September is the month of urban mobility

The European Mobility Week will traditionally be celebrated from September 16 to 22 under the slogan "BETTER CONNECTION", and the goal of the event is to promote alternative modes of transport that can contribute to the decarbonization of urban areas and the popularization of healthy lifestyles. Sustainable urban mobility occupies an important place in the National Strategy of Sustainable Urban Development of the Republic of Serbia, because problems related to air quality and other problems caused by excessive traffic represent a great challenge for all our cities and municipalities.

At the informative workshop held on July 7 in Belgrade, organized by the Ministry of Construction, Infrastructure, and Transport (MGSI) and the Standing Conference of Towns and Municipalities (SCTM) - the national coordinator of the campaign, representatives of cities and municipalities were informed on the organizational details of the event.

Miodrag Gluscevic, Program Director for urban development, environment, and communal activities of SCTM, emphasized the importance of the action, which is part of the Green Agenda and contributes to changing the awareness of citizens and preserving the environment.

"Cities and municipalities from Serbia have been participating in this European campaign since its foundation in 2001. We are proud to point out that since SCTM and MGSI took over the coordination of the organization of this activity in 2020, the participation of cities and municipalities from Serbia is increasingly important. At the same time, the participation of cities and municipalities from Serbia is the best of all countries in the region. This and similar campaigns encourage changes in the behavior of citizens and create an image that cities are taking steps towards mitigating negative impacts on the environment", said Gluscevic.

On this occasion, the Ministry of Construction, Transport, and Infrastructure signed contracts on the allocation of incentive funds for the improvement of sustainable urban mobility. The contracts were signed by the city of Nis and the municipality of Aleksinac, and the funds were allocated through the action plan for the implementation of the National Strategy for Sustainable Urban Development.

The city of Niš will receive two million dinars under the contract, Aleksinac one million, and the funds will be used to improve the cycling infrastructure in both cities.

"Sustainable urban mobility is important and we must work on its promotion. In practice, this means the promotion of alternative modes of transportation, and accordingly, the Ministry, after a public tender, allocated funds to Nis and Aleksinac, which will be used for further expansion of cycling infrastructure", said Djordje Milic, Assistant Minister of Construction, Transport, and Infrastructure.

The participants were also addressed by Dragana Stankovic from Srbija voz, who presented the company and the possibilities of connecting cities, and invited local self-governments to join the actions of Srbija voz, which promote the local economy and sustainable modes of transportation.

Representatives of Aleksinac, Belgrade, and Novi Sad spoke about examples of good practice, as well as about activities implemented during the past year.