Skip to main content

Moving in the right direction: promoting sustainable transport in European Mobility Week

European Mobility Week (16-22 September 2012) sees the International Association of Public Transport (UITP) reaffirming its stance that a long-term commitment to invest in public transport is key to reducing congestion in European cities and encouraging the development of sustainable economies. With around 80% of Europeans expected to be living in urban environments by 2020, public transport is essential for ensuring quality of life and delivering green growth. Encouraging a modal shift from private motori
September 10, 2012 Read time: 2 mins
European Mobility Week (16-22 September 2012) sees the 3833 International Association of Public Transport (UITP) reaffirming its stance that a long-term commitment to invest in public transport is key to reducing congestion in European cities and encouraging the development of sustainable economies.

With around 80% of Europeans expected to be living in urban environments by 2020, public transport is essential for ensuring quality of life and delivering green growth.

Encouraging a modal shift from private motorised modes to public transport will unblock gridlocked cities, lower energy consumption and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Public transport also plays an important socio-economic role, allowing access to education, health services and economic activities, enabling them to function properly whilst providing all social classes with a form of mobility that is affordable, clean and pleasant.

“This year’s European Mobility Week highlights the importance of relieving congestion, improving quality of life and providing sustainable and fluid mobility solutions in our cities,” said UITP Secretary General, Alain Flausch. “We are convinced that public transport, which is both environmentally friendly and socio-economically beneficial, is ideally placed to meet the challenges of increasing urbanisation in the coming years. There are many positive examples around the world and the cities taking part in the European Mobility Week are good examples of the willingness to work towards this objective.”

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • European Commission proposal to increase research and investment in Europe’s transportation sector
    September 24, 2012
    The EU is launching a new plan, Research and Innovation for Europe’s Future Mobility, that aims to develop a long-term policy strategy that among other goals, is to reduce road casualties to almost zero and greenhouse gas emission from the transport sector by 60 per cent in 2050. The plan doesn’t propose any new EU funding or regulations but instead proposes an initiative to meet with Member States and other relevant stakeholder to discuss policy priorities and objectives. Speaking about the plan, Vice Pres
  • Progress towards a pan-European cooperative infrastructure
    July 17, 2012
    Kallistratos Dionelis, General Secretary of ASECAP, makes the case for a lightly regulated, staged progression towards a pan-European cooperative infrastructure environment, the achievement of which should look to engender cooperation between the public and private sectors. Such an approach, he says, is the only real path to success.
  • Four UK cities awarded funding to drive green car revolution across
    January 28, 2016
    Four cities have been awarded significant funds to promote green vehicle technology after successfully bidding for a share of a multi-million pot created to support the take-up of plug-in electric cars across the UK. Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin announced the winners of the Go Ultra Low City Scheme, after the successful cities proposed a number of initiatives to support greener vehicles as part of a government competition.
  • Transport MEPs call for more efforts in ensuring sustainable urban transport
    November 12, 2015
    Ambitious emissions ceilings and a timeframe for real-world emissions testing should be set, say transport MEPs in an own-initiative report on sustainable urban mobility voted on this week by the Transport and Tourism committee. Ensuring reliable public transport and promoting car-sharing as well as ICT to help reduce the need for journeys to work would help reduce traffic congestion and cycling and walking should be encouraged, they say. European transport MEPS believe the Commission should set effectiv