We celebrate European Mobility Week via “Zero-emission mobility for all!”
This year we celebrate again European Mobility Week (EMW) in Europe and all over the world between September 16-22 with the intention of encouraging urban citizens and municipalities to take action and support sustainable transportation modes.
The theme in more than 3000 cities and 42 countries around the world, is "Zero Emission Mobility for All". Various events will be organized, highlighting sustainable urban mobility in inter-city transport.
Since 2002, Turkish municipalities have been contributing with a variety of events throughout EMW. More than 500 municipalities in Turkey are organizing events this year, which is a remarkable attendance compared to the past.
“Cities are ready to take action!”
EMW aims at encouraging walking, cycling, the use of public transport and electric vehicles in the cities. Its intermodal approach targets the reduction of the use of motorized individual vehicles.
Delivering the opening speech of the EMW, the Deputy Head of the European Union Delegation to Turkey, Ms Eleftheria Pertzinidou said that the European Union is working with the Turkish municipalities providing around 50 million euros of financial support for sustainable cities and sustainable mobility planning.
For the launch of the European Mobility Week, 23 cyclists, who set off from 7 different points of Istanbul --the city with 7 hills-- during sunrise, met in Sarıyer by using the integrated transport systems called intermodal transport. The event was the first activity of the community project "Harekete Geçenler" and the cyclists were the first members of the community.
The “Harekete Geçenler” community project aims to make urban citizens share their creative and feasible projects on urban transport, make use of these projects and fund them. You can follow the project on the hareketegecenler.org website. The project promotes an inclusive membership and aims at solutions to current urban transport problems. It will also be a platform to announce various relevant events.
One Planet, One Future
On the occasion of the launching of the European Mobility Week, the Head of the EU Delegation to Turkey Nikolaus Meyer-Landrut said that "Europe and the EMW, aim to reduce our carbon footprint by promoting zero-emission mobility. Over-populated cities and increasing number of vehicles create air pollution rapidly. We can change the fate of cities, countries and even the world, by encouraging citizens to choose alternative methods such as walking, cycling, public transport and electric vehicles with low carbon emission rather than motor vehicles. "Zero Emission for All" also perfectly captures the essence of the European Green Deal. We have to reduce CO2 emissions from transport by 90% by 2050 and to do that, we have to see sustainable mobility embraced by and for all our citizens.”
President of the Turkish Union of Municipalities Fatma Şahin said: “With the competition we organize every year within the scope of the EMW we invite project ideas from municipalities for sustainable urban transport alternatives with low carbon emission. The theme of the competition this year is ‘Ideas and Project Implementation for Transport by Bike". The objective of this competition, which has attracted great interest of provincial and district municipalities, is to promote accessibility of biking in urban transport. We award projects promoting this aim and ensuring investments for sustainable mobility.”
For your press inquiries:
Miray Akdağ - Press Officer at the Delegation of the European Union to Turkey
M +90 532 624 93 56 / T +90 312 459 88 77
