Grevena (Greece)
Grevena is a small Greek city in the region of western Macedonia with a population of 16000 residents. The city lies about 400 km from Athens and about 180 km from Thessaloniki. The city, that has one of the youngest bus system in Europe, is ambitious for shifting towards a more sustainable transport system.
At present, the city has no specific data on modal split. However, most citizens use private cars, and public transport buses were introduced only in December 2010. The new political Authority of the city (which duties started officially on the 1st January 2011) has the will to take the appropriate measures with the aim of changing the modal split towards more public transport and bicycle use, and improving the air quality within its city center. The City of Grevena, last December, launched a Bus Public Transport Service and its ambition is to introduce new measures, so as to reduce the traffic problems and the pollution of the atmosphere, which is caused by the increasing use of car. Apart from the public transport service, there is a strong political support of introducing an innovative City Bike Scheme in the city center.
Following the earthquake that occurred in 1995, many studies were undertaken into the state of the road infrastructure. These studies, as well as seismic risk scenarios, highlighted the urgent need for sustainable urban mobility management in Grevena.
To date, the city of Grevena has no sustainable urban mobility plan, transport policy or strategy. However, the city has developed various individual studies, on the basis of which several measures have been implemented. These include the introduction of downtown pedestrian zones following the renewal of the central square and surrounding streets; the creation of a roundabout on one of the city approach roads; the introduction of traffic lights at major intersections; parking management; and improvements to the pedestrian and cycling network around the city.
The goals were to improve quality of life for residents and pedestrians in the city center; reduce noise pollution; and control traffic flow during peak hours.
The city intends to develop a sustainable urban mobility plan in the near future.
The city works in partnership with universities, NGOs, institutes, associations, cycling groups, motorcycle clubs and environmental organizations in order to achieve synergies with municipal services.
Summary finalized: March 2011
