Launch of European Mobility Week

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Tomorrow is the start of this year's European Mobility Week. Mobility Week is a week-long event, first launched by the European Commission in 2002, to promote sustainable modes of transport in cities. The week will culminate with 'Car Free Day' on 22 September. This year's theme is "Safe Streets for Children," and over 1,000 cities across the European Union will participate. The Commission launches the week with a high-level conference in Brussels, called "Smart Moves for Sustainable Mobility" focusing on how to give people options to change their behaviour to more sustainable means of transport.

"Thousands of citizens across Europe commute to and from work, facing traffic jams, polluted air and noise," says the Environment Commissioner Margot Wallström. "It is not an easy task for local decision makers to stand up for - what is perceived as- restrictive mobility policies. However, we must meet the challenge head-on. There are no excuses for not taking concrete steps to improve and make mobility sustainable in cities. The conference will show that it is possible and that the technology is available and will support those that make smart moves for sustainable mobility."

The Smart Moves for Sustainably Mobility Conference

The conference will take place in Brussels on 16th September from 09.00 to 17.00 in the Commission's Charlemagne building (rue de la Loi 170) and is open to journalists. It will be opened by Commission Vice President Neil Kinnock and Mr. Pieter Van Geel, Minister for the Environment in the Netherlands. Other high-level participants include Ms Nicky Gavron, Deputy Mayor of London, Pascal Smet, Minister of Mobility in Brussels, the Deputy Mayor of Ljubljana, the European Automobile Manufacturers, the General Manager of Toyota, fuel and energy scientists and strategists. The moderator is Christian Wolmar, a well-known BBC presenter on transport issues.

Mobility Week

There are 45,000 road deaths per year in Europe, a number which governments all over Europe are trying hard to reduce. 60,000 deaths are caused by air pollution. In both cases, children are the most vulnerable, in particular, children living in urban areas.

European Mobility Week focuses minds on identifying lasting solutions for lasting change. Many cities and towns all over Europe already work hard on promoting alternative means of transport: they are providing good and efficient public transport, they offer incentives to citizens that go for environmentally friendly cars, they try to give the city centre back to pedestrians, etc.

Mobility Week is an event where they can present new initiatives and see what others are doing.

Launched in 2002, European Mobility Week builds on the success of the European Car Free Day. It focuses on the benefits of sustainable means of transport and policies that improve air quality, reduce noise and enhance people's quality of life.

More information on the European Mobility Week and the European Car-free Day can be found at:

http://www.mobilityweek-europe.org/

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