European Mobility Week is being celebrated across the continent this week. Since 2002, EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK has sought to improve public health and quality of life through promoting clean mobility and sustainable urban transport. The campaign gives people the chance to explore the role of city streets and to experiment with practical solutions to tackle urban challenges, such as air pollution. This year’s theme is: Safe Walking and Cycling.

The theme was chosen to put the spotlight on safe walking and cycling and the benefits it can have for our environment and wellbeing. Active transport modes such as walking and cycling are emission-free and help to keep our hearts, minds and bodies healthy.

Cities that promote walking and cycling over private vehicles have also been found to be more attractive, with less congestion and a higher quality of life.

This week schools around Ireland participating in the Green-Schools Travel theme will be beginning to launch their WOW (Walk On Wednesday) and COW (Cycle On Wednesday) days alongside beginning to consider how students can travel in a more active manner to school.

Culture Night

This year EMW coincides with Culture Night on Friday, September 20. In Cork there will be a Green Schools Travel and Climate Action Crafts and Disco at Nano Nagle Place from 5pm to 9pm. In the Heritage Lecture Theatre  there will be an Arts and Crafts corner with a big BIKE collage where we learn to RE-CYCLE! Bling your helmet – bring your bike helmet to decorate, Climate and Travel Poetry Slam, Interactive Puppets, AND the Captain Climate Global Citizenship sing-along and climate disco!

Here’s the link to the details on the Nano Nagle Website: https://nanonagleplace.ie/nanoevents/culture-night-2019/

European Mobility Week in Dublin

In Dublin on Thursday, September 19, Green-Schools will be celebrating the launch of our #andshecycles campaign. The campaign focuses on encouraging young women to cycle to school while examining and discussing the reasons why they might choose not to. On Thursday the campaign will be launched in the Science Gallery in Trinity College Dublin (with regional events happening soon!). RTÉ DJ Tara Stewart will introduce our campaign video and MC a panel discussion on the night about the campaign preceded by a photography exhibition. You can find tickets to the event here. In the meantime keep an eye on the Green-Schools Instagram where we’ll be sharing more about the campaign and hosting giveaways to celebrate the launch.

European Mobility Week in Cork

The Green Schools Travel Cork Officers Catherine Russell and Lisa O’Grady, alongside Climate Officer Gary Tyrrell, will be working with Cork Transport and Mobility Forum to host three great events on Friday September 20 to show how Cork City and County are moving towards more low-carbon, active mobility.

Race Against Rob

You can start the day by taking part in our fun mobility race through the city ‘Race Against Rob’ where the public will compete against World Champion and Olympic Medallist Walker Rob Heffernan using low-carbon means of transport including walking, cycling and public transport. Transition year students from Cork city schools will be joining in the race! Meet at Kent Station at 11am and finish at Cork City Library on Grand Parade at 12.30pm. Great fun will be had and lots of goodies and refreshments will meet you at the finish line! Get Tickets.

Mobility Cafe 

The race is followed by a more relaxing ‘Mobility Café’ in the city Library where sustainable transport experts will discuss many aspects of low-carbon transport and multi-modal interchanges. The Mobility Café will run from 1.30pm to 4.30pm with refreshments served afterwards. Get Tickets.

Guest speakers include:

• Sebastiaan Van Der Hijden, Strategic Mobility Advisor, Municipality of Utrecht, The Netherlands to present “Planning for People (& Bikes), Not for Cars”.
• Dr Brian Caulfield, Associate Professor, Department of Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering, Trinity College Dublin to present on “Bike Sharing Connecting Mobility and Activity Hubs in Cork”
• Owen Shinkwin, Senior Planner, National Transport Authority and Kevin Burke, Principal Transport Planner, Jacobs to present the “Draft Cork Metropolitan Area Transport Strategy 2040”
• Bernie Connolly, Coordinator Cork Environmental Forum, to present “Low Carbon Multi Modal Travel in Cork City”.

Park(ing) Day

PARK(ing) Day – an annual worldwide event where artists, designers and citizens transform paid parking spots into temporary public parks- will take place again this year around the streets of Cork city and various county towns on Friday, September 20. This year is extra special with the addition of The People’s Parklet and as part of Culture night, Cork Flower Studio will be running a flower arranging event at The People’s Parklet. Come along at 4pm to see a flower arranging demo by the wonderful ladies in Cork Flower Studio. Sign up here (Places are limited).

European Mobility Week in Limerick

Bus in the City

The Bus in the City event aims to enable students to experience the city by bus and learn more about public transport options in their local area. Bus Éireann provide a bus to take primary-school students into the city, stopping at Henry St. Garda Station where a Garda will come on board the bus and chat to the students about Road Safety. They will proceed through the city and have a second stop at Colbert Station where the students will have the opportunity to ask questions to the Bus Inspector and learn about bus operations before returning to the school. This year the schools involved are: Limerick Educate Together N.S., Gaelscoil Sáirséal and Corpus Christi N.S.

Cyclovia – Roll, Scoot or Stroll around Limerick

Limerick City and County Council in partnership with Limerick Cycling Campaign is to host a Cyclovia event to mark Car Free Day and European Mobility Week. A circular city centre route will be closed to motor vehicles but open to walkers, cyclists, scooters and rollerblades. The organisers are calling on all people to come and explore our city by their preferred method of human-powered transport.

Activities will include cycling and walking tours along the route, face painting, street games, live music, reduced admission to King John’s Castle and much more.  The main attraction is however the freedom to weave through the city’s streets free from motor traffic.

Pack a lunch, bring a blanket, invite a neighbour, and have a picnic, or enjoy one of the many restaurants, cafes and shops open around the city centre. Get your bike out of the shed or lace-up your roller skates, the city is yours to go explore.

What is Cyclovia?

Cyclovia is a Spanish word meaning ‘cycleway’. It has become synonymous with the open street movement method of temporarily closing streets to cars so that they become more open to walkers, cyclists, scooters etc. During Cyclovia anyone can bike, walk, skate and participate in activities right in the middle of the street.

Who is Cyclovia for? 

Cyclovia is open to everyone, young, old and of all abilities. During Cyclovia cautious and more vulnerable cyclists get to explore their city on their terms, walkers are no longer confined to the footpath and skaters, scooters and rollerbladers have the space of the open road. Cyclovia is not competitive, it’s not a race. It’s a chance to enjoy your city from a different perspective, It’s a chance to meet neighbours old and new, it’s a carbon-free, people-powered movement that celebrates shared space and shared community.

Find more information on Limerick Cyclovia here.