EU Tapestry

Annual week of the Soft Road User and Public Transport Week. Aimed at general public to raise awareness and knowledge about mobility issues and also to stimulate a change in travel behaviour.

Who?

* Komimo ‘Koepel Milieu en Mobiliteit’ and is a consortium of 6 Flemish environmental and mobility organisations:
* Bond Beter Leefmilieu (League for a better environment) the federation of 120 nature and environment organisations in Flanders.
* Bond van Trein-, Tram- en Busgebruikers (League of train, tram and bus passengers).
* Fietsersbond (Cyclists League)
* Langzaam Verkeer (Slow traffic), a non-profit research centre for mobility management.
* The Voetgangersbeweging (Pedestrian movement)
* Taxistop, a non profit organisation offering services dealing with “different mobility” (carpooling, carsharing, …)

What?

Since 1996 Komimo and the 6 Komimo member-organisations organise annually two large-scale awareness campaigns promoting sustainable mobility in the Flemish Region. During the Week of the Soft Road User (May) soft transportmodes (walking and cycling) are promoted, whereas during the Public Transport Week (September), the focus is more on public transport modes and other forms of collective transport.

Why?

The main message of the campaigns is that every actor is responsible for a more sustainable mobility: the authorities at different policy levels, enterprises, schools, the civil society and the individuals. The campaigns want to raise the sense of responsibility among the different actors by informing them about the alternatives for the car.

How?

Komimo works together with:

* the Flemish Authority subsidises the campaign to a large extent and provides logistical support. Moreover, the campaigns fit in the Flemish policy which was set out in the ‘Strategic Plan Accessible Flanders’ of the Flemish Government.
* the federal authority;
* provincial and local authorities;
* public transport companies;
* civil society organisations.

Four types of activities are implemented during the campaigns:

* Activities for the general public
* Activities aimed at specific target-groups
* Social debate
* Communication campaign

1) General public

A number of activities are organised during both Weeks aimed at raising the awareness and the knowledge about mobility issues among the general public.

* Bicycle and pedestrian demonstrations
* European Car Free Day
* Train- Tram- Busday
* etc.

2) Specific targetgroups

During both weeks targeted actions are implemented concerning home-work, home-school, home-shop and recreational traffic in order to increase the sense of responsibility of the different actors (companies, schools, services, shopkeepers,…)

* Home-work: Sustainable Mobility Weeks in companies
* Home-school: Car Free Schoolweeks
* etc.

3) Social debate

At least one roundtable or seminar is organised during both weeks, targeted at policymakers within the different policy-levels (federal, regional, provincial and local), in public transport companies and in the civil society organisations (unions, employers organisations, …). The goal is to stimulate social debate and to elaborate new concepts and proposals on integrated policies for a more sustainable mobility among the decisionmakers on all relevant policy levels.

4) Communication campaign

The campaigns are communicated to the general public through a campaign newspaper, newsletters, posters, a website and tv-commercials.