Within the scope of the 2020 European Mobility Week from 16 to 22 September with a focus on ‘Zero-emission mobility for all’, the city of Bamberg will offer free rickshaw rides for senior citizens. The elderly have been particularly affected by the corona pandemic. The activity aims at promoting a carbon-neutral and inclusive urban environment. You can read more here (in German)
Contact: Patricia Alberth
With yellow posters all over the city and the metropolitan area, Bologna is promoting cycling after the COVID-19 pandemic. The messages of the campaign #andràtuttinbici (#everyonewillrideabike): travelling by bike allows physical distance, is good for your health, strengthens the immune system and keeps the air clean. The initiative is promoted by the Bicycle Council of Bologna and is part of the policies of the Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan in Bologna. You can read more here (in Italian)
Contact: Francesca Martinese
Madrid has launched a new on-demand bus service pilot to connect two hospitals in the outskirts of the city. The pilot has been launched in cooperation with Viavan, among other companies. During the pilot phase the bus service will be free of charge. More information (in Spanish) here.
Contact: Ana Buñuel
Ghent is investing over one and a half million euro in boosting local tourism in a sustainable way. The city assists entrepreneurs in developing a new coronavirus-proof tourist offer. The offer also highlights sustainable aspects of Ghent’s tourist offer, for example, cycling and walking routes will lead visitors to the sub-municipalities, the periphery, the green belt and less frequently visited sites in the city centre. Read more here
Contact: Els Uytterhoeven
Lille Metropole has implemented temporary cycle lanes to address the need of its increasing amount of users. Cycling has considerably increased within Lille Metropole area over the last two months, with an increase of 60% compared to the pre-covid period. Moreover, Lille Metropole launched the third edition of the metropolitan cycling challenge in June, inspired by the European cycling challenge organised up to 2017. The goal is simple, register with your family, friends or colleagues and try to cycle as many kilometres as possible during one month. A friendly competition to enhance cycling and promote regular users. More information (in French) here.
Contact: Christophe Bolot
The city of Berlin is dramatically increasing its ongoing production of bicycle infrastructure in order to improve the conditions for safe mobility while relieving streets, buses and trains. Berlin’s districts are cooperating closely with the Senate Department for the Environment, Transport and Climate Protection in setting up set up pop-up bike lanes, temporary cycling infrastructure.
Continue reading “Berlin – Temporary bicycle infrastructure”Rotterdam is now allowing a 40% occupancy rate on its public transport, as of 1 June. To achieve this goal, and to help citizens on their journeys, the city, the public transport company RET, and four companies who offer bikes, electric-bikes or electric motor-scooters, are working together to offer a clean and seamless connection. At transport hubs, the city has made room for the four companies to park their bikes/motor-scooters for easy access. On RET’s app, travellers can check in real time what method of transport would be best to continue or start their journey. It is the first time that all of these players have worked together to offer such a service. More information (in Dutch) here.
Contact: Murat Altunbas
Transport for London, working closely with the Mayor, has put together a plan to ‘re-open carefully, safely and sustainably’. This includes gradually increasing the frequency of services on public transport routes, easing pressure on public transport by creating more space for walking and cycling, and providing specific briefings for businesses. Read more here
Contact: Ian Catlow
An improved walking and cycling infrastructure shall help Cardiff to restart public life in the city safely after the coronavirus lockdown. The plans include one-way pedestrian systems, designated queuing areas for shops and spill-out areas for bars and restaurants, to allow for physical distancing. Welcome points will be set up to explain how moving round the city will work. Pop-up cycle lanes shall encourage people to leave their cars at home. You can read more here
Contact: Beverley Watson
The city of Antwerp will speed up the construction of 19 km of new bicycle streets to guarantee social distancing for cyclists and improve the flow of bicycle traffic this summer. Currently, Antwerp possessed about 4.5 km of bicycle streets, to be increased to 23.5 km after the summer. Read more here
Leicester has released a plan setting out how its transport system can best meet the challenges presented by the coronavirus pandemic and help the city’s economy to recover, as well as securing longer-term environmental benefits. The is centred around safety, sustainability and social equity, and can be read in full here.
Contact Leicester Transport
To celebrate world cycling day, Madrid has authorised the deployment of 4,800 free-standing shared electric bikes throughout its city, the use of which will help people get around while still respecting physical distancing guidelines. Read more (in Spanish) here.
