The IRF World Congress, a prominent global event focused on road infrastructure and sustainable transport, recently took place in the Turkish metropolis Istanbul. Held over several days, the Congress gathered global leaders, policymakers, and industry experts to discuss advancements in infrastructure and road safety.

MOBILITIES FOR EU partners represented the project in various formats and sessions, networking with experts and stakeholders from all over the world, to share insights and best practices. On October 16, 2024, project representatives participated in several important sessions:

Electric Buses in Madrid

Álvaro Rodríguez López de Guereña, a representative from our partner EMT Madrid, held an insightful presentation about the electrification of buses for people transport. Electric buses will also be tested and implemented in one of our Lead Cities, Madrid, at the site of Mercamadrid—the largest Spanish market and one of the most active in Europe—also hosting Madrid’s Urban Mobility Lab.  

Building Climate-Resilient Cities through Mobility Innovation

In collaboration with its sister project metaCCAZE, MOBILITIES FOR EU hosted the session “Towards Greener Horizons: Building Climate-Resilient Cities through Mobility Innovation”. The event provided a platform for insights into climate-neutral and zero-emission urban mobility strategies, bringing together thought leaders and city representatives to share practical experiences and future-forward solutions.

Key presentations showcased how European cities are advancing toward climate neutrality through electrification, automation, and connectivity initiatives. Representatives from Madrid, Limassol, and Istanbul shared insightful case studies. Speakers included Julia María Vicente Gómez, MOBILITIES FOR EU Project Coordinator from CARTIF; Sergio Fernandez Balaguer from EMT Madrid; Tamara Djukic, metaCCAZE Project Coordinator from ERTICO ITS-Europe; Theodora Betsidou from the City of Limassol; and Seda Özdemir from the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM). They highlighted strategies for reducing emissions, overcoming challenges in public acceptance, and adapting infrastructure to support cutting-edge mobility solutions.

The session closed with a lively panel discussion, where speakers from MOBILITIES FOR EU and metaCCAZE, along with Daria Kuzmini from the International Association of Public Transport (UITP) and Agostina Massarini from the International Road Federation (IRF), shared lessons learned and discussed the next steps in building climate-resilient cities.

The IRF World Congress in Istanbul underscored MOBILITIES FOR EU’s commitment to supporting European cities in their journey towards 2030 climate targets and fostering collaborations that drive sustainable urban transformations.