Bistrita's Summer 'Sustainable Urban Mobility Campaign'

During the Summer, the first activity was the Zero Carbon Bike tour - this took place on June 3, 2021. The objective was to promote an ecological transport behavior, a neutral urban environment in terms of carbon emissions, to provide citizens with access to zero-carbon urban transport but also to promote the project and its objectives.

This cycling tour was attended by about 150 people, who cycled through the streets of the city, on a predetermined route, smiling and pedaling together, for a green city, with zero carbon emissions, with cleaner air, less polluted.

Another activity involved the volunteers from the Hight school of art - they made a mural painting on the courtyard wall of one of Bistrita s Kindergarten, with the role of promoting the concept of “Zero Carbon Cities” among young children. Through artistic painting the pre-schoolars learn in a fun way more about the sustainable means of transport and the air pollution.

Under the title “Fun games of intelligent mobility” and in collaboration with one of our ULG member - the Public Health Department-, pre-schoolers also learned through games about eco-friendly means of travel, but also about those that pollute the air of cities.

The children were receptive to the importance of keeping the air clean in the city and expressed their joy in walking or using the bicycle when they come to kindergarten, respectively in using the train and the bus on family trips.

In 27 – 28 September 2021, about 200 students from the primary schools in Bistrița participated in traffic safety lesson. We know that children like to walk or ride their bikes, because it allows them to gain experience, to gain autonomy as they develop, but at the same time, both they and their parents want to feel safe in traffic.

Thus, in order to refresh their knowledge regarding traveling in traffic as pedestrians, cyclists, bus users or as passengers in the family car, the students from different schools in Bistrita participated, in interactive road safety lessons, under the careful guidance of the representatives of the specialized departments of the Police Inspectorate.

Because we know that people become more responsible and more aware when they have access to transparent, real-time data, we continue our campaign with the purchase and installation of 18 air pollution sensors, outdoor in traffic areas of the city, but also indoor, in a few schools. The data from the sensors will be available on mobile application and also on a specific online platform, so each member of the community can be involved in the monitoring effort. Having this data people and students understand the cause and effect of becoming themselves part of the mechanism for combating pollution through Individual consumption decisions: transport, energy, expenses, products with harmful impact etc.

We hope that such activities will resonate among the citizens and contribute, through small gestures, to the transition to "Bistrita, Zero Carbon City".

Hear back from us in the New Year to follow this journey, find out what data has been discovered and how this will shape citizen decisions in the future.