European Mobility Week 2018 towards sustainable transport

Transport Minister Ian Borg yesterday launched the competitions under the European Mobility Week for this year. The initiative will be taking place between 16 and 22 September 2018.

Among the initiatives Government is taking to overcome obstacles such as traffic congestion, Borg mentioned the way in which infrastructural projects are being designed to create space for alternative means while leading to more efficient traffic. These alternatives are incentivising more sustainable private means, such as electric vehicles, small motorbikes and bicycles, the regulation of the bike sharing market, the agreement signed towards a car sharing service making use of electric cars, and of course the continuous investment in and improvement of the public transport service.

“In this important sector, we have already seen the extension of the tallinja card for use on ferries, investment which will be put towards ferry landing sites, the provision of free public transport for all youths between 16 and 20 years of age and the pilot project of free Wi-Fi on 50 buses,” Borg said.

He also announced that the cycling policy currently being finalised will soon be open for public consultation, and it was here that he referred to the theme given to this annual week for this year, which is ‘Mix and Move’, towards the concept of intermodal transport.

The Minister spoke about the importance of the European Mobility Week, since this serves to remind the general public and entities such as Local Councils and NGOs about the importance of seeking alternative means and of being creative in the way we plan our journeys, both as a country and as individuals.

The European Commission has extended the campaign through the label MOBILITYACTION to promote the initiatives normally tied to this week to continue being implemented throughout the year. In fact, the Minister launched two different competitions. The first competition is open for local councils and NGOs for the organisation of activities related to sustainable mobility throughout the European Mobility Week. Every winner can receive between €1,500 and €2,500 and the competition primarily addresses the organisation of activities related to this principle (including the car free day). The second competition is on a larger scale and is open to local councils to propose permanent measures for sustainable mobility which need to be implemented between October 2018 and September 2019. In this case, the winner will take up to €51,500 and the runner-up can take up to €31,500. The aim of the European Mobility Week is to foster the idea of long-term strategic planning at locality level in the sustainable transport sector.

This year, this competition is again being opened in connection with the CIVITAS DESTINATIONS project. The proposals need to be related to clean mobility, collective mobility schemes, improved traffic management through Intelligent Transport Systems and the implementation of pedestrian or semi-pedestrian zones, towards the promotion of roads as a shared space. The criteria will be published and sent to eligible applicants.

As part of the European Mobility Week, this year the National Bicycle Ride will again be organised on 21st September, as well as the National Car Free Day on 22nd September which will be organised with the Sliema and Gżira local councils this year.

The Minister encouraged councils and NGOs to come forward with proposals which can continue helping the Government’s work towards mobility which endorses the principles of a better environment.

From his end, Local Councils Association President Mario Fava spoke about the importance of initiatives like this, which empower local councils to be able to implement such initiatives which help to improve the quality of life of residents as well as to push forward a more positive and proactive mentality in the transport and environment sectors.