From 16^th to 22^nd September 2015 European countries join together to  celebrate  EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK, an initiative of the European Commission and a world-wide event organised since 2002 sought to influence mobility and urban transport issues across European cities, as well as improve the health and quality of life of citizens.

Each EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK focuses on a particular topic related to sustainable mobility and the theme for 2015 is: multimodality as represented by the call to action “Choose. Change. Combine.” This year’s theme multimodality encourages people to think about the range of transport options available, and to choose the right mode when travelling. It invites people to combine ways of getting around, which can often lead to a quicker and more pleasant journey. Local authorities are required to organise activities for their citizens based on this theme. They are also encouraged to launch and promote permanent measures that support the theme.

The EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK campaign is the perfect opportunity to present sustainable mobility alternatives to citizens, to explain the challenges that cities and towns are facing in order to induce behavioural change and make progress towards creating a more sustainable transport strategy for Europe. The campaign also gives citizens the chance to explore what the role of city streets really is, and to explore concrete solutions to tackle urban challenges, such as air pollution.

Local authorities are strongly encouraged to use the Week to test new transport measures and get feedback from citizens. It is also an excellent opportunity for local stakeholders to get together and discuss the different aspects of mobility and air quality, find innovative solutions to reduce car-use and thus emissions, and test new technologies or planning measures.

The EU-wide celebrations for EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK will be launched at the European Parliament in Brussels (Belgium) on 16 September 2015. The free event will mark the official beginning of the week with speeches from Violeta Bulc, the European Commissioner for Transport, and Michael Cramer MEP, Chair of the European Parliament’s Committee on Transport and Tourism.

This year, 89 Italian cities will join the EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK by organising several events, such as workshop and debates. Palermo will hold an entire week of activities, taking into account the annual focal theme of the campaign. Most of these activities will be aimed to foster the use of the bicycle in everyday life in order to reduce air pollution and make the city more liveable.

Check out the programme of the activities organised in Palermo and how you can get involved!

For further information about EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK, visit the official website.