Focus on sustainable transport

Over 60 activities and events are scheduled in Rome for European Mobility Week, from 16 to 22 September.

Throughout the week Rome will be promoting bike and car sharing, the use of public transport and a general move towards pedestrianisation in the capital.

The city's transport councillor Guido Improta said the initiative should not be viewed "as a celebration in itself" but to increase awareness of pollution and sustainable transport. "We lose 135 million hours in traffic each year, with 20,000 accidents, of which hundreds are fatal."

Improta pointed to the success of Rome's Car2go and Enjoy car sharing schemes as well as increased services on the Roma-Lido train route. However he blamed the fact that Rome has 970 cars for every 1,000 people as the cause of mobility problems in the capital.

European Mobility Week (EMW) 2014 will involve almost 2,000 towns and cities across Europe, and this year’s edition runs under the slogan Our streets – our choice.

For info on Rome events see city website while for European events click here.