The Counsellors for Citizen Participation, Sport, Trade and the Environment are organising European Mobility Week from 16 to 22 September, a celebration coordinated by the Ministry of Ecological Transition to raise awareness of the negative consequences of irrational car use and the benefits of using more sustainable modes of transport such as public transport or cycling.
On Wednesday 16 September, Ecoembes will set up an information stand on recycling at the weekly market and on the same day an educational talk on the importance of recycling will be held at the Domingo Crespo sports pavilion in the municipality. On Friday 18 September, the NGO World Wildlife Fund will set up a stand in the Plaza Colón with workshops and games to raise awareness of plastics and their impact on the oceans. On Saturday, Ecoembes will be running awareness-raising activities to coincide with the weekly market and will give a lecture on recycling in the Plaza de España.
On Saturday 19 September, from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., a gymkhana will be held in the old town, with activities related to mobility and recycling. To take part, registration is required at the reception desk of Calp Town Hall, where a card will be handed out to stamp the tests performed.
And on 22 September, the "Car Free Day" will take place, which consists of closing the Avenida Masnou from the Casa de Cultura to the Avenida Valencia to traffic in accordance with the European Union's "Car Free Day" directives. On this day, workshops and activities with eco-karts will be held in the Plaza Mayor from 17 to 21 hrs.
Throughout the week, the video "Pedalling through the city" will be broadcast in schools and the guide for bicycle users, backpacks and bracelets will be distributed among Calp school children. This year, the traditional Bicycle Day is being cancelled for health reasons.
Mobility Week was launched in Europe in 1999 and is celebrated each year with activities to promote sustainable mobility and develop best practice. Calp City Council joined the European Cities Network for Mobility years ago to work towards a more humane city, with less noise and emissions to the atmosphere, and where people take up space on vehicles. It also won the SEMS 2015 Award (Spanish Sustainable Mobility Week Awards) in the bronze medal category, awarded by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Environment in recognition of initiatives introducing sustainable transport.