Public awareness


INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL CINERAIL

European Mobility Week

European Mobility Week has been running for six years and aims to influence mobility and urban transport issues for the long-term as well as to improve health and quality of life of European citizens. It is organised each year from 16 to 22 September and represents a perfect opportunity to present sustainable alternatives to European citizens, to explain the challenges that cities and towns are facing in order to induce a change of behaviour and make progress towards a more sustainable transport strategy for Europe. It gives people space to think about what our urban streets are really for and to debate concrete solutions for tackling urban challenges such as air pollution.

European Mobility Week Award
From 16 to 22 September 2008, thousands of European towns and cities participated in the seventh European Mobility Week and invited their citizens to a wide range of activities promoting sustainable mobility. The central theme was Clean air for all, encouraging local authorities to raise awareness about the negative impact of motorized traffic on air quality and to introduce and promote cleaner transport alternatives. All participating local authorities complying with the criteria of the European Mobility Week Charter were invited to apply for the European Mobility Week Award.

The European Mobility Week Award rewards the city with the best overall record in providing awareness and carrying out projects which contribute to a complete shift towards sustainable city transport. An independent panel of experts assessed a total of 66 applications, and shortlisted 10 local authorities which they considered had performed outstandingly well during EMW 2008. Of these, 3 'best of the best' were then retained as finalists for the 2009 European Mobility Week Award.

• Almada (Portugal) - finalist
• Budapest (Hungary) - finalist
• Burgos (Spain)
• Cork (Ireland)
• Galway County Council (Ireland)
• Krakow (Poland)
• La Rochelle (France)
• Murcia (Spain)
• Ponferrada (Spain)
• Zagreb (Croatia) - finalist

See detailed information about achievement of each shortlisted city.

The jury members paid close attention to the involvement of stakeholders during the preparation and organisation of EMW, as well as to the comprehensiveness of the action plan, including activities on all sustainable transport modes. It was also seen as an advantage that the EMW theme was at the heart of their Week. The jury members also took into account the specificities and operational and financial means of all applicants - efforts were recognised according to the size of the local authority.
The jury was also pleased to see a good geographical spread as well as a good mix of small and big local authorities, proving the high engagement from local authorities across Europe in the programme and high relevance of the issues.

Winner of European Mobility Week Award 2009
The city of Budapest won the 2009 European Mobility Week Award. The Hungarian capital was judged by an independent panel of experts to have done the most to raise public awareness of air pollution from traffic and promote cleaner alternatives during European Mobility Week. The awards were presented by Commissioner for Science and Research Janez Potocnik at a ceremony in Brussels on 23 February 2009.

The city and districts of Budapest developed a whole range of events and activities to promote sustainable urban transport, with a major contribution from local artists and organisations. The activities included two consecutive car-free days, a "Clever Commuting Race" for VIPs to demonstrate the efficiency of public transport, an open-air exhibition of clean and energy-efficient vehicles, a conference on air quality and noise mapping and a "Pedestranised Areas Day", promoting the pleasures of walking in the historical city centre along the banks of the Danube. The Hungarian capital introduced and promoted several permanent measures to demonstrate its commitment to sustainable transport, such as expanding the downtown pedestrian area, increasing parking fees in the city centre, improving metro and tram infrastructure and services, and introducing new bicycle lanes and 'park and ride' facilities. Budapest also closed its ring road during EMW, reducing transit traffic in the city by around one-quarter.

Theme of EMW 2009
Climate change has been selected as the common theme for the EMW 2009 campaign. The slogan "Improving City Climates" underlines the importance of efforts of towns and cities in effectively tackling climate change via measures promoting sustainable mobility.

EMW 2009: Be part of it!
Using public transport to satisfy mobility needs is certainly a central theme of the European Mobility Week. Public transport should be fundamental to a good mobility in urban areas.
All public transport actors in the European Union will be able to use the Week as an opportunity to promote intermodal solutions and give clear information on how public transport connects with the other modes, proving that it can offer a good alternative to the use of the private car

Local actions:
Local authorities have a crucial role to play in the implementation of national and European legislation. An integrated transport policy and travel plans fostering sustainable mobility are fundamental to protect citizens from harmful air pollution

UITP fully recognises the importance of raising awareness on the environmental impacts of everyone’s modal choice and encouraging the use of sustainable modes of transport. This is why we invite all our members to participate in this event and take this opportunity to promote public transport.

For plenty of ideas and inspiration to get involved, read our Core Brief on European Mobility Week.

Following EMW 2002, UITP has compiled a report ‘Public Transport Initiatives for the European Mobility Week’. Click here to read it.