With the support of the European Union project "MOVE IT like Lublin", the city of Chisinau joined the European Mobility Week

The city of Chisinau, with the support of the project "MOVE IT like Lublin" - The initiative for the sustainable development of public transport in the municipality of Chisinau, financed by the European Union, implemented by Chisinau City Hall, marked the European Mobility Week, a campaign on sustainable development, which takes place annually, in most European cities, between September 16-22. Annually, the campaign dedicated to European mobility aims at the sustainable development of environmentally friendly alternative transport in most European cities, encouraging cycling, scootering, walking or public transport, also contributing to a better quality of life. The theme of this year's edition was "Better connections" and was held under the slogan "Mix and move!".

The city of Chisinau, with the support of the EU project "MOVE IT like Lublin", joined the initiative of European cities, marking the European Mobility Week, in order to sensitize the population on sustainable urban mobility.

Between September 16-22 this year, various thematic activities were organized in the capital. On September 16, open lessons on traffic safety were organized, attended by two groups of children from educational institutions in the capital. The lessons were held in an interactive format, in two buses that circulated on the main streets of the capital. The children were familiarized with road traffic rules, transport security, scooter, bicycle and necessary safety equipment etc. The bus tour ended with a visit to the Electric Transport Museum in Chisinau, where children had the opportunity to learn about the history of public transport, see the photographic exhibition illustrating the history of horse-drawn trams, electric trams and trolleybus models that circulated and which continues to circulate in the city. 

On September 17, free tours with the tourist trolleybus were organized, both for the purpose of promoting important touristic objectives in the city of Chisinau and for the purpose of promoting sustainable public transport. Also, the young people of the Municipal Youth Center in the capital organized an information campaign about the European Mobility Week.

Later, on September 18, the Urban Mobility Fair was organized. The event program included interactive activities and contests on mobility-related topics, the presentation of alternative means of transport, road safety lessons, sports activities, bicycle and scooter driving tests and discussions with urban mobility experts, etc.

Every year, the European Mobility Week is marked by the promotion of alternative forms of environmentally friendly transport, which are coming ensure the improvement of the quality of life by reducing air pollution and can ensure the sustainable development of public transport. Cities, where more people prefer walking and cycling to cars, generally allow for a better quality of life. These cities are considered more attractive and less crowded. Their residents tend to be healthier, happier and more relaxed.

Context

The project "MOVE IT like Lublin" - Initiative for the sustainable development of public transport in the municipality of Chisinau, financed by the European Union, is implemented on the basis of a partnership between the City Hall of Chisinau and the City Hall of Lublin in Poland. The project will be implemented by 2025 and will provide support to transform the city's public transport services into a more inclusive, safer, more resilient and sustainable transport system. The project provides for the improvement of urban transport policies at the municipal level; increasing the institutional capacities of Chisinau City Hall, in accordance with European Union practices in the field of urban mobility; increasing the quality of public transport management in Chisinau through sustainable innovative solutions and technologies. Additionally, within the project, a modern Traffic Monitoring Center will be established and a Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan for Chisinau will be developed. The project will also digitize operations such as e-ticketing and web applications for public transport, mirroring good practice in European Union cities, including Lublin. The total budget of the project is in the amount of 3,500,000 euros, of which 3,325,000 euros is the contribution of the European Union in the form of a grant, and 175,000 euros are allocated by the Chisinau City Hall.