Sint-Niklaas shows the way to sustainable, urban mobility
European cities have a lot to learn from each other when it comes to sustainable mobility. That is why last month, the CIVITAS initiative brought together mobility professionals from all corners of Europe in Sint-Niklaas for a study and networking tour. By encouraging cooperation and knowledge exchange between cities, CIVITAS aims to accelerate the transition to sustainable urban mobility.
Despite local differences, European cities and towns face very similar mobility challenges. How do we reduce cut-through traffic in residential streets? How do we make public spaces more pleasant for active road users? And how do we involve citizens, merchants and other stakeholders in the shift towards more sustainable mobility?
Knowledge exchange and cooperation
In the search for answers to those questions, it pays to learn from approaches in other cities and towns. In early June, mobility officials and professionals from several European countries, from Portugal to Poland, therefore paid a two-day visit to the city of Sint-Niklaas. Through roundtable discussions and informal networking moments, they exchanged knowledge about the mobility challenges they face, and shared local solutions to these challenges. Site visits in the city then provided the occasion to discover innovative mobility measures, from cosy school streets to gigantic bicycle bridges, also in practice.
"Listening and learning from each other, that is what such a study and networking tour is all about," explains Carl Hanssens, alderman for mobility, public space and urban development in Sint-Niklaas. "Knowledge exchange and cooperation between local authorities is a lever to realise ambitions and policy intentions. Indeed, learning from foreign best practices, what works and what doesn't, helps a local authority to get to work faster and tackle mobility challenges. And that without reinventing the hot water."
A city in motion
That the European delegation descended on Sint-Niklaas should come as no surprise. The city is known at European level for its thorough approach when it comes to sustainable urban mobility. For instance, in recent years it has been a partner in the European CIVITAS projects PROSPERITY and Park4SUMPwhich respectively focused on the implementation of local mobility plans and the integration of parking policy in these plans.
And a lot is also moving locally. "Sustainable mobility is central to our local mobility policy," Carl said. "We are constantly building better cycling infrastructure. We are fully committed to the liveability and liveliness of public spaces. A lot of residential streets in the city centre have already been given a greener character, for example." All these implemented innovations and planned changes make Sint-Niklaas an interesting case for foreign mobility professionals.
And major changes are also planned in the coming years. "Now it is the Grote Markt's turn. By reconstructing that central square, we will put an end to through traffic in the city centre. That will improve road safety and accessibility, for all modes."
During the visit, I received a lot of positive and praising reactions. We may not always realise it, but Flemish cities and municipalities are among the European leaders when it comes to sustainable mobility.
schepen voor mobiliteit, publieke ruimte en stadsontwikkeling in Sint-Niklaas
National networks within CIVITAS
The two-day visit to Sint-Niklaas was drawn by the city council in cooperation with the CIVITAS initiative, which promotes research and innovation in mobility and supports local authorities in Europe to develop, test and roll out sustainable mobility measures. In doing so, the initiative invited all CIVINETs. Those national networks within CIVITAS support cities and municipalities by translating European mobility knowledge to the local context. Belgium also has such a network, CIVINET .BE, which gives local authorities a better idea of what is happening at the European level. "CIVITAS and its national networks help cities and towns to spot opportunities, make contacts and stay up-to-date with European evolutions," Carl concludes. "They are a real springboard to sustainable urban mobility."
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