Besides celebrating this move, Madrid has also taken a moment to pause and thank those operating public transport during the coronavirus crisis: 3,100 bus and train drivers who have been getting necessary workers around (more in Spanish here), and taxi drivers, who have given more than 135,000 free rides during the crisis (more in Spanish here).
Contact: Ana Buñuel
Pedestrians can walk on the streets in the centre of Brussels, with cars going on a maximum speed of 20 km/h. Until mid-August, the city centre is treated as residential area. The measure shall promote cycling and walking while ensuring physical distancing to limit the spread of the coronavirus. You can read more here. The city also plans for 40 extra kilometres of cycle paths.
Contact: Geert de Roep and Antoine Umbrain
Starting 1 June, public transport passes will become almost 50% cheaper for the unemployed in Braga, Portugal. The city had made it’s buses free of charge in April and May. With returning to normal operations after the corona lockdown, the passes with reduced fee will be introduced to support those in need. You can read more here
Contact: Nuno Gouveia
Athens is banning cars from its historic centre for three months from mid-June to provide more space to pedestrians to physical distance. The measure, which could be further extended for another three months, is seen as a precursor to the project announced by the Athens Municipality, and approved last week by City Hall, foreseeing the creation of a large pedestrianized network unifying downtown areas of the Greek capital. More information here.
Contact: Dimitris Konstantopoulos
Madrid is curbing the return of cars to its streets by cutting traffic on several roads to allow children to play and exercise on the road on their bikes, scooters and rollerblades. More information (in Spanish) here.
The city has also opened a new car park reserved entirely for shared vehicles. More information (in Spanish) here.
The addition of 45km of new bus lanes is expected to further support residents who want to avail of public transport rather than turning to using cars. More information (in Spanish) here.
Contact: Ana Buñuel
Antwerp is taking measures to reduce the return of cars to the street and provide safe mobility options for locals, including by promoting safe walking and cycling and adding new features to its mobility map and route planner, as well as supporting companies to continue allowing employees to work from home. More information here.
Contact: Kris Van Berendoncks
Rome’s city council has approved the construction of 150 kilometers of temporary and permanent cycle routes on the city’s main streets and along other key routes to support social distancing as well as general health and wellbeing. More information here.
Contact: Tamara Lucarelli
Manchester has committed to creating enhanced space for pedestrians and people on bikes across the city-region, to enable people to keep their distance for safe essential journeys and exercise during the coronavirus lockdown and through recovery. £5 million of funding has been made available through the Mayor’s Cycling and Walking Challenge Fund. More information here.
Contact: Grainne Bradley
Bordeaux has developed an emergency cycling plan that responds to physical distancing requirements. The measures should help ensure that cycling infrastructure can accommodate any potential wave of new cyclists. NGOs working to promote cycling and cycling service operators have helped to develop it.
The city wants to entice people who would not normally cycle to do so, particularly those who regularly use public transport. The plan focuses on 100 priority zones within the metropolitan area that have a high potential for cycling but currently lack the appropriate infrastructure. In total, Bordeaux is building 78km of temporary bike lanes. More information here.
Contact: Marie-Elisabeth Sapin
Madrid has developed a recovery plan for mobility that seeks to guarantee health and safety, provision of public services, and restoring confidence in the use of public transport. The recovery plan, which affects everything from buses and cable cars to cranes and parking is available (in Spanish) here.
Contact: Ana Buñuel
Dublin has released a framework of mobility proposals together with the National Transport Authority, ‘Enabling the city to return to work’. This plan proposes measures such as more space for pedestrians, cyclists and where people are waiting for public transport, and possible additional parking in the periphery of the city core area. The plan is available to read in full here.
Contact: Grainne Kelly
Madrid’s municipal transport company increased its operational bus fleet to 90% of normal service at peak times in response to the first stage of deconfinement, which began on 25 May. The buses are running with a much lower capacity, having blocked off half of the available seats and capped the number of people who may travel standing. More information (in Spanish) here.
This move has come in combination with a new campaign to raise awareness about the needs of disabled people traveling on public transport. Learn about the campaign (in Spanish) here.
Contact: Ana Buñuel
Paris started to gradually ease confinement on 11 May. Doing so has involved a host of measures, from distributing face masks and increasing testing, to information campaigns, reopening of schools, introduction of new bike lanes, and support measures for businesses, cultural institutions, NGO’s and other organisations that are now opening up. These measures are evolving as the situation progresses – read a full updated overview of these measures in English here, or in French here.
