WIREDGOV

From 16 to 22 September 2011, hundreds of European towns and cities will participate in the tenth edition of European Mobility Week, inviting citizens to a wide range of activities around sustainable mobility. This year's theme – Alternative Mobility – aims to promote resource-efficient alternatives to the private cars that still dominate urban transport. The week encourages local authorities and citizens to highlight the many positive impacts of other means of transport.

Janez Potočnik, Commissioner for Environment, said: "For ten years now European Mobility Week has been supporting cities in building a better environment for citizens. It's been a tremendous success, and it's now become a global phenomenon. Mobility Week allows people to think about new and better ways to travel and contribute to making their cities more pleasant places to live in."

Alternative means of transport

The overuse of cars is damaging the quality of life in our cities. Noise, air pollution, congestion and reduced public space are all symptoms of the problem. With resources like energy, land, water and raw materials under strain, there is a growing awareness of the need for alternative forms of transport that generate less pollution, consume fewer resources and help cut greenhouse gas emissions. European Mobility Week 2011 aims to encourage European citizens living in urban areas to use low-carbon modes of transport instead, such as walking, biking or public transport.

Ten years of Mobility Week

The 2011 edition marks the tenth anniversary of European Mobility Week. Over the last decade Mobility Week has supported cities in creating a more pleasant and healthy environment for citizens by encouraging them to reduce traffic congestion and promoting sustainable and human-powered modes of transport.

Mobility Week has seen a continuous increase in the number of cities taking part since its launch in 2002. In 2010, under the theme of ‘Travel Smarter, Live Better’, a record number of 2,221 local authorities signed the European Mobility Week charter and/or registered their activities on the campaign site www.mobilityweek.eu. 2010 marks the fifth consecutive record year.

European Mobility Week Awards 2011

Participating towns and cities meeting certain eligibility criteria are encouraged to apply for the European Mobility Week Award 2011. The award goes to cities judged to have organised the most innovative campaigns in terms of quality of activities linked to the annual theme and range of permanent measures implemented. The city of Almada (Portugal) was the 2010 European Mobility Week Award Winner, with Murcia (Spain) and Riga (Latvia) as runner-ups (see IP/11/318).

For further information visit the European Mobility Week website:

www.mobilityweek.eu