歐盟執委會本月24日在布魯塞爾舉行頒獎典禮，將2013年永續都市運輸計畫獎的殊榮頒給西班牙城市里瓦斯-瓦西亞馬德里德（Rivas-Vaciamadrid）；斯洛維尼亞首都盧比安納（Ljubljana），則獲頒2013歐洲易行周（European Mobility Week）獎項。
歐盟一年一度的永續都市運輸計畫獎，是頒發給發展並實施永續都市運輸計畫、有效解決都市交通問題的地方政府，該獎項每一年都聚焦不同的主題，2013年則是特別表揚將經濟、社會和環境政策融合於交通運輸的城市，共收到11個歐盟成員國的21份報名申請，依據報名城市的成就選出獲獎城市，並頒發10000歐元的獎金，供永續都市運輸推廣活動使用。
政府各部門合作 西班牙城市獲獎
歐盟副主席兼交通與運輸委員Siim Kallas在頒獎時表示，「里瓦斯-瓦西亞馬德里的運輸部門和環境、安全、教育和健康相關部門通力合作，加上在道路安全上的努力，獲獎實至名歸。」
里瓦斯-瓦西亞馬德里位在Jarama河和Manzanares河的交界，距離馬德里市中心約20公里，是西班牙目前成長最快速的城市之一；1980年代僅500人，今日人口已成長到約80,000人。
雖然成長快速，但因市內有3/4的面積是東南地區公園，里瓦斯-瓦西亞馬德里同時也是重要的生態中心，擁有多處湖泊和多樣野生物種。
為了減少自小客車運輸量，里瓦斯-瓦西亞馬德里發展出多個改善道路安全的計畫，同時減少噪音和空氣汙染。其中一個實例是校園道路安全教育計畫，市府當局促進家長和教師之間的溝通，改善校園的運輸安全。
2013歐洲易行周："Clean Air, It’s Your Move"
2013年9月16日至22日歐洲易行周期間，獎項得主盧比安納市除了實施許多永久性措施，鼓勵使用大眾運輸工具、單車和步行，更舉辦了一系列推廣永續運輸的活動。
針對2013年歐洲易行周主題「舉手投足淨化空氣」（Clean Air, It’s Your Move），盧比安納動員多方利害關係者一同參與，包括研究中心、學校、幼稚園、運動協會和公民團體。
盧比安納不但拓展其原有的噪音和空氣品質管理措施，進一步瞭解車輛運輸對大眾健康和生活品質的影響，更利用活動期間蒐集交通工具和單車使用行為的資料。
無車日期間，車輛禁止進入當地主要交通幹道之一的斯洛維尼亞街，之後斯洛維尼亞街將逐漸被規劃成行人徒步區。
獲得亞軍的瑞典厄斯特松德市和匈牙利布達佩斯等城市，也發展出創意十足的推廣計畫和新的運輸解決方案，展現轉型永續都市運輸的決心。
At an award ceremony Monday in Brussels, the European Commission honored the Spanish municipality of Rivas-Vaciamadrid with the Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan Award for 2013 and also honored Ljubljana, capital of Slovenia, with the European Mobility Week Award.
The annual Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan Award is presented to local authorities that are excellent at addressing urban mobility challenges through developing and implementing sustainable urban mobility plans.
Each year has a particular focus. The 2013 awards recognize cities with mobility plans illustrating the integration of economic, social, and environmental policy criteria.
The 2013 Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan Award attracted 21 applications from 11 EU countries.
An expert jury assessed the applications on their achievements and selected the winning city to receive the prize of 10,000 euros to support their awareness-raising activities on sustainable urban mobility.
Presenting the Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan Award, EU Vice-President Siim Kallas, commissioner for mobility and transport, said, “Rivas Vaciamadrid is a very deserving winner because it stands out for the joint efforts of its mobility department and the environment, safety, education and health sectors, as well as for its actions for better road safety.”
Rivas-Vaciamadrid is located at the meeting point of the Jarama and Manzanares rivers approximately 20 kilometers from central Madrid.
It has been one of the fastest growing municipalities in Spain; the population has increased from 500 inhabitants in the 1980s to roughly 80,000 today.
Despite the high growth rate, almost three quarters of the municipality form part of the south eastern regional park, making it an important ecological center with numerous lakes and many species of wildlife.
To reduce the number of journeys made by car, Rivas Vaciamadrid has developed programs that aim to improve road safety, while reducing noise and air pollution.
An example is its School Paths road safety educational program, through which the city facilitates discussion between parents and teachers on their school’s mobility.
The European Mobility Week prize winner Ljubljana set up an extensive program of activities and events promoting sustainable travel during European Mobility Week September 16-22, 2013.
In addition, Ljubljana introduced permanent measures to encourage use of public transport, cycling and walking.
Focusing on the 2013 theme, “Clean Air, It’s Your Move,” Ljubljana engaged a wide variety of stakeholders, including research centers, schools, kindergartens, sports associations and citizens associations.
By extending its existing noise and air quality measurements, Ljubljana was able to get a better overview of the impact of motorized traffic on public health and quality of life.
The city also used the occasion to carry out research on travel behavior and gather data on bicycle usage.
During the car free day, Ljubljana restricted car access to Slovenska Street, one of the main boulevards of the city that was heavily affected by car traffic. This area will now be gradually redesigned as a pedestrian zone.
Runner-up cities Östersund, Sweden and Budapest, Hungary also demonstrated their commitment to sustainable urban mobility by developing creative campaign formats and introducing new transport solutions.
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