Friends of the Earth Malta attended a three day project meeting and conference in Limassol (Cyprus) as part of our Micromobi project, sharing best practices and inspiring ideas about how to create positive change for our cities by promoting micromobility, with project partners from Malta, Cyprus, Italy and Slovenia. Apart from meetings to discuss the progress and agree on the way forward for the last 3 months of the project, a number of exciting events were on the programme: a bike ride around the city, a documentary screening and a day-long public conference on the topic of micromobility and the future of transport.

On Wednesday 19 March, project partners met with special guest Chris Bruntlett, International Relations Manager of the Dutch Cycling Embassy, for a bicycle ride in Limassol to experience the micromobility infrastructure of the city first hand – both the good, such as the separated bike lane along the seafront and the bad, missing connections and lacking infrastructure along roads busy with cars. The group was joined by the Dutch ambassador to Cyprus, and also met with the mayor of Limassol, who is keen to promote cycling in the city. In the evening, Friends of the Earth Cyprus organised a documentary screening of the film ‘When we Cycle’, a production by the Dutch Cycling Embassy, showcasing a journey through different imaginable futures for cycling.

On Thursday 20 March, local partner Friends of the Earth Cyprus organised a conference titled Micromobility: Shaping the Future of Urban Transport in Limassol, attended by well over 50 local and international participants. The keynote speaker Chris Bruntlett truly inspired with his presentation on the cycling network of the Netherlands and its five key characteristics: cohesion, directedness, safety, comfort, and attractiveness. He also shared insights about the experience of Seville which invested in cycling and managed to grow its cycling modal share impressively, despite its hot climate.

Our Climate Campaign Coordinator Dr Suzanne Maas introduced the Micromobi project to the audience and launched the Micromobi online platform and toolkit. She also participated in one of the three panel discussions, addressing the synergies between micromobility and multimodality in our cities. Τhe workshop at the end of the conference brought together active citizens and NGO representatives to discuss what role civil society can play in promoting micromobility. This interactive workshop also included the participation of Rota’s policy officer Sergio Sammut, who joined from Malta for the Micromobi project meeting and conference.

The meeting and conference were organised within the framework of the Micromobi project, a collaboration between Friends of the Earth Malta, Friends of the Earth Cyprus, LKM and Promimpresa, co-funded by the European Union’s Erasmus+ programme.

👉 Discover more on www.micromobi.eu
📷 Photos by Electra Stavrou

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