September 7 2019

Hely at the Mobility Challenge

Putting away your car and only use shared cars, bikes and public transport for two months. Thirty residents in Hoogkwartier have taken on this challenge during two months in the Mobility Challenge. Hely is very pleased to be the shared mobility partner of Rotterdam during this unique challenge. 

During the Mobility Challenge, the participants put away their car in a parking garage outside the neighbourhood. The parking spots that are left open will temporarily be transformed to green spaces. The goal of this experiment is to visualise what shared mobility can contribute to public space in the neighbourhood. This way the residents will also get acquainted with using shared mobility of Hely. 

Testing shared mobility

The Mobility Challenge is a cooperation between Stadslab Hoogkwartier (an initiative  of residents to make the neighbourhood future proof) and the city of Rotterdam.. The residents said that they have a need for more public space and more green in the neighbourhood.  

In Hoogkwartier, many cars are standing still most of the time. This valuable space can also be used for many other purposes. By using shared mobility, more public space will become available since the car doesn’t have to be parked in the neighbourhood anymore. Thirty residents will test during two months if this will actually work. Sixty other residents without a car will also participate and test how they experience the use of shared mobility. 

Public space 

The goal of the experiment is to make people aware that their mobility choices also have an impact on the public space. Alderman Judith Bokhove (mobility, youth and languages): ‘It’s a beautiful experiment in which residents and the city work together and learn by doing and experimenting. Especially the enthusiasm from the neighbourhood is important for this. Residents get the chance to think along, try out new forms of mobility and also get something in return in the shape of better, healthier surroundings.’ 

Source: City of Rotterdam