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%>.
Urban Traffic Control

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Survey finds speed, red light cameras divide Americans
    March 12, 2015
    A new survey from free legal information website FindLaw.com found that 52 per cent of Americans support the use of radar speed cameras, while 48 per cent oppose them. Advocates say the cameras increase safety, but opponents contend they are often little more than revenue grabs by communities seeking to fill their local coffers. Interestingly, there is a split between men and women on the issue – a majority of women support the use of speed cameras while a majority of men oppose it. Ohio recently adopted a
    Read More
  • ITS Netherlands charts progress with Lean and Green programme
    October 24, 2012
    Two years ago, the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Environment, through Connekt (ITS Netherlands) instigated the Lean and Green programme. This set out to link logistics and ITS, and find ways to increase businesses’ competitiveness and customer appeal whilst also reducing environmental effects. Over that time, it has proven that being greener is no barrier to business and in some cases – for instance where customers have articulated policies which prescribe the use of sustainable logistics partners –
    Read More
  • Quality of Life is focus for next ITS World Congress
    March 20, 2018
    From 17 to 21 September 2018, the city of Copenhagen will host the 25th ITS World Congress - organised by Ertico – ITS Europe and the European Commission, in collaboration with ITS America and ITS Asia-Pacific. This is the largest event entirely focused on digitalisation of transport and smart mobility in the world and this year’s theme is: ITS – Quality of life. The ITS World Congress will host plenary and executive sessions with top of the league speakers from the industry world, and hundreds of specia
    Read More
  • Quality of Life is focus for next ITS World Congress
    March 20, 2018
    From 17 to 21 September 2018, the city of Copenhagen will host the 25th ITS World Congress - organised by Ertico – ITS Europe and the European Commission, in collaboration with ITS America and ITS Asia-Pacific. This is the largest event entirely focused on digitalisation of transport and smart mobility in the world and this year’s theme is: ITS – Quality of life. The ITS World Congress will host plenary and executive sessions with top of the league speakers from the industry world, and hundreds of specia
    Read More

Highlighted Content