Sustainable urban mobility takes centre stage in Europe

The European Commission has indicated that it will step up its support to towns and cities, and encourage the development of Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans. These initiatives form the cornerstones of the new Urban Mobility Package which the European Commission adopted in December 2013. Vice-President Siim Kallas, EU commissioner for mobility and transport, said, ‘Addressing the problems of urban mobility is one of the great challenges in transport today. With coordinated action we can be more successf
January 28, 2014 Read time: 2 mins
The 1690 European Commission has indicated that it will step up its support to towns and cities, and encourage the development of Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans. These initiatives form the cornerstones of the new Urban Mobility Package which the European Commission adopted in December 2013.
 
Vice-President Siim Kallas, EU commissioner for mobility and transport, said, ‘Addressing the problems of urban mobility is one of the great challenges in transport today. With coordinated action we can be more successful. Local authorities are the key decision makers. They are best placed to take important local decisions, but they should benefit from support at national and EU level.’
 
With the package, the Commission bolsters its supporting measures in the area of urban mobility by reinforcing the exchange of best practice and enhancing cooperation, providing targeted financial support and investing in research and development. It also identifies concrete initiatives in relation to urban logistics, access regulations and road user charging, intelligent transport systems (ITS) as well as urban road safety.

Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans play an important role in achieving the Commission’s aims. Following years of exchange and analysis of best practice that involved experts and stakeholders across Europe, a concept for Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans has emerged as an effective approach to stimulate a shift towards more sustainable mobility and a higher quality of life in urban areas.

A European platform on Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans will be launched to coordinate all Commission-supported activities in this area and foster broader exchange. The present portal on Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans, www.mobilityplans.eu, will be expanded into a virtual knowledge and competence centre and be integrated into the Eltis portal.

More information on the Urban Mobility Package is available on the European Commission’s %$Linker: 2 External <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-16"?><dictionary /> 0 0 0 oLinkExternal website http://ec.europa.eu/transport/themes/urban/ump_en.htm false http://ec.europa.eu/transport/themes/urban/ump_en.htm false false%>.
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