The city of London, UK, is collaborating with other European cities in a €25m ($27m) project that will implement smart technologies such as electric bicycles and smart parking lots.

The partnership of London mayor Boris Johnson and the Royal Borough of Greenwich has been selected to participate in the Smart Cities and Communities Lighthouse programme of the European Commission (EC).

The programme intends to look for solutions to address several challenges faced by growing cities.

"We need to harness our incredible technical prowess and look to what new approaches and technological innovation can bring."

Being a part of EC’s Horizon 2020 programme, the Smart Cities and Communities Lighthouse programme will see new projects being taken up by Lisbon, Portugal; Milan, Italy; Warsaw, Poland; Bordeaux, France; and Burgas, Bulgaria, reported Traffic Technology Today.

The Royal Borough of Greenwich in London will be used as an area of demonstration to try out new technologies.

As part of the the smart city initiative in Greenwich, 300 smart parking bays will tested with an aim to increase parking spaces and help drivers to quickly locate a vacant parking space.

The programme also involves testing of shared electric bicycles to find out if these can reduce the use of private cars while making more use of electric vehicles (EVs) for local deliveries and car sharing purposes.

The lighthouse programme will also have a common data sharing platform that can be used by all the cities across Europe.

Mayor Boris Johnson said: "London is growing at a record rate and to support the city’s future growth, we need to harness our incredible technical prowess and look to what new approaches and technological innovation can bring.

"By leading this ground-breaking international project, we will be able to share ideas with our European counterparts as we work to create a city that is fit for the future and an even greater place to live, work and visit."

Organisations such as Future Cities Catapult, Siemens and Imperial College London will assist in the London initiative.