7 July 2020

Sustainable and safe active mobility in the

Dear President Sassoli, Dear Secretary General Welle,

We hope you are keeping well in this challenging period.

As the world continues to adapt to the reality of living with Covid-19, we would like to ask you to ensure the European Parliament plays its part when it comes to the issue of mobility in the European Quarter.

Many of the thousands of staff working for the institutions normally reach their workplace by taking public transport, but given the required social distancing measures as well as capacity issues, public transport is not a viable option for all under Covid-19. In the short-term, walking and cycling need to be prioritised as modes of transport, something which the World Health Organisation in fact recommends. This prioritisation would be in line with the (which the European Parliament has committed to) and the Commission’s recent statements on the need to promote active mobility within the EU. In this crisis therefore, the European institutions should lead by example in the field of sustainable and safe active mobility.

Now is the time to act by working together with the cities that host our institutions. The region of Brussels adopted its regional mobility plan GoodMove earlier this year as a reaction to two of the most pressing issues of our time: climate change and air pollution. The plan won the European Commission’s 8th Award for Sustainable Urban Mobility Planning (SUMP). It structures the region into quarters with low traffic density (so-called mailles or mazen), the European Quarter being one of them. Against the backdrop of the Covid-19 crisis, and in line with recent recommendations made by the TRAN committee1, the region is currently fast- tracking several measures, such as enlarged zones of shared space and bicycle lanes along the main arteries in the city including the famously congested Rue de la Loi.

We believe that this work offers an excellent opportunity for the European Parliament to help improve quality of life in the European Quarter. In the short-term, more space for walking and cycling would make it safer to move between the buildings of the institutions. Walking and cycling not only contribute to good cardiovascular health, but also improve individual well- being. The problem is that most footpaths in the European Quarter are so narrow that it is impossible to use them while respecting the obligatory social distancing rules. In the medium- term, adapting infrastructure in this regard would improve public spaces for all kind of users, including the elderly and people with reduced mobility. This would not only increase the

1 Letter from the Chairwoman to the Council Presidency-in-office, “Need for coordinated European approach for preventive measures in the transport sector in exiting the current COVID19-crisis”, D 200823 28.04.2020 - TRAN/D/2020/13897

attractiveness of the area for visitors, but also the attractiveness of the European Parliament as an employer. Moreover, commuting to work by bicycle has been proven to lower overall sick-leave figures.

The Parliament is on the right track. We welcome the Parliament's recent initiatives such as tracking the use of the Parliament's car parking spaces, increasing the flexibility of public transport subscriptions, and financing the architectural study for the passage cyclo-piéton connecting the Esplanade with Place Schuman. We also acknowledge the European Parliament's EMAS strategy, which has been successful overall, but we are aware of the findings of the working group on mobility of the WG Buildings that transport and mobility remain areas in which the European Parliament has yet to achieve its goals. International organisations such as the World Bank have done great work in terms of transport and travel policy for their staff - the European Parliament should seize the opportunity to follow suit.

Given the need to reduce the risk of infection, we urge you to take the following measures in the short-term:

- cooperate with local authorities in all three seats to identify the streets around European Parliament buildings that could better share their space with vulnerable road users; identify the main axes that require safe and continuous bike lanes.

- inform all staff about the resulting adaptations to the surrounding infrastructure;

- advise staff on alternative means of transport for their commute;

- commit to implementing a fair system of incentives taking into account the benefits of sustainable and safe active mobility, both on individual health and on the institution as a whole.

The following measures should be taken in the medium term to lower the institution's carbon footprint and increase the attractiveness of the European Quarter:

- complete work on a Plan de déplacements entreprise in line with regional COBRACE legislation to increase the modal share of sustainable and safe active mobility for home- office commutes; in this regard, explore all possible incentives (including financial ones to encourage these modes of transport and to discourage non-essential commutes by car;

- design parking space for staff and visitors in line with COBRACE legislation;

- play an active and open role in the implementation of the GoodMove plan, ideally by hosting one or several sessions of the participatory phase of the plan on institutional premises;

- encourage the region and the communes to improve the quality of public space in the European Quarter; make a request that the temporary bicycle lanes on Rue Belliard and

Rue de la Loi be expanded and made permanent; ask local authorities to explore the possibility of banning personal car traffic on Place du Luxembourg;

- intensify efforts to qualify as a certified bicycle-friendly employer in all three seats: - install good quality bicycle parking infrastructure (catering for electric, foldable and cargo bicycles) in all buildings to motivate staff to commute by bike; - open one bicycle repair service in each seat; - make visitor bicycle parking available near the entrances to all buildings; - continue promoting the inter-institutional bike-to-work challenge Vélomai; - increase the visibility and portfolio of the Mobility Point so that it can act as a centre of practical expertise with organisational tools to help the European Parliament in its efforts towards a successful modal shift; - offer mobility counselling to staff.

We are open to meeting with you, or any member of the Bureau, to launch and intensify dialogue on this issue and we would like to thank you for your efforts.

Yours sincerely,

Signatures

Christophe HANSEN, EPP Olivér Kozàk, President of the EU Cycling Group , EPP , EPP , EPP Maria WALSH, EPP S&D Nicolás GONZÁLEZ CASARES, S&D , S&D , S&D , S&D , Renew , Renew , Renew Alviina ALAMETSÄ, Greens/EFA , Greens/EFA Benoît BITEAU, Greens/EFA , Greens/EFA , Greens/EFA , Greens/EFA Reinhard Hans BÜTIKOFER Greens/EFA , Greens/EFA , Greens/EFA Ciarán CUFFE, Greens/EFA , Greens/EFA

Karima DELLI, Greens/EFA Anna DEPARNAY-GRUNENBERG, Greens/EFA , Greens/EFA , Greens/EFA Pär HOLMGREN, Greens/EFA Alice KUHNKE, Greens/EFA , Greens/EFA , Greens/EFA Niklas NIENASS, Greens/EFA Ville NIINISTÖ, Greens/EFA Grace O'SULLIVAN, Greens/EFA , Greens/EFA Kira PETER-HANSEN, Greens/EFA , Greens/EFA Bronis ROPĖ, Greens/EFA , Greens/EFA , Greens/EFA , Greens/EFA Greens/EFA Malin BJÖRK, GUE/NGL Leïla CHAIBI, GUE/NGL , GUE/NGL , GUE/NGL Rosa D'AMATO, NI , NI , NI , NI