EU Urban Road Safety Award

The  2021 EU Urban Road Safety Award goes to:

Rethymno, Greece

The jury was impressed by Rethymno’s inclusive approach to road safety, which targets three main pillars: upgrading the public transport system, increasing and encouraging behavioural change through a variety of activities, and the establishment of integrated cooperation with local stakeholders.

The other finalists were Florence (Italy) and Warsaw (Poland).

 

For more information about the winners, read the press release.

Winner, 2020

Bilbao, Spain

Bilbao has sought to improve road safety in the city by reducing the speed limit to 30km/h. Speed limits were first reduced in June 2018 on 87% of all roads in the city. In September 2020, Bilbao extended the 30km/h speed limit to cover the entire city. The jury was also impressed by Bilbao’s communication and awareness-raising activities to promote road safety, and its steps to include residents in discussions and decision-making.


Finalists:

Heraklion (Greece)

To learn more about their work, click here.

Quart de Poblet (Spain)

To learn more about their work, click here.

 

 

Previous winner

Pontevedra, Spain

Winner, 1st EU Urban Road Safety Award

Pontevedra has reduced road fatalities consistently since 1999, impressively achieving zero road deaths recorded by the local police between 2011 and 2018. A host of measures ensure that safety and sustainability go hand-in-hand. The city used a clear and careful monitoring strategy to identify which policies are effective and which need to be updated, resulting in increased active mobility, such as walking and cycling: In Pontevedra, 80% of children aged 6-12 walk to school by themselves. The jury was impressed by Pontevedra’s use of a broad array of measures, including reducing speed limits to 10-30 km/h and creating more public spaces that are attractive for pedestrians.


Finalists:

Jaworzno (Poland)

Ordu (Turkey)