FCC supports
the activities
of
European
Mobility
Week
FCC, in keeping with its commitment to
sustainability and the improvement of the
quality of cities, as well as with its Strategic
Road Safety Plan, has promoted this year,
once again, the activities organized in cities
to commemorate the European Mobility
Week which, as in previous years, was held
from the 16th to the 22nd of September.
The slogan this year for this European event
was: “Choose. Change. Combine. Your
Mobility”.
The European Mobility Week (EMW) in
which the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and
the Environment is the national coordinator,
is an awareness-building campaign to raise
awareness among politicians and citizens
on the negative consequences of the irra-
tional use of cars in cities both for public
health as well as the environment, and of
the benefits of using more sustainable
means of transport, such as public trans-
port, bicycles, or walking.
Hundreds of European cities organized ac-
tivities during a one-week period to promo-
te sustainable mobility, deploying innovative
and inspiring measures to encourage the
use of public transport and the habits of
walking or bike riding.
Two-hundred and eight cities participated
in Spain, the second-ranking country in
terms of involvement in this campaign (Aus-
tria, with 322 cities participating, ranked
first). The work carried out in recent years
has resulted in the consolidation throug-
hout Europe of the projects promoted by
the European Mobility Week as shown by
the great number of city councils that par-
ticipate voluntarily in developing these pro-
jects. As in every year, the most significant
event is the “day without cars” during which
cities only allow in certain areas pedestrian,
bicycle, public transport, and clean vehicles
(such as electric cars) traffic.
Some examples: traffic in the historical
district and most of the midtown area in
Stockholm is limited to pedestrians; in Ta-
llin, residents have benefited from the use
of free public transport by showing their
driver’s license and in the Portuguese city of
Aveiro, the initiative of residents known as
«Ciclaveiro» has featured a series of events
to promote bicycling, such as exhibits,
workshops, and the sale of second-hand
bicycles.
Many cities in Spain have also promo-
ted the day without cars, road education
cycles at schools, and campaigns to raise
awareness and encourage the use of pu-
blic transports, cycling routes around the
city for the young and old, skating activities,
guided urban routes, as well as a rollerdan-
ce to discover alternative means for moving
around the city.
W e l l - b e i n g