) for transforming a car park at the local university campus into an interactive, green pedestrian area. Metropolia GZM gathered public transport, cycling, urban policy, social development and sustainable mobility professionals to co-create a solution for the car park transformation. Local citizens are increasingly using the area and the goal is to transform all above-ground parking on the campus into space for pedestrians.
• UCB Pharma (Braine-L’Alleud, Belgium) for organising awareness-raising campaigns to increase the safety of vulnerable users in mixed traffic at its local campus and production area, just south of Brussels. Campaigns included a car-pooling competition, HGV truck driving awareness experiences, and more. UCB aims to make its campus car-free by 2030, in addition to becoming carbon neutral shortly thereafter.

The EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK award acknowledges municipalities that have gone above and beyond in promoting sustainable urban mobility during the week of 16 - 22 September. The MOBILITYACTION award was launched by the European Commission in 2022 to acknowledge excellence in mobility management. The award showcases sustainable mobility solutions submitted by NGOs, organisations, businesses, citizen initiatives and municipalities throughout the year. The annual theme for both awards is ‘Better Connections’.

The shortlisted candidates were selected by an independent panel of mobility and transport experts. The two winners will be crowned during an award ceremony on 23 March 2023 at the Castle of the Counts in Ghent, Belgium.

The juries

EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK Award 2022:
●    Charlotte Van Hek, International Association of Public Transport (UITP)
●    Kateřina Kührová, Sustainable Development, Master’s Student
●    Philip Amaral, European Cyclists' Federation (ECF)
●    Robert Pressl, Mobility Expert

MOBILITYACTION Award 2022:
●    Elke Franchois, Mobiel21
●    Hans Arby, RI.SE
●    Robert Thaler, European Platform on Mobility Management (EPOMM) & Austrian Ministry for Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology
●    Roberto de Tommasi, Synergo

Background

EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK runs from 16 - 22 September every year, providing towns and cities with an opportunity to try out innovative traffic and transport planning, promote new use of infrastructure and raise awareness on sustainable mobility within their communities. MOBILITYACTIONs provide an opportunity for a broad range of organisations to share best practice solutions in mobility management throughout the year. The campaign also encourages people to choose active and sustainable mobility such as public transport, walking and cycling. Sustainable mobility can help save fuel, lower carbon emissions, improve air quality, and make Europe’s urban areas more pleasant places to live and work in.

In 2022, almost 3000 towns and cities from 51 countries participated in EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK.

For more information on the campaign, visit www.mobilityweek.eu.