Portugal has been making noteworthy progress in urban mobility in recent years. The country has set ambitious goals and objectives, driven by the motivation to reduce the environmental impact of transportation and create more sustainable cities. One of the primary objectives of Portugal’s urban mobility policies is to reduce carbon emissions and promote sustainable transportation. To achieve this, the country has set a target to have 40% of all urban trips made by walking, cycling, or public transport by 2030. This goal is part of Portugal’s National Energy and Climate Plan, which aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 55% by 2030.

The motivation behind Portugal’s push for sustainable urban mobility is to create more liveable and healthy cities for its residents. The country’s urban areas are among Europe’s most congested and polluted, significantly impacting public health. By promoting sustainable transportation, Portugal aims to reduce traffic congestion, improve air quality, and create more pleasant urban environments.

Portuguese cities are working towards achieving these objectives. Portugal’s capital city, Lisbon, has been working on making its transportation more sustainable for several years. The city has implemented a bike-sharing program, a car-sharing service, and an electric tram system. It has also invested in a network of bike lanes and pedestrian paths, which has helped increase cycling and walking in the city. Cities like Porto, Braga or Cascais has made significant investments in public transportation.

How is EIT Urban Mobility supporting Portugal’s objectives?

Since 2021, 39 projects have been implemented in the country to promote innovation and foster collaboration in urban mobility, two of which are particularly noteworthy: RAPTOR and #ChallengeMyCity.

Rapid Applications for Transport (RAPTOR) is a competition that swiftly creates and tests solutions to niche urban mobility challenges. Participants compete to provide the most innovative, feasible, and impactful solutions. The RAPTOR programme was implemented in 2022 in the city of Cascais with successful results, helping to solve three challenges identified by the city.  

#ChallengeMyCity is a programme enabling European cities to tackle their most pressing urban challenges by testing market-ready innovative mobility solutions.  Its objective is to test the best solutions through a six-month pilot and evaluates their social, economic, and environmental impact and estimate long-term integration into the city’s mobility strategy, to make mobility more sustainable and accessible for all.

The programme will be implemented in 2023 in Braga, which has just won the European Mobility Week 2022 prize for its remarkable activities in promoting sustainable mobility and continues to take steps towards improving its urban mobility ecosystem. Through #ChallengeMyCity programme, it is seeking innovative solutions to face four identified challenges. A total of 240.000 € will be invested in testing these solutions.  https://portocanal.sapo.pt/noticia/326280

But in addition to these two main programmes, other projects have been developed in the country thanks to our collaborative work, resulting in an investment of more than 1.5 million from EIT Urban Mobility since 2021. The city of Lisbon becomes one of the most illustrative examples, with more of 16 projects implemented. 

As Portugal continues to prioritize sustainable and innovative urban mobility solutions, programmes like RAPTOR and #ChallengeMyCity will continue to play a significant role in driving progress and promoting collaboration.

• EIT Urban Mobility’s city partner, Braga has won the EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK award in recognition of its work on sustainable mobility
• The award recognises outstanding municipalities for promoting green and active transport during the previous year’s European Mobility Week, the European Commission’s flagship awareness-raising campaign.
• The Portuguese city picked up the prize at a ceremony in the Belgian city of Ghent on 23 March

The city of Braga in Portugal has won the prestigious 2022 European Mobility Week Award for its commitment to promoting sustainable mobility. The award recognises cities for their efforts to promote sustainable urban transportation and reduce the environmental impacts of cars and other motorized vehicles. The European Commission announced the award as part of its annual European Mobility Week celebrations. Braga was selected from dozens of European cities for its commitment to developing sustainable urban transport solutions. The city has implemented a range of innovative initiatives to reduce car use, including the creation of a city-wide bike-share system, the introduction of electric buses, and the promotion of public transport. Braga is also making progress in developing alternative forms of transport, such as electric scooters and e-bikes, as well as encouraging citizens to use more sustainable modes of transport like walking and cycling. The award is a testament to Braga’s dedication to creating a more sustainable and healthier urban environment. By investing in green and innovative transport solutions, Braga is demonstrating that cities can take action to reduce car use and promote healthier, greener lifestyles. 

EU judges were impressed with Braga’s commitment to raising awareness on sustainable mobility with many stakeholders, including residents, local businesses, and educational institutions. With this award, the city of Braga is paving the way for other cities to follow in its footsteps and create more sustainable and liveable urban environments.

“It’s an honour to be here today and celebrate Braga’s achievement in promoting sustainable mobility and co-creating synergies among various organisations to provide clean and appealing mobility options for our citizens and families,” Olga Pereira, Braga’s Mobility Councillor said in her acceptance speech.

The other finalists in the category were Sofia (Bulgaria) and Zagreb (Croatia). Offering her congratulations to the various winners of the EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK awards, Adina Vălean, European Commissioner for Transport, told them: “Your inspiring activities really show how cities and towns across Europe can improve people’s wellbeing by offering more sustainable mobility options for all.”

EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK runs from 16-22 September every year, providing towns and cities with an opportunity to try out innovative traffic and transport planning, promote new use of infrastructure and raise awareness on sustainable mobility within their communities. (1)

The Municipality of Braga and EIT Urban Mobility – a winning and strong collaboration

The Municipality of Braga and EIT Urban Mobility have partnered to collaborate on multiple projects to improve urban mobility in the region. In 2023 the Portuguese city was selected as part of our #ChallengeMyCity programme, a European self-designed programme that enables European cities to tackle their most pressing urban challenges by testing market-ready innovative mobility solutions.   Enhancing bike safety and monitoring cyclists´ flows, Understanding and promoting active mobility in the city centre, Improving monitoring and use of on-street parking spaces and encouraging alternative transportation for school commuting to decrease private car usage are the four challenges that will be solved in the city, thanks to the #ChallengeMyCity programme. More info available here.

In 2022, Braga implemented the Bicification project, which was supported by EIT Urban Mobility, an initiative to turn traditional transportation into a more sustainable form of travel by supporting a modal shift towards green, active mobility through a reward-based gamification programme.

More info available here

(1 – article from the EuropeanMobilityWeek website)