Suceava

Suceava’s involvement in electromobility  

Starting in 2000, Suceava Municipality was involved in a series of projects aiming to improve the life conditions in the urban environment and to reduce the road transport impact on the environment, as well as securing a sustainable urban development. These previous projects include EVUE, CIVITAS SMILE (towards Sustainable Mobility for People in Urban Areas), CATCH  and ALTEReco.

All these projects aim to reduce pollution caused by traffic and to improve energy efficiency.

The CATCH Project was a first example of European collaboration in view of exploring the possibilities to improve air quality; it raised the awareness of citizens on sustainability and on issues related to traffic congestion and the excessive use of private cars.

The first steps in implementing the new approach on clean vehicles and fuels, green travelling, reduced emissions area, mobility plans, promotion campaigns focused on raising public awareness on the main issues approached in Suceava, were taken under CATCH, which was designed to continue the results achieved under ALTEReco project: development of reduced emissions areas.

The project CIVITAS II SMILE, in view of ensuring good accessibility in Suceava, targeted the following objectives:

• Identifying measures to reduce the negative impact of public transport and road traffic on the environment;
• Modernizing road traffic and passenger transport, reducing traffic-related pollution and promoting green vehicles and fuels;
• Stimulating public passenger transport – by improving its standards and by granting traffic priorities, setting up exclusive bus lanes, elaborating a public transport plan and informing the citizens about these facilities.

Suceava, took an important leap forward in electromobility through the URBACT programme. As partner of the EVUE network, focused on developing integrated and sustainable leadership for cities to promote the use of electric vehicles. Through URBACT, Suceava has become a pioneer in this policy area in Romania.  This project includes a Local Action Plan which sums all the results and knowledge acquired through the project, in connection to the procurement, ownership and use of electric vehicles in the urban environment.

Suceava’s Local Action Plan is also elaborated as a strategy to promote and implement electric vehicles and the charging infrastructure in the municipality, including campaigns for communication with citizens, in view of setting up a market for electric vehicles and enforcing favourable legislative measures, as well as mechanisms which can support overcoming financial barriers to implementing electric transport.

Taking part in EVUE has laid the foundations for implementing the actions indicated in the LAP. Funds for purchasing the first EVs are being made available through Swiss-Romanian cooperation; the municipality hopes to be able to draw from EU structural funds in the medium term.

For Suceava, this URBACT cooperation has paved the way for further action and transnational activities: Suceava joined some EVUE partners in the second round of FreVUE, an FP-7 project aimed at showing that EVs operating the “last mile” freight movements in urban centres can offer significant and achievable decarbonisation of the European transport system.