Despite Loulé and Faro to be the only Algarve municipalities to officially participate in the European Mobility Week, according to the official website of the initiative, there will also be initiatives in this area in Albufeira and São Brás de Alportel.
This year, activities take place in 1869 cities across Europe, of which 48 are Portuguese, a number that has decreased by about a quarter compared to 2012.
The country Champion it is Austria, which, despite having a geographic size and population similar to Portugal, has 534 cities promoting activities. It follows Spain (391), Hungary (129), Italy (123) and France (107).
In the Algarve, in Faro, the highlight goes to the event “In my city without a car”, which includes the closing, on Sunday, September 22, of a street in the city center to motorized traffic.
In this place, only pedestrian and bicycle traffic will be allowed, taking the opportunity to promote awareness and education activities related to the theme.
on the beach of Faro, under the program Faro Active, also on Sunday, will take place 1st raft race, in an initiative of the Nautical Center.
A week of activities in Loulé and Quarteira
Loulé is the only municipality in the Algarve that has joined the entire European Mobility Week, promoting initiatives that started on Monday, September 16, and end on Sunday, 22, aiming to encourage the use of bicycles, public transport, or public transport. traveling on foot.
Thus, throughout this week, citizens can use urban public transport free of charge in the cities of Loulé (TUL) and Quarteira (TUQ), by presenting the “Mais Perto de Si!” card, created through a partnership between the Municipality of Loulé and ACRAL. The card in question will be delivered by the merchants associated with ACRAL to citizens who make purchases in local businesses in Loulé and Quarteira.
Awareness actions are also being promoted among the school population, «with the aim of instilling the dynamics of sustainable mobility», and which take place on the main streets of Loulé and Quarteira.
The Mobility Week culminates in the European Car Free Day, September 22, a Sunday and, as usual, some streets in the municipality will be closed to traffic.
In Loulé, Praça da República and Avenida Costa Mealha, between 9:00 am and 9:30 am, will receive initiatives such as mountain biking competitions and walking tours.
In Quarteira, between 9:30 am and 10:00 am, departing from Avenida Infante Sagres/Praça do Mar, there will be a bike ride towards Vilamoura, which will cover the cycle paths of Vilamoura, as well as a walking tour.
Exchange the car for the bicycle in São Brás
The municipality of São Brás de Alportel promotes on the afternoon of September 22, Sunday, European Car Free Day, the challenge of giving the car a break in a fun ride on 2 wheels, with family or friends, consisting of two bike rides.
This joint initiative of the City Council and the XDream – Blásius club has the Largo de São Sebastião as a meeting point and invites you to a Family Walk, at 18:00, with a very accessible route.
A slightly more intense Bike Tour is reserved for 20:00, but equally accessible to all participants who want to celebrate this European Car Free Day.
These awareness actions aim to encourage the use of alternative means of transport whenever possible, such as cycling, public transport, walking or any other form of mobility that contributes to reducing the emission of harmful gases into the atmosphere.
«Mobility choices better suited to a more sustainable and quality future», stresses the City of São Brás.
Albufeira promotes walking
Albufeira will mark the “European Car Free Day” with a 5-kilometre walk, next Sunday, September 22, starting at 9:00 am, in the car park in front of the Paços do Concelho building.
To participate, interested parties must send their application to the Division of Environment, Urban Hygiene and Green Spaces of the Municipality of Albufeira, through the email address: [email protected], or register on the same day at the location of the test.
Clean air is this year's theme
Each edition of the European Mobility Week focuses on a specific theme related to sustainable mobility.
The European Mobility Week, an initiative of 2013, is essentially focused on air quality, with the theme “Clean air – It's in your hands!”, placing particular emphasis on the role of citizens in this matter. Air quality has a huge impact on our health and our environment.
Local authorities have to organize activities for their citizens based on this theme and are also encouraged to launch and/or promote permanent measures on the theme of the issue.
All the time, we fill our lungs with air – but what are we breathing? The edition of the European Mobility Week 2013 aims to improve air quality, cleaner air and, in this way, contribute to a healthier, happier Europe.
The facts speak for themselves – the cleanest cities are the healthiest cities. A clean air of impurities contributes to a longer life, an average of eight more months, and also reduces the possibility of health, respiratory and cardiovascular problems.
Air saturated with pollutants such as particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide increases the risk of lung diseases, including asthma, pneumonia and lung cancer.
And it's not just human health that is affected – air pollution damages the environment, resulting in acidification, loss of biodiversity, ozone depletion and climate change.
Changing transport habits can go a (long) way in combating air pollution in our cities.
For this year's edition, the central theme of the European Mobility Week is, “Clean Air – It's in Your Hands!” and aims to reflect the power that citizens have, through their mobility choices, to improve air quality .
It's a reminder that we all have a role to play and that changes, even if they seem small, like using a bicycle to travel instead of a car, or choosing public transport, or choosing to walking, can improve our quality of life.
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