News archive - Urban transport: time to move sustainably
The future of mobility in our cities has been discussed on September 17, 2012 at a conference where Vice-President Siim Kallas was joined by representatives from the European Parliament, the Committee of the Regions, and has met with key stakeholders. The European Commission will announce the launch of a public consultation, giving citizens and all interested parties the opportunity to contribute to the future development of the EU's urban transport policy.
"Europeans are fed up with the daily frustration of not getting to work on time and the problems and costs of traffic congestion. I believe that we can reverse these trends – through forward planning, new technologies and supporting policies. We want to work with cities and citizens to achieve this – to develop better, more affordable, integrated and accessible transport systems. This conference and the public consultation will allow us to fine-tune transport policy in line with citizens’ views and needs", explained Vice-President Siim Kallas Commissioner for transport.
The conference brought together in Brussels two hundred institutional stakeholders, local government, transport operators and users, as well as industry and research representatives. Three fields of action are being discussed: sustainable urban mobility plans, urban road user charging, and urban logistics. The Commission included these three initiatives in its 2011 transport white paper, which introduced ambitious targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from transport generally and urban transport in particular.
The conference also marks the tenth anniversary of the Civitas Initiative, which supports cities in implementing ambitious transport measures and policies fostering sustainable urban mobility. The Civitas Forum Network, involving over 200 cities, has provided the Commission with valuable guidance on how EU action can best support local action for better and more sustainable transport. It represents an investment of some €370 million in urban transport innovation.
The Commission's urban transport policy also reflects the experience gained from implementing its 2009 Action Plan on Urban Mobility, currently under review, and profits from the knowledge generated by the Civitas Initiative. The launch of a public consultation will give citizens and all interested parties a further opportunity to contribute to the future development of the EU's urban transport policy.
- Europe
- European Union (EU 27)
- Cross-thematic/Interdisciplinary
Entry created by Danaja Lorencic on September 25, 2012
Modified on September 25, 2012
