European Mobility Week kicks off to promote shared public spaces for sustainable urban mobility and improved quality of life

The European Mobility Week, an annual event promoting sustainable urban mobility, has kicked off today, with over 2,500 cities and towns participating in a week-long festival from 16 to 22 September. This year's focus is on ‘shared public space', highlighting the benefits of more balanced road space allocation and respect for other users. The week's activities include car-free days, cycling tours, and transforming car parks into green spaces. This year, the European Commission, in collaboration with the City of Brussels and other partners, will organise a site visit to the new 'school street' pedestrian area (serving Maria Boodschap and La Clé des Champs schools) to discuss how such initiatives can make daily commuting safer and more sustainable.

Commissioner for Climate Action, responsible for transport, Wopke Hoekstra, said: "Europe's urban population is rising, and with it our need to move around in a safe and sustainable way. The European Mobility Week, starting today across more than 2,500 cities in 42 countries, is an opportunity to engage with people and businesses, city planners and politicians to help improve the way we all benefit from the public spaces in our cities. Events across Europe will promote safer school streets, better and more welcoming public places, adequate parking for alternative modes of transports and much more. Let's continue to lead by example and – for all of us who can - chose those transport modes that can not only improve urban air quality, but also contribute to making our cities more enjoyable to live in."

The European Mobility Week is the Commission's flagship awareness-raising campaign on sustainable urban mobility and encourages behavioural change in favour of active mobility, public transport and other clean, intelligent transport solutions.