 | CEMR calls for better coordination of sustainable urban mobility 20-03-2008 On March 17 the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR)
published its response to the consultation on the European Commission's green
paper 'Towards a new culture for urban mobility' of September 2007. The CEMR
agrees that the EU should play a strong role in the promotion of a new culture
for sustainable urban mobility in Europe, but also states that involvement
should not impinge upon the role of local governments. CEMR believes that in the
end the local-decision makers know the local conditions and the needs of their
cities and inhabitants best.
The CEMR's President, Mayor and Governor of Vienna Michael Häupl, articulated
that "Usually, local governments themselves, rather than the EU, are in the lead
in defining and implementing urban mobility policies. But the EU can support
them." The CEMR calls for both restrictive measures (e.g. discourage the use of
cars through green zones and reduction of access to the city centre) and
incentive measures (e.g. development of alternatives such as public transport,
car-sharing, car-pooling, walking and cycling).
When it comes to relatively newer schemes such as road pricing schemes,
environmental taxes, taxes on energy, taxes on CO2 and urban congestion charges,
the CEMR states that these new funding tools could provide additional resources
for sustainable transport modes. They may also act as a financial incentive to
trigger the shift of consciousness towards an increased use of public transport
or clean and energy efficient modes of transport.
A lot of programmes already exist at EU level to promote sustainable
transport modes, including public transport. The CEMR however insist on the
availability and accessibility of the information on funding opportunities and
on results of projects funded.
Source:
CEMR
back |
