On September 16-22, Lithuania will host the traditional European Mobility Week - the world's largest sustainable movement campaign. This initiative will connect communities around the world for the twenty-second time, and to participate in the 2023 more than 2000 cities in Europe and other continents are already preparing for the movement week.
September 22 "Car-Free Day" will be celebrated - during which public transport will transport passengers for free.
This year, the Ministry of Transport has become the ambassador of the European Mobility Week in Lithuania, which will organize the largest European Mobility Week events in the capital, while the country's municipalities, organizations and businesses will contribute their activities during the festive week.
"This year in Lithuania, the Ministry of Transport is taking over the baton of the European Mobility Week. We want this initiative to spread throughout the country, so we are happy to see how willing municipalities are to join this campaign. We want the European Mobility Week not to be just a one-time event every September, but on the contrary - that Lithuanian residents have the opportunity to choose and choose the healthiest ways to travel, both for themselves and for those around them," says the Minister of Communications. Marius Skoudis.
European Mobility Week in Vilnius Lukiškiai square will be officially opened on Saturday, September 16. The opening event will be the "Sustainable Mobility Fair" and discussions in which experts from the Lithuanian transport sector and sustainable mobility, representatives of the European Parliament, the European Commission, the Confederation of Lithuanian Industrialists and business companies will participate. The discussions will be broadcast live on the Lrt.lt portal and on the Facebook social network account of the Ministry of Communications.
At the "Sustainable Mobility Fair", wide-ranging discussions are expected about what changes await car drivers in Lithuania from 2035, changes in driving habits and culture on the country's roads will be discussed, public transport perspectives and realities of pedestrians and cyclists. Representatives of companies providing car sharing services will participate in the discussions.
The event will also focus on the inevitable type of transport of the future - autonomous transport. Lukiškiai Square will host an artificial intelligence-generated exhibition depicting what today's popular transportation, such as trains and ships, will look like at the end of this century.
During the start of the European Mobility Week - "Sustainable Mobility Fair" - a fair with stands of businesses, organizations and institutions operating in the sustainable mobility sector will also be held in Lukiškiau Square. Passers-by will be invited to try interactive entertainment and games, get acquainted with an interactive map of railway stations and an educational scooter track, try an electricity-generating bicycle and different ways of traveling in Vilnius.
An interactive green stop will also be located in Lukiškės Square, where the participants of the festival will be able to upload their photos to the social network "Instagram", tag @Susisiekimoministerija with the hashtags #JudumoSavaitė and #MobilityWeek and win European Mobility Week prizes by lottery.
The days of the European Mobility Week in Lithuania will be dedicated to different means and methods of movement - on foot and bicycles, public transport, sharing services, micromobility means. An artistic performance will be dedicated to safe traffic, which will take place on September 18 in Lukiškiau Square.
September 22 Vilnius residents and guests of the capital will be united by the "Fancy Bike Ride - let's move fancy together" initiative - a bicycle trip from the Cathedral Square to the Seimas Palace. The purpose of this ride is to prove that a bicycle is a comfortable means of transportation for commuting even in a suit or dress.
Traditionally, September 22. "Car-free Day" is celebrated in the cities of the country - during it, public transport transports passengers for free. Vilnius, Šiauliai, Utena, Alytus, Kėdainiai, Pakruoj, etc. are planning to implement this initiative. urban public transport carriers.
In the municipality of Akmenė district, buses running 78 no. on a marked route, covering almost the entire territory of the district, on September 22. will run for free. What's more, the electric car public charging service will be free for drivers on that day as well.
Šiauliai city on September 22. passengers will be transported by public transport not only for free, but also actively. The city will organize the "Freedom of Movement" race, which will take place from PC "Acropolis" to Resurrection Square. Participants will race in different ways: running, riding a bicycle, electric scooter, traveling by bus and electric car. During the race, the aim will be to find out which vehicle can move the fastest in Šiauliai.
In the old continent and beyond since 2002. The ongoing European Mobility Week is an international initiative aimed at increasing the awareness of the population about sustainable mobility in the city, with the aim of changing the travel habits of the population and promoting alternative ways of travel: by means of micromobility, bicycles, on foot, public transport or sharing services.
