European Mobility Week 2021. “Sustainable, healthy and safe mobility”

As has been customary since 2000, European Mobility Week (EMW) will be held from September 16 to 22. This initiative, launched in Europe in 1999 and endorsed by the European Commission since 2000, is a campaign aimed at raising awareness, both among policy leaders and citizens, of the negative consequences of irrational car use in the city for public health and the environment, while showing the benefits of using more sustainable means of transport such as public transport, cycling, walking and car sharing, among others.

European mobility week´s annual theme for 2021 is ‘Safe and Healthy with Sustainable Mobility’. The choice of this year’s theme pays tribute to the hardships felt by Europe – and the world – throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. It also reflects on the opportunities for change resulting from this unprecedented health crisis in Europe.

“Sustainable, healthy and safe mobility, mental and physical health, safety measures and Response to COVID-19, are the pillars of this campaign.

This year’s campaign is based on five pillars:

• Sustainable, healthy and safe mobility, detailing how to participate in this initiative, its origin as well as an explanation of the chosen application theme.
• Mental health, highlighting the health benefits of active mobility and its positive impact on the effects of noise and air pollution.
• Physical health, with its direct impact on improving air quality, promoting active mobility (without motor vehicles) and encouraging micro-mobility solutions (electric bicycles/scooters, etc.).
• Safety measures focused on improving the conditions of personnel with disabilities, as well as general behavioral reinforcement in road safety, with special emphasis on pedestrian and vehicular transportation, and generating safe procedures for the handling of micro-mobility solutions, such as electric scooters.
• Response to COVID-19, with the aim of restoring confidence in public transportation and promoting active mobility in order to instill healthy habits in citizens.

Closely related to sustainable mobility, the Car Free Day is celebrated on September 22, which was the origin of this European initiative, and which aims to find new solutions to the problems associated with the increase of traffic in cities.

“At Abengoa, the mobility of its staff is a key aspect, that is why it has a Corporate Mobility Plan and road safety campaigns.

At Abengoa, aligned with the company’s firm commitment to promoting the health and safety of our workers and other stakeholders, the mobility of our personnel is an aspect to which we have always given key importance. In this sense, along with our Corporate Mobility Plan, we have road safety campaigns in our work centers in order to contribute to staff awareness. All in all, we are convinced that occupational road safety continues to play a key role in all our geographies due to the direct and indirect impact caused in them.

We could not miss the opportunity to encourage you to participate in this European initiative, so we take this opportunity to share a link and a video where you can learn more about it in detail.

Happy European Mobility Week!

Elena de Andrés Zambrano.Coordinator of Integrated Management Systems at Abengoa.