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The Province of Limburg has created a list with tons of climate actions for the entire city council. Do you still have colleagues at the Mobility department who are not aware yet of the advantages of an ambitious climate plan? Show them which actions are achievable and how they will benefit your whole city!
🤫 At the end of the article you will find a link to a lot of inspiring actions from the city of Hasselt.
Grab a pen and paper and write down your favorite actions. Take your shortlist to the Roads and Transport department of your city to make the actions concrete!
⚠️ Emissions and infrastructure damage
The transport of goods and people results in a lot of emissions. In addition, extreme weather (heat, flooding, drought ...) can lead to damage to infrastructure and roads, loss of passenger comfort (extreme heat) or problems with inland navigation (too low water level).
🏆 What to do as a city
Sustainable mobility is better for health (more exercise, fewer exhaust fumes, less noise pollution), for road safety (less chance of traffic accidents) and gives more available and more pleasant open space.
Write down the most realistic actions for your city for each theme below 👇
1. Focus on a sustainable municipal mobility plan 🎯
- Develop a vision and adapt the municipal mobility plan with attention to new, sustainable forms of mobility such as electric bicycles, shared cars, electric cars, etc.
- Encourage the WPPP principle (first walking, then pedals, then public transport and then passenger transport)
2. Encourage the use of public transport 🚆
- Discuss the opportunities with the public transport provider(s)
- Encourage the use of public transport via a free bus/train season ticket for young people and people older than 65, free night buses on weekends, the introduction of a third payer system, ...
3. Encourage walking and biking 🚴♂️
- Encourage the use of the bicycle by, for example, offering shared bicycles, organizing a group offer to lease bicycles, free engraving sessions, ...
- Make space for various bicycle forms such as cargo bikes, speed pedelecs (fast electric bikes), ...
- Make the municipality more bicycle-friendly by, for example, developing a functional and recreational cycle route network, creating more cycle paths and motorways, bicycle streets, bicycle crossings and providing sufficient bicycle parking facilities, ...
- Make the municipality pedestrian-friendly, for example by making an inventory and by (re)opening ‘slow’ roads
4. Make sure the use of motorized transport is well-considered 🚑
- Work towards a car-free city center by, for example, developing Park & Ride on the borders of the city, circulation plans for neighbourhoods, introducing a dynamic parking guidance system, carpool parkings, ...
- Stimulate car sharing by a parking policy, membership subsidies, an info evening, ...
- Encourage the use of environmentally friendly vehicles by introducing a low-emission zone, installing charging stations, offering a test drive, …
- Focus on a sustainable and smart urban distribution
5. Focus on climate-friendly infrastructure 🛣
- Provide conflict-free intersections
- Provide advice on climate-oriented adaptations to the road infrastructure, such as the construction of water storage under roads
- Provide advice on the use of a water-permeable pavement when building indispensable new parking spaces
- Go for green verges along roads, (semi) unpaved footpaths, green interior space on roundabouts or middle sections and limit where possible the width of roads, ...
6. Focus on sustainable commuting 🏆
- Give a good example and stimulate your own staff to commute sustainably by including free public transport tickets, bicycle allowances, bicycle leasing, free car sharing memberships, ...
- Get in touch with with large employers in your city/municipality and convince them of the benefits of these actions
- Organize a campaign about sustainable mobility with schools, local merchants, ...
- Establish a school street in the school environment and school accessibility maps
7. Focus on the exemplary function of your municipal fleet 🚗
- Stimulate your own staff for sustainable commuting by, among other things, free public transport subscriptions, bicycle allowance, bicycle leasing, free car sharing membership, ...
- Provide enough facilities for cyclists at your municipal buildings both for staff and visitors
- In addition to service cars, also provide (electric) service bicycles
- Opt for electric / hybrid service cars
- Share your service cars
- Provide electric charging points next to your buildings
👏 Finished your list? Schedule a meeting with the Roads and Transport department to discuss your ideas. Good luck!
Focusing on mobility is important for the public health and safety in your city. However, including other city services in your plans is at least as important to make your city a pleasant place to live and work in.
FutureproofedCities allows all different city services to work together in one online tool to realise more climate actions and communicate them to their inhabitants. 💡 Check out Hasselt's public page to see how they tackle climate challenges within their city.
(Source: Province of Limburg)
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