Brussels, 13/09/2007 (Agence Europe) - As part of the 6th European Mobility Week (16-22 September), “Friday Bikeday” will begin this Friday. Launched on the initiative of the Brussels Region Environment Minister Evelyne Huytebroek and her Mobility counterpart Pascal Smet, the aim is to encourage all the Brussels Region civil servants and the Commission officials to roll up their sleeves (and their trouser legs), and give up their vehicles every Friday and travel to work by bike. From this Sunday, Mobility Week will encourage the authorities of the 1,300+ towns taking part to give more room to non- or less-polluting forms of transport, such as walking, cycling, public transport of car sharing. A no-car day is planned in Brussels for Saturday 22 September.
The EU gets on its bike
Organisers expect some 20,000 cyclists this Friday. Five Brussels companies (Fortis, Dexia, Solvay, Belgacom and Levi Strauss) have already indicated that they would take part. The idea proved attractive to the Commission, too. Administration Commissioner Siim Kallas has committed himself personally to encouraging staff to take their bike at least once a week. There is nothing surprising in this since the Brussels initiative is fully in line with EU policy, which wants to encourage sustainable and eco-friendly transport. Since 1997, the Commission has had a mobility policy for its staff: an arrangement with the Commission and Belgian public transport DeLijn/TEC/STIB, the purchase of clean vehicles, paying part of the cost of travel passes are part of it, with the idea being to promote public transport and use of bikes. Since then, almost 200 service bicycles (compared with about a hundred vehicles) have been put at the disposal of institution staff. While the mobility plan has borne fruit for private cars, it is only recently that the use of bikes has increased. Between 1998 and 2004, the use of private cars to commute from home to work has fallen from 50% to 44% (the aim is to reduce this figure to 35% by 2009), and the use of bicycles rose by 30% in first half of 2007, compared with the same period last year.
The bike, then, with all it brings to health, reduction in journey time and non-pollution, that will be emphasised this year. To respond best to the needs of cyclists (beginners and seasoned pros) all new EU buildings have been equipped with changing rooms and showers. The other existing buildings will have addition bike parking places provided (2,400 place currently).
It is not only the Commission that wants to encourage its employees to get on their bikes. For the Mobility Week, the Green MEPs, in cooperation with their colleagues from the Belgian Groen! And Ecolo parties, and the European Association of Bicycle Retailers ETRA, will join with the Commission's activities as part of their campaign against climate change. During a cycle trip (called Action bicycle and sustainable mobility on Brussels) on Tuesdday 18 September, the MEOPs will attempt to promoter the use of bikes by children and pupils in the Brussels Capital Region.
Pride of place to the street
“Let's reinvent the street” will be the theme of this sixth celebration of the European Mobility Week, which will bring together 1,200 European and 130 Chinese towns (China will for the first time a public transport week). With the support of the Direction General Environment, Mobility Week seeks to promote the development of sustainable transport, less-polluting than cars and meaning less congestion of towns. The towns taking part propose their solutions to the problems linked to transport, but will each have to put in place at least one new measure (for example, a new cycle track, public transport services, etc.). The week will close with a no-car day in the Brussels region on 22 September. A Green Paper on urban transport will be adopted by the Commission on 25 September (see EUROPE 9441). The full programme and the activities linked to the Mobility Week can be found at http://www.mobilityweek-europe.org (aby)