European Mobility Week

European Mobility Week officially starts today, with almost 2000 European towns and cities expected to participate. Events set to take place include sustainable commuting challenges, teleworking campaigns, flash mobs, car free day events, creative competitions, festivals and many more activities.

Under the banner of "Our streets, our choice", this year's European Mobility Week aims to encourage citizens to 'reclaim' urban spaces to create the city they want to live in. Throughout the week, the relationship between land use and quality of life will be examined.

Municipalities in Austria will give children the opportunity to reclaim the streets by allowing them to paint them the way they would like them to be. This initiative is organised through schools, with the best effort given a prize at the end.

In Aarhaus, Denmark, one of the highlights of this year’s European Mobility Week in will be a small caravan called the "Rolling Mobility Lab". Citizens will have the chance to discuss and propose new transport measures that benefit them directly, making it easier for them to change their travel behaviour.

Commission Vice-President Siim Kallas, in charge of transport, said: "Historically, private cars have determined how cities are planned. But nowadays, €100 billion are lost to our economies every year due to congestion in and around our cities, not to speak of the effects on people's time and health. Therefore, I'm very pleased to see the enthusiastic uptake of this year's European Mobility Week. I'm sure there are plenty of good ideas around on how we can better shape where we live."

Janez Potočnik, European Commissioner for the Environment, said: "Mobility Week reminds us that when it comes to personal mobility, we really do have a choice, and a good choice makes a tangible difference to our health and our quality of life. So let's make a stand for cleaner air, and for urban spaces that are built for people. Cities are for citizens – let's keep them that way!"

European local authorities are invited to sign up to the European Mobility Week Charter and to register their programmes online. Towns and cities planning a full week of events from 16-22 September, introducing permanent measures and setting up a car-free day can also apply for the European Mobility Week Award and join the ranks of previous award winners Ljubljana (Slovenia), Zagreb (Croatia), Bologna (Italy) and Gävle (Sweden).