Commission launches new web portal to help tackle urban mobility challenges

Commission launches new web portal to help tackle urban mobility challenges

The European Commission has launched on 7 November 2014 an enhanced web portal to help local and regional authorities tackle urban mobility challenges. The Eltis web portal brings together all the experiences and resources of EU-funded projects related to the development and implementation of urban mobility plans.

Violeta Bulc, Commissioner for Transport said: "In the field of urban mobility, it is vital to promote diversity in our choices. With the launch of today's enhanced Eltis portal, we are providing a single authoritative source of information for everything related to urban mobility in the EU." She added: Successful urban mobility requires careful attention, expertise and planning. Today's portal will help do exactly that, by bringing together experiences, in-depth information and the possibility to exchange ideas, on one single platform. We can gain a lot by working on policy and technological solutions together. But let's not forget that we also need the local and regional authorities on board, to help take action on the ground. If politicians at the national and local level set the right policies – and the city managers deliver – then you can achieve great results."

The Eltis portal helps cities and regions address and improve urban mobility, in a sustainable way. Eltis integrates all relevant information, publications and tools. It presents detailed case studies on urban mobility initiatives across Europe and provides a platform for users to exchange ideas and collaborate. It also includes urban mobility news, an events calendar and an up-to-date overview of EU legislation and support programmes relevant to urban mobility. With today's launch, the Commission is also fulfilling one of its key commitments made in the "Urban Mobility Package", adopted in December 2013 (IP/13/1255 ).

Eltis targets professionals working in the field of urban transport and related disciplines, especially municipal staff working on the policy or technical level. Other users include experts, service providers, NGOs, interest groups and professional associations in the field of transport, energy and the environment.

As the need for more sustainable and integrated planning grows, Eltis now hosts the European Platform on Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans. The Platform supports the further development of Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans and the tools required for their successful application by local planning authorities. It provides in-depth information on how to develop and implement such plans, with relevant guidelines, resources and a database of cities already involved.