Urban mobility: Cities want flexible solutions

摘要

The white paper on transport presented by the European Commission, on 28 March, lists a set of measures to improve urban mobility and reduce CO_2 emissions from urban transport (one fourth of total transport emissions, according to the Commission). Local authorities greeted them with a fair degree of apprehension. Eurocities, the voice of some 140 cities, announced that the Commission's strategy has the potential to undermine the ability of local authorities to develop and deliver transport solutions in the future. Cities are particularly sceptical over the idea set out in the white paper, namely to bring urban mobility plans into general use and possibly to make them mandatory for cities of a given size and a pre-condition tor receiving Structural Fund support.