Ljubljana: A city with green ambitions

Best European destination 2022, historic city center reserved for cyclists and pedestrians, 300 km of cycle paths and more under construction... Ljubljana, the Slovenian capital, is motivated and motivating.

This article first appeared in the excellent Vélo Mag, May 2022 edition.

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In 2007, the city of just under 300 inhabitants set ambitious targets to be achieved by 000. These included changing attitudes to urban transport, as well as limiting car travel to one-third of the city's total area.

In the same year, the old town nestling at the foot of the medieval castle was closed to cars, with the exception of a few morning hours. For residents and tourists alike, shuttle buses in small electric vehicles were introduced. As with every change, initial reluctance was considerable. "Only 30% of residents supported the closure of downtown thoroughfares," tells me Matic Sopotnik, from the City of Ljubljana's Department of Commercial Activities and Traffic. However, he adds with satisfaction that "ten years later, in 2017, a new survey revealed that 94% of the population was happy with the result!".

No more cars around Ljubljana Castle, since 2007!

The urban living room

I sense a real cycling movement in this magnificent city in the former Yugoslavia. There are plenty of promising projects, and the awards for them are piling up: European Green Capital in XNUMX, best European destination in XNUMX according to a survey of travelers, top XNUMX best cycling cities in the world in the last three Copenhagenize rankings. Citizens and municipal employees alike are clearly proud of the city's achievements. When I requested an interview, no less than three officials offered to meet me.

Public relations advisor Vita Konti'c Bezjak tells me about the metamorphosis of Slovenska cesta. "This artery, one of the city's main thoroughfares, has become a high-quality public space. In addition to the bicycle path that crosses it, trees and terraces have been added for over XNUMX m, and the only engines you hear now are those of the buses that run along it. Near-unanimous public support has made this experience, now dubbed the "city living room", permanent.

Matic Sopotnik tells me that air quality had already improved with the closure of the city center, but that the reorganization of Slovenska Avenue alone has reduced air pollution by a further 70%. "At the same time, this major transformation introduced the concept of shared space into national legislation," he adds. A legal foundation that is now being used in the transformation of other areas of the city.

Solo city tour… (credit Mankica Kranjec - Nea Culpa)

or with a group. (credit Mankica Kranjec - Nea Culpa)

Only advantages

The best way to discover our capital is on a bike," says Tina Kralj, who works at the tourist office. Here, the terrain is flat and everything is close at hand. Her organization offers a variety of guided cycling tours with different cultural and historical themes. In addition, a popular network of 800 self-service bicycles serves 80 stations dotted around Ljubljana. "Only one bike has been stolen in ten years," assures me Matic Sopotnik, from the City of Ljubljana's Department of Commercial Activities and Traffic. It has to be said that theft would be of little use, given that the first hour of use is free and the annual subscription costs three euros!

I don't think there's anything unpleasant about cycling here. Nevertheless, Matic Sopotnik finds one minor one. "The small round metal plates that delineate some of the cycle paths on the sidewalk are slippery. The architect thought it would look better than painting lines, but it's less practical." He explains that the vast majority of bike lanes were actually built by reducing the width of the street and widening the sidewalk. "We only have five or six double lanes in the whole city!" he points out, a little jealous of the possibilities offered by our wide North American boulevards.

"Only 30% of residents supported the closure of downtown arteries. Ten years later, in 2017, a new poll revealed that 94% of the population was happy with the result!"
- Matic Sopotnik

Targets (almost) achieved

In preparation for the annual Velo-city conference, to be held in Ljubljana in June, an underground garage to house around XNUMX bicycles and several dozen kilometers of new trails are under construction.

"We can't compare ourselves with big cycling cities like Amsterdam or Paris, but we do very well alongside cities of a similar size," believes Matic Sopotnik. More oriented towards Western Europe, the Slovenian capital is also light years ahead of the other capitals of the former Yugoslavia, which are trying to emulate it. Enthused by all these projects and embellishments, the people of Ljubljana have re-elected their mayor at every election since 2006.

As for the targets set in 2007, the city is almost there: 16% of urban journeys are now made by bicycle. Cars account for 39%, down 20% since the last decade, but still a few points above the target of one-third by 2025. "Despite all our improvements, we're still Slavs and we like our cars. So we have to keep up the good work," exclaims Matic Sopotnik.

The Slovenian capital has it all, with its livable size, green initiatives and the Alps less than an hour away.