Heraklion Mayor Alexis Kalokairinos and Deputy Mayor for Finance and Development Planning Tasos Tsatsakis attended the presentation of Heraklion Go, a new smart multimodal mobility application for Heraklion, held at an open public event at the Loggia on Thursday, 17 September.
The event, which took place as part of European Mobility Week, was attended by students in the third year of upper secondary school at Kapetanakeio. Alexis Kalokairinos had the opportunity to discuss sustainable mobility and accessibility in public spaces with the students, issues that are also central to the themes of Mobility Week.
Speaking about the new application, which aims to make it easier for people to get around the city by combining buses, taxis, walking and other modes of transport, the Mayor stated:
“It is a mobile application that allows users to consider and calculate their journeys using alternative means of transport, such as walking or taking the bus between two points, or, where appropriate, using private transport. From this perspective, it is a useful tool.”
Alexis Kalokairinos recalled that the Municipal Authority had prioritised the creation of pedestrian routes throughout the city, with the aim of promoting sustainable mobility.
“The issue we are concerned with is making these alternative ways of getting around possible in practice. This is the plan currently being implemented by the Municipality of Heraklion to create alternative routes, with pedestrian routes taking priority. In other words, how can I get from my neighbourhood to the city centre without obstacles, and how can I travel to another neighbourhood? This is a programme that is currently under construction.
“We can also manage parking regulations through these alternative routes. The more we are able to travel without using private vehicles, the easier it becomes to manage the issue of parking.”
He also expressed his pleasure at meeting the students from Kapetaneio:
“I am particularly happy to have young people from Kapetaneio, the 1st General Lyceum, here with us. We are talking with them because we want to hear their ideas, and we are confident that these young people will achieve much more, both now and, above all, as they grow older.”
Deputy Mayor Tasos Tsatsakis noted that the Heraklion Go mobile application was presented as part of the SPINE programme, with the aim of improving mobility in the city. The application showcases alternative ways of travelling using public or private transport, as well as walking.
“With this application, anyone can estimate how long it will take to reach their destination using different modes of transport, including the bus, taxi, car, motorbike, bicycle, scooter or walking. The application is already available to the public.
“European Mobility Week coincides with the public presentation of the application to the people of Heraklion. We are pleased that students in the third year of upper secondary school at Kapetaneio are joining us today. By answering a questionnaire and taking part in an interactive game, they will provide the initial dataset that will help us improve the application.”
The event was organised by the Deputy Mayoral Office for Finance and Development Planning through the Directorate of Planning, Organisation and Information Technology and its European Programmes and Information Technology Departments.
The Heraklion Go application was developed as part of the “SPINE – HORIZON: Smart Public Transport Initiatives for Climate-Neutral Cities in Europe” programme.
The Municipality of Heraklion’s European Mobility Week activities are organised by the Traffic Department of the Municipality’s Technical Services.