Brussels, 19/12/2013 (Agence Europe) - The European Transport Safety Council (ETSC) says European Commission plans to improve urban mobility are not strict enough on road safety. Commenting on yesterday's launch of the “Urban Mobility Package”, Antonio Avenoso, Executive Director of ETSC said: “We should not be under the illusion that these kinds of soft measures will be enough”, even though he welcomed the renewed push to share good practice and further encouragement for local governments to make road safety a key component of their mobility plans. Further efforts need to be made on speed limits in cities and route planning to avoid urban areas at peak times. More could also be done to bring more pedestrians and cyclists into cities, whilst ensuring their safety as vulnerable road users. (MD/transl.fl)
The cities are relieved that the urban mobility plans do not come with mandatory conditions, a principle EUROCITIES (the European association representing European cities' interests) has always fought against. The chair of the EUROCITIES mobility forum, Christian Specht, said that mayors have had to confront the double challenge of “improving mobility while making public transport more sustainable”. He explained that, in order to achieve these objectives in a local context that varies from city to city, “mayors need to develop and deliver transport plans in a flexible way without having strings attached”. (MD/transl.fl)