The European Mobility Week is the largest Europe-wide awareness-raising campaign on sustainable urban mobility.
Fresh Air and Healthy Heart; A Gift of Mobility Week

Every year from 16 to 22 September, towns and cities in many different European countries participate by organizing activities, implementing permanent mobility measures, and holding a car-free day.
Since its creation in 2002, EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK has become an institution. This one-week campaign aims at highlighting the importance of sustainable mobility. The Mobility Week takes place in Brussels and all over Europe, in the same period. One week to teach everyone alternative ways of traffic: train, cycle, streetcar, buses, skates.

Generally, the goal of this day is to reduce air pollution by encouraging people to leave their car at home and accompany others using public transportation. 

‘Multimodality’; the theme of mobility week 2018
Every year this week has a name as its theme focusing on an aspect of public transportation. EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK 2018 is focusing on ‘multimodality’- the mixing of transport modes within the same journey or for different trips. Many of us instinctively opt for the same method of transport when moving around without necessarily examining the needs of the specific journey. EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK encourages us to explore the many different options available for getting from one location to another, and to think about the ways they can choose for to get on for commuting or taking a trip.

Main goals of this year 2018

The European Commission has set two ambitious goals for urban mobility:
• conventionally, stop gradually using fueled cars in cities by 2050
• preparing a city by zero emission in major urban centers by 2030.
European Commissioner for reaching these goals, focuses on four priority areas:
innovation, digitalization, decarburization and people. This project is growing and developing in European and Non-European cities, Since its introduction in 2002. 

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The benefits of multimodality

Encourage European people to try out the variety of mobility solutions available in their towns or cities as the main goal of EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK in 2018 have some obvious benefits to individuals, communities, and the local economy beyond environmental benefits.

1. Brings financial benefits for communities

For every dollar invested in public transportation, approximately $4 in economic returns are generated, and for every $1 billion in investments in the sector, 50,000 jobs are created and supported. So, what is the problem growing public transportation?

2. Reduces air pollution and climate change

Without a doubt, using public transit produces less air pollution resulting in climate change than lots of cars carrying a single driver.

Buses emit 20% less carbon monoxide, 10% as much hydrocarbons, and 75% as much nitrogen oxides per passenger mile than an automobile with a single occupant.

A recent research reveals that transportation accounts for 29 percent of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States.

By moving more people with fewer vehicles, public transportation can reduce greenhouse gas emissions and it results in less climate change.

 3. Increases fuel efficiency

In addition of reducing air pollution and climate change, public transportation is also more fuel efficient for passengers for per mile, which contributes to an overall decrease in the amount of energy necessary for transportation. Saving 4.2 billion gallons of gasoline each year, is a responsibility of public transportation, APTA states.

4. Decreases traffic jam:

Public transportation has a key role in reducing traffic congestion. This is due to Public carrying many more people in much less space than individual automobiles, which helps to keep traffic congestion lower, which in turn reduces air pollution from idling vehicles, and helps riders avoid the stress that comes from daily driving in highly congested areas.

5. Helps to save money

$9,823 a year, is the average money you can save if you use public transportation instead of private car. avoided gas, maintenance, parking, and other expenses also save more money for those people preventing their personal automobiles and using public transportation.

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6. Frees up and saves time

Taking public transportation can save a lot of time to do and accomplish other activities during a day than someone else is doing the driving, which allows riders to spend their transit time reading, working, studying, or being entertained instead of having to watch the road. Along with this free time, it can also reduce commute time. one study claiming that Americans living in areas with public transportation save some 850 million hours of travel time each year.

7. Increases mobility 

Those who don't or can't drive, public transportation is an alternative that allows them to get to work, to school, to the grocery store or doctor's office, or any other places, without having to engage a friend or relative to do the driving. And this is an opportunity to have more mobility and create a healthy body and mind. 

8. Prepares a safer vehicle 

Nearly 1.3 million people die in road crashes each year, on average 3,287 deaths a day. An additional 20-50 million are injured or disabled. Taking the bus, train, light rail, or other transit options is safer than driving a car and reduce a wide range of this horrible death rate. Statistically, bus- and train-related accidents happen at a lesser rate, and with much lower passenger fatality rates than car travel does. In addition, most transit centers have higher levels of security monitoring and reduced crime rates than other areas. 

9. Links to a better lifestyle

Public transportation is linked to healthier lifestyles, as people who use public transportation are said to get more than three times the amount of physical activity per day than those who don’t, just from walking to and from their transit stops and their final destination. This means a healthy body and mind and having an on time and regular life during a day. Commuting by train or subway help you to reach your destination and this process help you having a better job and satisfaction. 
However, public transportation contributes to both the economical and physical health of individuals, brings financial benefits to communities, and it provides not only jobs in the industry itself, but is also a key component of a healthy business ecosystem by increasing mobility options for both job commuters and customers alike.

In addition, it helps our environment and save our planet, oceans and forests by reducing greenhouse gas.

COMMENT

A Alice Hooffmans

It encourages behavioural change in favour of active mobility, public transport and other clean, intelligent transport solutions.

1 year ago

COMMENT


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