Contact: Jean-Yves Camus
Madrid is running a campaign to raise awareness among public transport users about the importance of following daily gestures such as respecting seat priority for people with disabilities, people with reduced mobility, pregnant women or the elderly. These gestures will make mobility easier and more pleasant for these groups who are particularly impacted by deconfinement measures. Read more here (in Spanish)
Contact: Ana Buñuel
The Hague is taking measures to ensure pupils can get to school safely by respecting physical distancing. Fifteen elementary schools introduced ‘School Streets’, closing the streets to traffic twice a day – coinciding with school opening and closing hours. Read more info here
Contact: Ronald Woudstra
The Municipality of Guimarães has taken on the charges for the provision of minimum services from the municipal network, with the companies Transurbanos de Guimarães, ARRIVA Portugal and Transdev Norte, considering the need to guarantee the assumption and continuity of an essential public passenger transport service, in the current emergency situation. More information (in Portuguese) here.
Contact Sofia Ferreira
Guimarães assumed the charges for the provision of minimum services from the municipal network, with the companies Transurbanos de Guimarães, ARRIVA Portugal and Transdev Norte, considering the need to guarantee the continuity of an essential public passenger transport service in the current emergency situation.
More information (in Portuguese) here.
Contact: Sofia Ferreira
Flexible start times at work and school, to avoid crowded busses and trams. Enhanced possibilities for cycling and walking in the city. Outdoor catering on closed roads for restaurants. – These are some of the proposals of Budapest’s mayor Gergely Karácsony for a gradual reopening of the city. According to him, the easing of the lockdown demands new thinking and deliberate decisions in many fields from both the national government and the municipality. You can download the document here
Contact: Adrienn Magyar
As Milan gets ready for the first acceleration of phase two of the lockdown, the city implements the Milan2020 plan for a new, more sustainable city: 3,500 new electric scooters will join the existent 2,250 urban fleet. Five new companies have been authorised to operate in the city for the sharing of electric micro-mobility vehicles, as an alternative for post-lockdown travel: EM Transit, Ride Hive Operations, LMTS Italy, Govolt and Bird Rides Italy, in addition to the companies already present, Wind Mobility, Bit Mobility and Helbiz Italia. You can read more here (in Italian)
Contact: Olimpia Vaccarino Aureli
The City of terrassa has rearranged parts of its mobility infrastructure, to create more space for people to move around, as well as for other, greener, forms of transport. This includes an emergency bus, taxi and bike lane. Read more here
Contact: Joan Chicón Vallejo
Extending pavements into the road, creating temporary cycleways, removing street furniture, carrying out a speed awareness campaign and re-designing public space around neighbourhood shopping centres: just some of the ideas being put forward by Cardiff Council as part of the COVID-19 response. With lockdown restrictions expected to be eased next week, a number of pilot schemes have been designed to keep the public safe and able to physically distance in public spaces. You can read more here
Contact: Beverley Watson
Cycling is on the rise in Budapest dutring the corona pandemic. Measurements show a significant increase of bicycle use in the city, as a healthy and affordable way of moving. The city had created new temporary bike lanes and wants to preserve this change after corona. You can read more here
Contact: Adrienn Magyar
Reopening schools with small groups of pupils, making face masks mandatory in the metro and devoting roads to biking, to prevent an intensive surge in car use – these are some of the steps out of the corona lockdown in Paris. The city has compiled a summary of measures. You can download the document here
Contact: Jean-Yves Camus
“Cities will come back stronger than ever after the pandemic”, says Dan Doctoroff, former deputy mayor of New York. “But when they do, it will be driven by a new model of growth.” New policies and technologies, Doctoroff argues in the magazine Foreign Policy, have to “make urban life more affordable and sustainable for more people.” And city expert Janette Sadik-Khan wants to keep some of the advantages we are experiencing during lockdown: “We can bring back cities without bringing back the traffic, the congestion, the pollution.” Foreign Policy has asked 11 urban experts for their predictions of how life in our cities will look after the coronavirus pandemic.
