According to all statistics, the air in the capital city of Serbia is getting better, pointed out Prime Minister Ana Brnabic on the occasion of the delivery of ten new electric buses to the public transport system of Belgrade. She added that environmental problems are something that the Serbian government has been successfully fighting in the last few years.
Prime Minister Brnabic recalled that before 2010, air quality in Belgrade and the rest of Serbia was not measured in the way it is done now.
“Only in 2010, some measuring stations were set up and then, since 2014, we have set up a greater number of those stations in order to really do good monitoring of air quality on the territory of the whole of Serbia,” Mrs Brnabic said.
Belgrade is not the only city where e-mobility could help reduce air pollution. The European Investment Bank (EIB) has recently signed a cooperation agreement with the City of Niš to finance the preparation of a sustainable urban mobility plan, enabling the city to make informed investment decisions concerning its transport network. By taking into account existing travel patterns, development trends and the municipality’s strategic planning objectives, the sustainable urban mobility plan will help ensure that such investments are optimised to provide efficient, safe, convenient and less carbon-reliant mobility.
“One of the EIB’s priorities, as the EU climate bank, is to promote cleaner and more sustainable transport by modernising railways, waterways and urban transport capacities across the Western Balkans,” said EIB Vice-President Lilyana Pavlova, responsible for the Bank’s activities in the Western Balkans. “This technical assistance will provide a foundation for developing projects that will bring multiple benefits to people living and commuting to Niš, as well as economic benefits arising from better connections within the city and with surrounding municipalities. At the same time, it will help the city address urban development and climate-related challenges and thus improve environmental and living conditions.”
“Niš, as a city, is expanding intensively and developing rapidly,” added the Mayor of Niš, Dragana Sotirovski. “The frequency of traffic has increased so the sustainable urban mobility plan will enable us to harmonise the traffic network with the new investment cycle and strategic directions of the City of Niš’s development. Our commitment to reducing harmful gases and protecting water, soil and air is of great importance in our strategic development plans.”
The sustainable urban mobility plan and the investments it will generate will help Niš to grow, supported by a high-quality, well-integrated transport network, thus enhancing the appeal of the city as a place to live and invest in.
Photo: Serbian government’s website.
