Participating towns and cities

GreeceAthens, Greece

Population:
664.000 inhabitants
Department:
International Cooperation and Public Relations
Contact:
Vicky Chyta
63 Athinas st.
10552 Athens
(++30) 2103722010
Athens already registered 10x for EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK in: 2020 2017 2016 2015 2014 2012 2007 2006 2005 2002

Participation 2012

Activities within the week Activities within the week

Athens organises activities during EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK 2012, taking into account the annual theme.

All week
Athens, the capital of Greece, is a densely built-up city with relatively limited public space and overcrowded by parked or moving vehicles and scooters, leaving very limited space for pedestrians, children, cyclists and social functions. We want to take the opportunity of the European Mobility Week and bring forward for open public discussion the issues of human scale, environment, effective mobility, sustainable transport modes, respect to ourselves, to nature, to our fellow people, to our children. We want to discuss about public transport, public space, the bicycle and even for cleaner and smarter ways for the usage of cars and motorised private vehicles in the future. In this open public dialogue, we want to get involved as many as possible stakeholders, active citizens or citizen's organisations and provide them with the opportunity to propose, participate and take initiatives, in an organised and civilized manner. Since the existing infrastructure is limited and expensive, we want to cultivate new concepts of respect and co-existence with priority care and sensitivity for the most vulnerable users of the city common space. This will be the focal point of our major activity this year, the change of behaviour, thus starting building our "intangible" infrastructure.

Permanent measures Permanent measures

Athens implements one or more new permanent measure(s), which contribute(s) to modal transfer from private car to environmentally sound means of transport.

New or improved bicycle facilities
Improvement of bicycle network (creation of new lanes, extension, renovation, signposting etc)
Improvement of bicycle facilities (parking, locks etc)
Pedestrianisation
Examine the legal aspects which lead to extensive occupation of pedestrian space by other users.

Car-free day Car-free day

Athens carries out a Car-Free Day 2012 and closes off one or more streets to traffic, and opens it to pedestrians, cyclists and public transport.

Zone opened to residents on Car-Free Day:
On Saturday the 22nd of September, the "car free day", we will close the biggest and car-busiest artery of Athens City Center connecting Omonia and Syntagma squares, for a length of around 1100m. We will have various activities going on from the morning until almost midnight, starting with bazaar and art activities, up to social meeting place and a street party with live events and music, bringing back memories of the healthy car free city center of Athens which used to be the meeting point of the local society. The artery will be served by three underground metro stations. We want people to realize the magnitude of the "external" cost of car usage, which deprives the city center from its most precious spaces. The artery is currently examined under the sponsored project - international architectural contest "Rethink Athens" for rehabilitation and pedestrianization.