The CleanCities campaigna coalition of some 80 NGOs and groups involved in environmental protection and global warming, has just published its 2023 report on the efforts of 42 cities to become more sustainable.
This campaign is a reminder that air pollution kills 300,000 Europeans every year. CleanCities is seeking to encourage towns and cities to phase out petrol and diesel vehicles by 2010. 2030 and give priority to active, shared and electric mobility.
The CleanCities Campaign (CCC) has ranked 42 European towns based on their efforts to introduce shared and zero-emission transport options.
The report examines the performance of cities on four indicators: shared electric bikes and scooters, shared electric cars, zero-emission buses and public charging infrastructure for electric vehicles (EVs).
There are plenty of surprises alongside High-performing towns environmental issues such as Copenhagen, Oslo, Amsterdam or Helsinki. Ljubljana, Budapest and Milan are among the cities that have achieved good results. Paris and Lyon feature prominently in this ranking.. The French capital came 3rd and Lyon 8th. Brussels came 11th and Strasbourg 21st. The Swiss cities are not included in the ranking.
Soft mobility, less expensive and more accessible
According to CleanCities, there are two key conclusions to be drawn from this report. A strong offering of shared bikes, scooters and EVs can free up all the potential of an alternative urban mobility systemby making it easier and more convenient to give up the private car. This is particularly true when these services are available throughout the city. This includes the areas most dependent on the car, poorly served by public transport and well connected to a reliable public transport network.
Shared and electric transport/mobility services are often much simpler, cheaper and quicker to implement. than major infrastructure projects (such as building a metro), making it a more affordable option for cities that lack the resources to begin their transition to zero-emission mobility.
Copenhagen and Oslo, along with Paris, top the list, the worst performers in the class are mainly to be found across the Channel. Of the five cities with the worst results, there are three cities in the UK (Birmingham, Edinburgh and Manchester) as well as Dublin and Granada.
The report can be consulted at here in its entirety.
