Page 19 - European Energy Innovation - spring 2020 publication

Spring 2020 European Energy Innovation
Organised every year from
16-22 September, the
EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK campaign
encourages cities and towns to test
out environmentally friendly transport
alternatives, and to explore the social, •
environmental and economic benefits
these solutions can bring.
Throughout the week, city-dwellers are
encouraged to get on their bikes, go out During the 2019 campaign, 15,613
walking, and to take public transport,
experiencing the positive effects that
sustainable mobility can have on their
well-being and their wallets.
Last year’s campaign, which was held
under the theme of “Safe Walking and
Cycling”, was the most successful
edition of the campaign to date, and
saw 3,135 cities and towns take part
from 50 countries around the globe.
Cities from Europe and beyond
join EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK
by carrying out at least one of the
following measures:
• holding a week of activities
celebrating sustainable transport
under the year’s theme;
www.europeanenergyinnovation.eu
19
EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK
• implementing a permanent
measure that encourages a long-
lasting shift to environmentally
friendly forms of getting around; or project where they offered local
holding a “Car-free Day” event,
in which a street or streets are
closed to traffic and opened to
citizens for the day.
permanent mobility measures were
implemented in towns and cities
across the globe. These measures
range in topic from the improvement
of bicycle networks, infrastructure,
and facilities, to the creation or
enlargement of pedestrian areas, the
installation of new charging points for
electric vehicles, and the introduction
of speed reduction programmes in
zones near schools.
In addition, more than 1,300 cities and
towns closed their street(s) to road
traffic and opened them to people
during EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK 2019.
The impacts of the campaign on
urban transport users have been
stark. For example, during last year’s
Photo: ©City of Lisbon
edition of EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK,
the Municipality of Trelleborg
(Sweden) launched an innovative
residents the opportunity to test an
electric cargo bicycle for up to 11
days, in the hope that this would then
encourage them to make the shift
from car to cargo bicycle.
Within weeks, the programme had
already motivated one local resident,
along with her family, to make the
modal shift.
The value of zero-emission mobility
goes beyond allowing the EU reach
its goals as set out in the EU Green
Deal, to include health benefits
and reductions in air and noise
pollution. This year’s campaign will
recognise this value, and inspire the
implementation of new measures
and initiatives that make zero-
emissions mobility the norm for all. l
For more information and to learn
more about the 2020 campaign,
visit www.mobilityweek.eu