Even when walking and cycling are means of transport that are easy to be carried out without big infrastructural implementations or special skills by everybody, even when these modes of transport are environmental friendly, energy efficient, cost efficient, efficient regarding space consumption and even when they make a significant contribution to public health and well being they are often not seen as same important as e.g. car transport or public transport, especially in new member states of the EU. The potentials for a shift from car use to active travel modes in cities are very high.

The main challanges of the Active Transport Network project are

• to raise awareness for cycling and walking as means of transport in cities so that planning of measures are a fixed task with fixed annual budget
• to show that only infrastructural measures aren't sufficient to make people walking or cycling and that it also needs information and promotion (mobility management)
• to show that these soft measures of mobility management (information, organisation, promotion, awareness raising activites etc.) are a perfect complement to hard measures like infrastructure.

Both walking and cycling are means of transport which the majority of people can carry out. They are free of charge, non-polluting, space efficient and do not use any fossil fuels. The current situation regarding traffic in cities is characterised by traffic jams, noise and air pollution. Especially air pollution caused by particulate matter is a big problem in many cities since the EU limits are being exceeded very often.

Our project wants to make a contribution for a change in transport habits. The planned activities are in direct relation to the "Action Plan to improve Energy Efficiency in the EU".

Barbara Kulmer:

"The principle aim of the URBACT programm is to identify and share experience and good practice through international co-operation between cities and other organisations involved. This fruitful cooperation stimulates our work and allows us to capitalize on the experience of other towns in Europe. Moreover, it facilitates a wide dissemination of our project."

Town Councillor Oswin Donnerer: 

"The Active Travel Network project is a vital tool to changing transport habits in European cities. This change is of utmost importance for cities in the future to remain atractive for the people to live there. If we do not take measures now, our European cities and especially city centres will risk becoming run - down areas. It is my strong belief that only by encouraging this change our European cities will stay a place worth living for the future generation!"