From March 2019 to March 2020, the SCTM implemented the project "Sustainable Urban Mobility in Cities and Municipalities of Serbia". The project was part of a broader initiative - the regional project "Sustainable Urban Mobility in Southeast European Cities - Phase II" (SUMSEEC 2), funded by the German Technical Cooperation within the Open Regional Energy Efficiency Fund (GIZ ORF EE).
Better quality of environment in urban areas
The project focused on strengthening the capacity of local self-governments in Serbia to actively deal with traffic problems in urban areas. The aim of the project was to provide support to local self-governments in Serbia in better understanding the importance of the concept of sustainable urban mobility, and strengthening their capacities to better address this issue.
The project is designed with the idea to contribute to a broader general goal - improving the quality of the environment in urban areas, which is significantly endangered due to accelerated urbanization, the growing problem of air pollution, and traffic congestion.
Concrete work in local environments
After the public call, two pilot cities (Pirot and Sabac) were selected, in which, with the support of the SCTM, work was done on the development of a Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan. The development of Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans (SUMP) took 12 months, and these two pilot cities received developed Draft Plans, in line with the methodology of the European Observatory for Urban Mobility (ELTIS).
In addition, a pilot project to improve sustainable urban mobility was implemented in Krusevac, a city that independently developed and adopted the Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan for 2017. This project included marking the bicycle lane in Aerodromska Street in that city in the length of about 1200m, as well as the procurement and installation of a digital bicycle counter with a display in the same street. The project also included the improvement of information on public transport of passengers in that city, so new maps of public transport with timetables of public transport lines were made, which were placed at about 30 bus stops in the city. Activities during the European Mobility Week 2019 were supported in this city.
Creating practical policies
One of the activities on the project was the establishment of the Working Group for Sustainable Urban Mobility at the SCTM Committee on Urbanism, Housing and Construction and the SCTM Committee on Environment and Emergency Situations. The working groups prepared a practical policy document in order to further promote the concept of sustainable urban mobility in Serbia.
Project results
As a result of the project, Pirot and Sabac have developed Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans, which represent an adequate response to the challenges in the functioning of urban transport. The SUMP for the city of Sabac was adopted at the end of 2020 at the session of the city assembly, while the POUM for Pirot is in the final phase, ready for adoption. The practical policy document "Guidelines for further affirmation of the concept of sustainable urban mobility among SCTM members" was adopted at the sessions of the SCTM line committees held in October 2020. As a result of the overall engagement, especially during the European Mobility Week 2019, the city of Krusevac was declared the European winner of the European Mobility Week, and the European Commission award was given at the ceremony on September 16, 2020 in Krusevac.