European Mobility Week is the largest Europe-wide awareness raising campaign on sustainable urban mobility, which culminates in the marking of Car-Free Day on 22 September. The EU Info Centre, in cooperation with the Centre for Environment, the National Coordinator of European Mobility Week in BiH, organized the Banja Luka Cycling Promenade in order to convey the message that two wheels are enough and to encourage citizens to limit the use of cars.
Traditionally, the Banja Luka Cycling Tour, “Two Wheels are Enough”, gathers cycling enthusiasts and recreational cyclists to promote the need for more permanent and sustainable mobility measures, showcasing the fact that there are numerous alternatives to cars in urban environments.
“Let’s use this promenade to raise awareness and try to use bikes, to walk or to use public transportation, or to mix all three of them, to go to work or any other destination! Let’s do this for us, for our children and our future. Turning this exercise into regular practice would definitively make a difference, with our cities becoming cleaner, healthier and more dynamic,” said Alexandra Wagner, Head of the Banja Luka regional office of the Delegation of the European Union in BiH, who awarded some lucky participants with new bicycles.
By promoting sustainable ways of transportation, the European Union is sharing a common goal and a common identity with other towns and cities throughout the world. This year, the Banja Luka Cycling Promenade gathered hundreds of participants, on a recreational route through the centre of Banja Luka.
“Using alternative transport modes is important not only for our health, but for our city as well. Banja Luka is crowded by increasing number of cars, and moving around the city is a problem. We should all be dedicated to promoting suitability – it is both healthy and necessary for us as citizens of Banja Luka. I cycle to work and spend most of the year on bicycle and would advise everybody to do the same,” said Mladen Subašić who won a bicycle at the Promenade.
European Mobility Week takes place every year from 16 to 22 September, with more than 2,000 cities and over 40 countries participating. This year, the theme of European Mobility Week is Multimodality – promoting the use of different modes of transport within one or several journeys, with the slogan, Mix and move!, which encourages the use of different modes of urban transportion. Accepting the concept of multimodality enables a different perspective on urban transportation and the readiness to use new forms of mobility, which creates a positive effect on the environment.
During European Mobility Week, the EU Info Centre has organized the 7th Tuzla Cycling Promenade, which gathered over 4,000 participants, while numerous recreational runners and EU member state representatives in BiH ran the 12th Sarajevo Half-Marathon as the EU team on 16 September.