Continue reading “Cities after corona – “Build back better””The public transport company of Milan has set a security plan in accordance with the distancing measures ruled by the Italian Ministry of Health for phase 2 of the Covid-19 emergency. The transport fleet has been widened and every station and transport is constantly sanitized. The number of passengers is controlled, signal pathways help to keep physical distance. You can read more here (in Italian)
Contact: Olimpia Vaccarino Aureli
In Izmir, all employees working in the health sector, pharmacists and pharmacy staff have free access to public transportation. In addition, four bus routes have been redirected to exclusively serve city hospitals. Trips and timetables of these routes are coordinated with the hospital to accommodate changes and updates in staff shifts. While conductors are separated from users, hand dispensers are available in the bus and at bus stops for passengers. Read more here
Contact: Ozan Sumerkan
From next month priority will be given to those travelling around the Belgian capital on foot or bikes, with vehicle speeds reduced to just 20 kilometres per hour. Read more here
Contact: Geert de Roep and Antoine Umbrain
The Turkish city of Izmir is organising its work in the corona crisis through a special governance. The city has established a Critical Incident Management Team with a Supreme Board, an Executive Board and a Science Board. A new directive provides those bodies with the necessary authority to take decisions in the crisis. The directive also regulates the cooperation of the metropolitan and the 30 district municipalities in Izmir, as well as with business and civil society. You can read more and download an overview of measures here and here on the municipality’s website
Contact: Ozan Sumerkan
Starting this week one of the main roads along Brighton & Hove’s seafront will be closed to motor vehicle traffic in order to provide residents with extra space to take exercise. Read more here
Contact: Rachel Williams
TAN, Nantes’ Public Transport Company, equipped 87 trams with 300 hydroalcoholic solution dispensers. Some dispensers are connected, so the cleaning provider is able to refill it as soon as necessary. Read more here (in French)
Contact: Nicolas Joffraud
Eurodistrict PAMINA, the European cross-border cooperation, provides an online updated overview of country-specific measures to answer questions posed by people travelling between France, Germany and Switzerland. Because of its geographical position and its role in PAMINA, Karlsruhe is promoting and coordinating this cross-border cooperation. Read more here and here (in French), and here and here (in German)
Contact: Regina Hartig
London, through its transport agency, Transport for London, has launched a suite of changes in its mobility services and policies, including: service levels, treatment of tenants, construction, customer season tickets and staff. Read about all of these in this document.
Contact: Ian Catlow
Brest metropolis has run a survey with hospital staff, nursing homes and other relevant workers to establish essential routes and timetables to guarantee public transport for these categories. This also resulted in creating a dedicated night bus service for the main sites of the Brest University Hospital. Read more here (in French)
Contact: Anne-Marie Cabon
The Italian city of Genova has compiled a summary of the city’s measures in response to the corona pandemic. The presentation describes a stepwise approach to care for people, jobs and services first, while preparing for reboot and resilient and sustainable growth after the crisis. You can download the document here
Contact: Corrado Ragucci
Zagreb has suspended parking charges for medical and technical staff of hospitals in the , as well as for citizens using their services, and for employees of state and local authorities of the Republic of Croatia who are engaged in combating the COVID-19 virus epidemic, alongside of hospital locations and surrounding streets.
After the Civil Protection Staff of the Republic of Croatia made the decision to suspend public urban transport, the City of Zagreb, through its public urban carrier ZET d.o.o. introduced 17 lines of emergency transport to transport persons from work and to work for those jobs that did not cease to be carried out during the epidemic. Shuttle service is free of charge. There are 62 buses in service.
Contact: international.relations@zagreb.hr
Health workers, bus drivers, volunteers for social services and others working in relevant functional areas in Dusseldorf can get free use of public transport and taxis as well as permission to buy bigger amounts of foods and goods than stated in the regulations against panic buying. The city is handing out badges to those people, based on registration via employers. Read more here (in German)
Contact: Stefanie Nietfeld
The Municipality of Budapest is establishing temporary bicycle lanes on some important routes to provide residents with an alternative and safer way to work.
Many people are temporarily looking for modes of transportation where they could minimise contact with others. Due to this and the drastic reduction of the price of the local bike sharing scheme, the bicycle traffic in Budapest has increased. The decrease in overall traffic provides an opportunity to improve Budapest’s bicycle transport network with rapid intervention. Cycling is a suitable form of transport even during the pandemic. Read more here.
Contact: Adrienn Magyar
Zaragoza is providing free parking slots to the health workers near the two main hospitals in the city. The staff interested in obtaining this service can register online. An agreement was reached with the private companies that run this service, and for one month up to 900 parking spots are being offered.
Contact: Lorena Calvo
Bristol making parking free for NHS staff and care workers in council car parks, pay and display street parking, and residents’ parking zones. Read more here.
Contact: Paul Davies
Madrid has launched a full public transport process for dealing with the coronavirus outbreak. Measures range from signage and communication to social distancing and hygiene. The full document and annexes are available below.
