Bologna Wins the European Road Safety Award 2024 with the City 30 Project

The European Commission has awarded the Bologna City 30 project the 2024 Road Safety Award. The award categorizes innovative road safety projects from across Europe into five areas: education, motorcycling, vulnerable road users, technology and innovation, and urban road safety. The project, which introduced a 30 km/h speed limit on most urban roads, was recognized as the best at the European level in the "Urban" category. The city's mobility plan won first place due to its efforts to reduce road accidents and improve citizen safety. The award ceremony took place on November 14 in Brussels, where the recognition was accepted by Valentina Orioli, the City of Bologna's Councillor for New Mobility.

In the first three months of 2024, Bologna recorded a 14.5% reduction in accidents and a 12.6% decrease in injuries compared to the same period the previous year. The project is part of the European Road Safety Charter, an initiative by the European Commission aimed at halving severe traffic accidents by 2030 and eliminating them by 2050.

In addition to reducing accidents, the mobility plan has had a positive impact in other areas. In the first six months since the launch of City 30, bicycle traffic in the city increased by 12%, and air quality significantly improved, with a 23% reduction in nitrogen dioxide levels compared to the same periods in previous years.

Among the other innovative projects recognized at the European level are smart traffic light systems in Bavaria, a network of pedestrian and cycling routes in Galicia and an Austrian initiative for curve safety.

Ongoing European initiatives also support the realization of City 30 through their actions, facilitating synergies between the initiative and other local plans in the fields of sustainable mobility, road safety and emission reduction. In particular, through the actions of the Horizon Europe SPINE and RE-ALLOCATE projects, as well as the IPA Adrion TERRAIN project, the City of Bologna is working on the implementation of integrated solutions to reduce congestion and optimize the use of urban spaces.

 

Ultimo aggiornamento: mercoledì 20 novembre 2024