The Portuguese Municipality of Braga has partnered with the Spanish City of Pontevedra in developing a Mobility and Traffic Management Study.
This study will be an instrument that will establish a global strategy for intervention in accessibility and mobility management, and will define a set of actions and measures that contribute to the implementation of a more sustainable model, focussing on economic development, greater social cohesion and ensuring environmental protection and energy efficiency.
Bari, the capital city of the Apulia region in Southern Italy, will be the first major Italian city to reward people who cycle to work.
In the first days of 2019 the city announced a new project to reward people who commute by bike in a bid to increase the overall share of cycling trips in the city. The project is supported by a €545,000 grant from Italy’s Ministry for the Environment and will begin with a pilot phase of four months in 2019.
According to a Bucharest City Hall project that was approved at the General Council of Bucharest (CGMB) meeting held on 12 December 2018, students in Bucharest up to 18 years of age could travel free of charge with over-ground public transport means run by STB (formerly RATB) in the Romanian capital, Bucharest.
Free local public passenger transport is expected to be provided for all students in accredited/licensed pre-university education who attend the courses of an educational institution in the city of Bucharest, as quoted in the project.
The Belgian Region of Flanders has introduced a new regional regulatory framework for Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans (SUMPs), which builds on its already extensive experience in this area.
A new guide has been published in the UK by the Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership (LowCVP) and Energy Saving Trust (EST) that provides guidance to operators and local authorities on ways to reduce road transport emissions from taxis and private hire vehicles.
Peter Lakin, President of the INSEAD Alumni Auto+Mobility Club, France reviews and ranks of different options for transport in the city based on the real needs of real people. He reviews the various aspects of urban transport by using Paris as a case study, examining different transport options on the basis of safety, air quality, congestion, accessibility and financial cost.
Ultimately, he recommends that MaaS will enable the optimal solution for each person and that the future of urban mobility will still include cars.
Since 2006, the EU Sustainable Energy Week (EUSEW) has been recognising innovations and supporting the movement towards a low-carbon future, and this year it is returning with the theme: 'Shaping Europe's energy future'.
The CIVITAS SUMPs-Up project has extended its call for cities to take part in its next SUMP Learning Programme (SLP) to the end of January.
Up to 25 planning authorities have the chance to join SLP5, which will start in May 2019. This group of mobility practitioners will complete the Expert Group of 90 SUMP cities.
The six-month SLP module combines knowledge transfer and testing and assessment with learning on concepts, approaches, tools, and methodologies for Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan (SUMP) development.
Digital technology is giving rise to new urban mobility solutions. One such technology is digital payments, which has experienced huge growth in recent years. Whether it is paying for parking, public transport, bike share, fuel or a highway toll - digital payments reduce delays and provide real-time visibility, helping to increase the efficiency of urban transport systems and improve the customer experience.
As part of the CIVITAS Initiative, a broad range of peer-exchange activities on sustainable urban mobility are set to take place in Europe and beyond in 2019. The call to join these is now open, with interested city representatives particularly encouraged to apply.
Hosted throughout the year, these practice-oriented learning activities enable participants to learn from cities engaging in pioneering transport initiatives and gain direct insight into how they are managing the transition towards sustainable urban mobility.
BlackBerry Limited recently announced a Security Credential Management System (SCMS) service to try and help the private and public sectors come together and accelerate the development of Smart Cities and Intelligent Transportation Systems.
The SCMS service will be available to automakers and public offices involved in smart city and connected vehicle pilots, providing a mechanism for vehicles and infrastructure, such as traffic lights, to exchange information in a trustworthy and private manner using digital certificates.
The European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) – an independent body of the European Union set up in 2008 to boost innovation and entrepreneurship across Europe - has announced the winner of EIT Urban Mobility. MOBiLus, “Mobility for Liveable Urban Spaces”, is a consortium formed by 48 partners from 15 countries, whose leadership and headquarters will be located in Barcelona. From the Catalan capital, MOBiLus will lead the innovation in urban mobility in Europe over the next seven years.
The European Commission has launched two new calls for transport project proposals in the areas of Mobility for Growth,
On December 13th 2018, the second edition of the European Startup Prize for Mobility (EUSP) was announced at a ceremony held at the French Ministry of Ecological Transition and Solidarity, in Paris.
The latest Eltis video case study documents the achievements and plans of the French capital in cycling promotion. Paris is, like many other urban areas, facing transport problems and sees the need to decarbonise traffic, reduce noise levels, improve conditions for public transport stuck in congestion, and to support public health. There is potential for a significant modal shift as half of the commutes completed by motorised modes can easily be done by cycling.
The COP 24 climate summit in Katowice featured 'Transport Day' to discuss how mobility solutions can help keep global warming under a 1.5°C increase. Transport currently accounts for a quarter of global energy-related greenhouse gas emissions.
The 2019 Access City Award goes to the city of Breda, in the Netherlands, for continuously making improvements to make life easier for people with disabilities.
The award was handed out this morning at the Access City Award Ceremony, taking place in Brussels. Breda is a source of inspiration for cities in Europe and beyond, which encounter similar challenges.
The Greek city of Trikala – with a population of about 80,000 inhabitants and located in northwestern Thessaly - has been recognized as one of the 21 smartest cities in the world in 2011 (https://www.intelligentcommunity.org/trikala) and Greece’s first digital city.
Planning for Sustainable and Active Cities: 17-18 June 2019, Groningen, The Netherlands
The 6th edition of the European Conference on Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans will be held on Monday 17 and Tuesday 18 June 2019 in Groningen, The Netherlands. The focus of the conference is on providing support to sustainable and active cities within the SUMP context, i.e. how to make cities more walkable and cycle-friendly.
