The town of Kruševac won the award for activities during European Mobility Week 2019 in the category of bigger municipalities, the European Commission announced today.

The other finalists apart from Kruševac were Rethymno (Greece) and Wrocław (Poland).

The justification for the award reads that “the Serbian city of Kruševac impressed the jury with its wide range of activities, underpinned by strong citizen participation and political support from the local government. Even the mayor was ‘walking the walk’, coming to work by foot to help spread this year’s mobility message. During EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK 2019, the city streets enjoyed a new burst of life without cars, not only in the centre – which was taken over by pedestrians – but also in the suburbs, where people organised a variety of activities. The face of the city was also transformed, with the installation of new cycle paths, walkways, public squares, urban parks, benches and even swings.”

Karditsa from Greece won the first place in the category for smaller municipalities. The region of Brussels, the capital of Belgium, is the winner of the eighth award for Sustainable Urban Mobility Planning (SUMP), while the Spanish city of Pontevedra is the winner of the first EU award for urban security.

Commissioner for Transport, Adina Vălean congratulated the winners.

“I would like to extend my sincere congratulations to the winning cities – your actions are powerful examples illustrating the leading role local leaders can play in making our cities cleaner, safer, and more sustainable. I hope this can serve as inspiration for towns and cities who are rethinking their mobility strategies, not least in the wake of the current pandemic”, she said.

The European Mobility Week campaign is organized from 16th to 22th September each year, giving cities the opportunity to try sustainable transport alternatives. In 2019, over 3,100 cities and towns registered to participate in the campaign, which is the most successful year so far.

All awards give recognition to the extraordinary activities carried out in 2019 on the topic of safe walking and cycling. The winners were chosen by an independent jury of mobility and transport experts.

For more information on the campaign, visit the official website of the initiative.