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Why is it essential to promote sustainable mobility in Utrecht city and region? Lot van Hooijdonk, alderman for mobility, energy, greenery, and animal welfare of Utrecht's municipality, on the importance of giving more space to bicycles and making public transport even more attractive as an alternative to the car. She also emphasizes the collaboration with other regional cities and the province on the construction of regional fast cycle routes. "[quote]

Lot van Hooijdonk - © Lotte Stierhout

Could you explain why it is crucial to extend sustainable mobility?

We want to keep the city of Utrecht attractive and accessible to everyone. That is a challenge because the number of inhabitants increases every year, while the city's space remains the same. Therefore, it is our task to stimulate sustainable mobility choices, with a focus on the use of bicycles and public transport. The basic principle is that car traffic within the ring road should not grow to remain a healthy and attractive city for living, working, and recreation.

What choices does the municipality make to reduce car traffic?

We want to accelerate the trend from ownership to cars' use by facilitating and stimulating MaaS (mobility as a service). An example of this is the Smart Solar Charging project, a charging system for electric cars. Car batteries both charge and discharge and sustainable energy are returned to the neighborhood.

How does the municipality stimulate the use of public transport among residents and visitors?

Research shows that the bus is a common means of transport to reach the city center next to our connected railway roads. That is why we will look at how we can improve the bus network around the city center. We will also make visitors even more aware of the P&R parking spaces on the outskirts of the city, from which they can travel to their destination by bus or tram.

How will the municipality ensure that the use of bicycles remains attractive, both in the city and region?

Besides widening bicycle paths in the city, we want to encourage people to use the bicycle for longer distances. That is why we are starting to build regional fast bicycle routes together with municipalities from the region and the province. On these fast cycle routes, cyclists have priority over car traffic and are more likely to get green at traffic lights. Construction of the first route between Utrecht and Amersfoort will start at the end of 2020. Other routes between Utrecht and IJsselstijn, Veenendaal and Woerden, will also be constructed in the next 2 to 3 years. These routes will be part of a large regional cycling network, which will consist of a total of 7 fast cycling routes.

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