European Mobility Week is celebrated every year from 16 to 22 September, to encourage people to reflect on their own everyday mobility choices and their impact on the environment, society and health.
During Mobility Week, European cities and municipalities organise events and celebrate actions to promote sustainable mobility. The week will end with the traditional Car-Free Day on 22 September.
Mobility Week was first celebrated in Europe in 2002, when 300 cities took part. In Finland, the Car-Free Day has been organised since 2000 and Mobility Week since 2003.
Municipalities and cities are the official participants, but anyone who is interested is welcome to organise events and activities, such as clubs and associations. Mobility Week is an excellent way to raise awareness of the sustainability and economy of mobility, also in workplaces and schools.
In 2023, the theme of Mobility Week will highlight an active lifestyle and the energy it gives you
This year marks the 20th edition of Mobility Week, encouraging sustainable mobility. Mobility Week 2023 encourages you to think about how you can energise your daily commute with different mobility options.
Active mobility can easily be added to your daily routine, for example when commuting, on shopping trips or traveling to hobbies. Sustainable mobility can save fuel and energy, but it can also recharge your batteries. By choosing an alternative or new mode of transport, you can become more active in your daily life, have some downtime or even discover a new route to your destination.
Mobility Week invites everyone in Finland to get involved. Everyone can join in their own way and try out different activities during the week, like walking, cycling, public transport, electric bikes or carpooling. In many municipalities and cities, Mobility Week is visible through various events and social media channels.
Participating Finnish cities 2023 (External link)
Fact box: did you know these facts about sustainable mobility?
1. Just half an hour of daily walking can improve your endurance fitness by 10–15% in a few months (UKK Institute).
2. During the school year, a school pupil walks about 400 trips between home and school. For primary school pupils, a large proportion of school trips of less than five kilometres are made on foot and by bicycle. In lower secondary school, walking or taking the bike to school on trips of the same distance decreases (LIITU study, 2022).
3. Bicycle use is evenly distributed across all income groups. However, in the highest income groups, the number of kilometres cycled is higher
than in other income groups.
4. 63% of all public transport trips are made by women (National Travel Survey, 2021).
5. For journeys of just over 20 km, public transport speeds are competitive with cars, if a suitable public transport connection is available.
(National Travel Survey, 2021)
6. A passenger car typically seats 5 people, but it is still most often used by one or two people. You can increase the efficiency of car travel
by picking up people travelling in the same direction, for example to work or hobbies (National Travel Survey, 2021).
7. Oulu has almost three times as many cyclists as the Finnish average (National Travel Survey, 2021).
8. The average distance travelled by electrically-assisted bicycle is about 10 km. Of all daily trips made by Finns, 75% are less than 10 kilometres.
When the burden of cycling is lightened by an electrically-assisted bicycle, a distance of up to 20 km is easily covered. (UKK Institute, Follow-up study on the scrapping premium campaign, 2023)