Polis represents the EU-funded CIVITAS initiative at Transport Day 2018

Over 200 people were welcomed by the Mayor of Katowice, Marcin Krupa , who introduced the city’s activities for moving Transport Day 2018. The conference focused on urban mobility solutions and on their key role to reduce adverse climate change impacts on cities, nature and people.

Polis secretary General Karen Vancluysen gave an introductory speech while representing the CIVITAS initiative and moderated the entire day. 

Karen Vancluysen reminded that “It will not be possible to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals without substantially transforming transport” and she added that the decarbonisation of urban transport is already possible right now: “We know quite well what works and what doesn’t, solutions have been successfully demonstrated at scale, thanks to many research, innovation, and demonstration activities around the world. We need to create a lasting legacy now, upscale and transfer these successes.”

Polis Secretary General gave then the floor to Violeta Bulc, European Commissioner for Transport who emphasised the importance of transport decarbonisation and climate action for our lives and livelihoods. Commissioner Bulc introduced the European Commission’s “long-term vision for a prosperous, modern, competitive and climate neutral economy” by 2050.

José Mendes, First Secretary of State for Mobility, Portugal , discussed the importance of bringing together countries, cities and regions, and companies to achieve this goal. He is also Chair of the Transport Decarbonisation Alliance (TDA) .

The 2018 Transport Day underlined the strong role cities have to play in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, improving air quality while showcasing best practice examples from around the globe, with presentations from various European cities involved in EU-funded CIVITAS Initiative. Three Polis members joined the discussion: Lisbon and Ghent explained their active travel strategies, while Madrid described the new air quality and decarbonisation measures the city has just introduced.

Read more on the PARIS PROCESS ON MOBILITY AND CLIMATE (PPMC) website: http://www.ppmc-transport.org/transport-day-2018-summary/