Western Romania city receives European sustainable mobility award

The western Romania city of Turda, in Cluj county, has received the sixth award for Sustainable Urban Mobility Planning (SUMP) at the European Mobility Week Award 2017 event. The Romanian city received the distinction for its “clear planning vision, robust financing strategy, and measurable targets.” The jury also noted the “replicability of the strategy and its potential to inspire other similarly-sized cities” but also the high level of ambition within the plan. Turda, which has a population of around 50,000 inhabitants, was shortlisted for the SUMP award alongside Greater Manchester (United Kingdom) and Milan (Italy). The Turda City Hall filed in 2017 a financing request for EU funds for four urban mobility corridors. The project entails the complete modernization of the public transport arteries, the asphalting of the main streets, the purchase of electric vehicles for public transport, the refurbishment of the public transport stations and the setting up of bicycle lanes.

At the same time, Vienna was named the winner of the European Mobility Week Award 2017 for larger municipalities. Igoumenitsa, in Greece, was the inaugural winner of the newly added category for smaller municipalities. The European Mobility Week campaign runs in September of each year, and provides towns and cities with an opportunity to test sustainable transport alternatives. Citizens are encouraged to choose sustainable alternatives, such as walking and cycling to lower their carbon footprint, improve air quality and make the urban areas “more pleasant places to live and work.” Over 2,500 towns and cities participated in the 2017 edition of the event. (Photos: Primaria Turda Facebook Page, primariaturda.ro) editor@romania-insider.com