Pontevedra, Spain, wins the first EU urban road safety award

The European Commission has announced the winners of four sustainable mobility awards including the first ever prize for urban road safety, awarded to Pontevedra in Spain.

Pontevedra has reduced road deaths consistently since 1999, impressively achieving zero road deaths 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.

Kruševac (Serbia) was revealed as the winner of the European Mobility Week Award 2019, with Karditsa (Greece) taking home the award for smaller municipalities. The 8th SUMP Award was won by Brussels Capital Region (Belgium).  

Commissioner for Transport, Adina Vălean said: “I would like to extend my sincere congratulations to the winning cities – your actions are powerful examples illustrating the leading role local leaders can play in making our cities cleaner, safer, and more sustainable. I hope this can serve as inspiration for towns and cities who are rethinking their mobility strategies, not least in the wake of the current pandemic.”

Antonio Avenoso, Executive Director of ETSC was a member of the judging panel for the Urban Road Safety Awards.