PARIS, Nov 30 — This week in urban transport, we looked at Barcelona's plans to make its city centre more welcoming for pedestrians and cyclists, as well as give it a green boost; how Oslo citizens are already enjoying increased safety from efforts in recent years to minimize car traffic; plus a look at an innovation that could help boost EV charging infrastructure without clunky installations by using street furniture.

How Barcelona is overhauling its city centre to prioritise cyclists and pedestrians

Barcelona plans to overhaul around 20 streets in the city centre to make them more accessible to pedestrians and cyclists, and less friendly for drivers, who will be kept out of this zone. The 10-year plan also involves building new green spaces for city residents.

Oslo is reaping the benefits of its (nearly) car-free city centre

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Norway's capital city recorded zero pedestrian and cyclist deaths in 2019, the only major city in the world to achieve such a feat. Oslo's initiatives to slowly eradicate cars from central areas over the past few years have paid off, in terms of safety, pollution and even local business.

When a street light is also an EV charging station

The low number of electric vehicle charging stations in some areas means that consumers are reluctant to make the switch.

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A quick and thrifty solution could be to build on existing infrastructures. That's the approach of German startup ubitricity, which directly integrates a charging point into a street lamp. — AFP-Relaxnews