People who need to travel to work during the confinement in the metropolitan area of Nice Côte d’Azur can use public transport for free. The Metropolitan Office also adopted urgent measures to support small local companies, including advance payments for public contracts and aid to cover the monthly rent. The French Government and Parliament are asked to reduce, or authorize local authorities to exempt economic players from the corporate property tax. The decision were taken in a video meeting of the Office. Read more here (in French)
Contact: Jérôme Sieurin
Healthcare workers, who are able to prove their work, are now permitted to make use of all public transport service for free until the end of the emergency. Additionally, in order to protect drivers of public transport vehicles, passengers are no longer allowed to board by the front doors or sit in the first few seats, which is now closed on busses and trolley busses. A further measure includes reducing the fee for Budapest’s bike-sharing system pass to 100 HUF. Read more here and here and here
Contact: Adrienn Magyar
Debrecen is ensuring the safety of public transport by disinfecting buses, trains and trams. Each cabin will be disinfected every day for four weeks, so there will be no vehicle that may be infected at the site. Professionals will work at night, wearing appropriate protective clothing and protective equipment, and spraying an antiviral chemical that it is not harmful to human health. Read more (in Hungarian) here.
Contact: László Mátyus
While fighting the COVID-19 crisis, ensuring the basic continuity and survival of public transport and local mobility services is essential for Europe and all European citizens. This includes the many professionals that depend on a well-functioning local transportation network to meet their daily needs. Read more here
In order to ensure the highest possible mobility for residents and guests, even under the current conditions, Berlin is temporarily making the first 30 minutes of rental for its public bike rental system free of charge. “We want to offer people as many options as possible to stay healthy and mobile”, the Senator for transport, Regine Günther, said. Until Easter, the bikes can be rented via an app once or several times a day for a free half an hour. In addition to the positive overall effects on public health, this is also meant to reduce the risk of infection.
You can read more here (in German)
Contact: Johanna Eisenberg
Ljubljana is offering empty and disinfected rooms in Hostel Celica, run by the Ljubljana Castle public institute, to be used by the University Medical Centre for the accommodation of their staff. The hostel is intended for workers who come to work at UKC Ljubljana from other towns, which means that they no longer need to drive back home every day and that their self-protective measures are made easier.
As public transportation has been temporarily cancelled, many medical workers find the drive to Ljubljana and back home to be very stressful and exhausting. Ljubljana has also opted to provide for all employees of nursing homes who cannot return home every day for various reasons. The nursing homes are now fitted with portable beds which the workers can use when they spend the night in Ljubljana.
Contact: Polona Novak
Zaragoza has adopted several measures to ensure and facilitate the mobility during the time of coronavirus. These measures include:
• Flat rate in taxis for older people
• 50% rate for all taxis users
• Payment in public transport only with card
• Limitation of passenger numbers in public transport
• Protection measures on urban buses
• Preventive measures on tram
• Free parking for residents
• Improvements in loading and unloading zones
• Facilities for priority supply
• Flexibility for delivery tasks
Find more information (in Spanish) here.
Contact: Lorena Calvo
Madrid City Council has started a new free bus route to transport health professionals and volunteers to a new temporary hospital. Read more here
Contact: Ana Buñuel
Car traffic is banned in the park Bois de la Cambre in Brussels to give more space to visitors and allow a better distance between people, mayor Philippe Close announced. While citizens are asked to stay indoors as much as possible, physical activity outdoors is recommended. For that, it is important to keep a reasonable distance between individuals. Read more here (in French)
Contact: Geert de Roep and Antoine Umbrain
London’s public transport authority is curtailing services by stopping some night services, closing stations and urging Londoners not to use public transport services unnecessarily. The services that remain open are to support the city’s critical workers, according to the mayor.
Read more here
Contact: Ian Catlow
Madrid city council has suspended parking fees and closed down its bike sharing scheme. The offer of free parking had already been in operation in areas surrounding hospitals for a few days, in order to make access easier for staff and patients, but has now been extended throughout the city.
Read more here
Contact: Ana Buñuel
London’s public transport company has committed to a new cleaning regime for its metro and bus network. This includes ensuring that all regularly touched areas, such as poles on buses, are wiped down every day with a strong disinfectant. Other new concepts include testing of a new cleaning agent that could potentially offer 30 days’ worth of viral protection, and testing a hygiene back-pack that would allow for this new disinfectant to be sprayed safely and quickly across the network.
Read more here
In a separate advice here London Mayor, Sadiq Khan, has warned that London’s transport network foresees operating a weekend style service during the week, meaning less frequent travel options.
Contact: Ian Catlow
