WIREDGOV

The future of mobility in our cities is being discussed yesterday at a conference where Vice-President Siim Kallas will be joined by representatives from the European Parliament, the Committee of the Regions, and will meet with key stakeholders. The European Commission will announce the launch of a public consultation, giving citizens and all interested parties the opportunity to contribute to the future development of the EU's urban transport policy. The event also marks the tenth anniversary of the Civitas Initiative – the European Commission's city-led research programme.

"Europeans are fed up with the daily frustration of not getting to work on time and the problems and costs of traffic congestion. I believe that we can reverse these trends – through forward planning, new technologies and supporting policies. We want to work with cities and citizens to achieve this – to develop better, more affordable, integrated and accessible transport systems. This conference and the public consultation will allow us to fine-tune transport policy in line with citizens’ views and needs", explained Vice-President Siim Kallas Commissioner for transport.

The conference brings together in Brussels two hundred institutional stakeholders, local government, transport operators and users, as well as industry and research representatives. Three fields of action are being discussed: sustainable urban mobility plans, urban road user charging, and urban logistics. The Commission included these three initiatives in its 2011 transport white paper, which introduced ambitious targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from transport generally and urban transport in particular.

The conference also marks the tenth anniversary of the Civitas Initiative, which supports cities in implementing ambitious transport measures and policies fostering sustainable urban mobility. The Civitas Forum Network, involving over 200 cities, has provided the Commission with valuable guidance on how EU action can best support local action for better and more sustainable transport. It represents an investment of some €370 million in urban transport innovation.

The Commission's urban transport policy also reflects the experience gained from implementing its 2009 Action Plan on Urban Mobility, currently under review, and profits from the knowledge generated by the Civitas Initiative. The launch of a public consultation will give citizens and all interested parties a further opportunity to contribute to the future development of the EU's urban transport policy.

This will form the basis for concrete proposals next year setting out EU goals and priorities for sustainable urban mobility, emphasizing the important role of sustainable urban mobility plans, and identifying areas where EU level action can complement actions at local level. Transitioning to sustainable urban mobility which involves deployment of new technologies, equipment and systems will act as a stimulus for economic growth and job creation.

For more information please see:

MEMO/12/670

MEMO/12/671

http://ec.europa.eu/transport/consultations/index_en.htm The consultation will run from 17th September to 10th December.

http://ec.europa.eu/transport/urban/consultations/index_en.htm

www.civitas.eu

www.civitas.eu/UrbanMobilityConference

http://ec.europa.eu/transport/urban/urban_mobility/urban_mobility_en.htm