Public transport accessibility
International alliance of cities commits to tackling air pollution
Poor air quality causes 422,000 premature deaths deaths each year in Europe and EU member states have repeatedly been singled out for exceeding pollution thresholds. At the C40 Summit on Friday (11 October), 35 cities decided to take the matter into their own hands. EURACTIV Germany reports.
Five transport policies that could build thriving cities
Accessibility within cities hasn't become better despite urban planners' best efforts. Creative solutions are needed to create better interconnected and concentrated cities, write Sarah Colenbrander and Catarina Heeckt.
Brussels transport gets overhaul, courtesy of teenagers
Brussels is well known for its chocolate, its variety of beers, its art-deco buildings… and its traffic jams. High school students from all around Europe have now presented their proposals to make the town's mobility system more sustainable, thanks to the Sci-tech challenge.
EU connected cars plan sparks national backlash
A niche policy fight over the technical groundwork for internet-connected cars has pitted car companies against telecoms operators and also set off alarm bells in a handful of EU capitals.
How to make transport accessible and cheap? Learn from Rennes
The European Accessibility Act was endorsed in the European Parliament's plenary last Thursday (14 September), with considerable focus on accessibility requirements for public transport, aiming to make getting around easier for the elderly and people with disabilities.
MEPs approve Accessibility Act, ready for talks in Council
The European Parliament approved on Thursday 14 (September) the proposed European Accessibility Act, a major piece of legislation meant to make life easier for the elderly and people with disabilities, adding that it is ready for potentially tough member states negotiations.
Løkkegaard: Amended Accessibility Act should pass in Parliament
The European Accessibility Act – a landmark piece of legislation for Europe's 80 million people with disabilities – goes to the European Parliament's for a plenary vote on Wednesday (13 September) after lengthy and sometimes heated debates.
Digital and accessible, Tallinn’s public transport aims for more
The European Accessibility Act -- a landmark set of rules meant to facilitate the lives of the elderly and people with disabilities -- is going to the Parliament's plenary next week. A lot of focus has been placed on public transport and ways to make it more accessible.
Vers un label européen pour l’accessibilité des transports aux personnes handicapées
Les législations sur les transports, les règles d’accessibilité, la qualité des équipements et des infrastructures, les modes de financement de la mobilité diffèrent assez largement d’un pays à l’autre de l’Europe et les situations des personnes handicapées à l’égard des transports sont contrastées.
21st century public transport: People with disabilities face discrimination
The European Accessibility Act, the proposed law that would make products and services in the EU more accessible for persons with disabilities, is a unique opportunity for Europe, writes Catherine Naughton.
Vienna shows local solutions can improve public transport accessibility
Improving the accessibilty of public transport is also about taking due account of efficient local solutions, write Wiener Linien and the Austrian Association in Support of the Blind and Visually Impaired.
Accessibility of public transport services in Prague
Prague's transport system has to deal with a vast number of people every day, including those with special needs. It is a big challenge for the Prague Public Transit Company.
Public transport bosses: EU Accessibility Act focuses too much on ticket machines
With the passage of the EU Accessibility Act this month, EURACTIV.com spoke to the public transport bodies of London, Vienna and Paris to see what progressive solutions for disabled passengers are already underway – and what dangers may lurk in the proposed act.
Disabled groups’ dismay at Parliament vote on accessibility
Disability groups have expressed dismay at this week’s vote in the European Parliament on the proposed EU Accessibility Act, saying it risks making the act “meaningless for millions of people.”
Germans ready to ditch cars in favour of buses, trains and bikes
German motorists are ready, in theory at least, to abandon their cars in favour of buses, trains and bikes, according to a new study. EURACTIV’s partner Der Tagesspiegel reports.
Airlines failing to accommodate passengers in need of oxygen treatment
Airlines are unfairly discriminating against passengers that need to bring portable oxygen tanks with them on their flights. Susanna Palkonen explains the obstacles many people face.
Battle hots up over details of Accessibilty Act for passengers with disabilities
Last week dozens of people with disabilities demonstrated outside the European Parliament in the hope that MEPs will honour promises they saw in a landmark new accessibility act.
Lisbon, Malmö and Skopje announced as sustainable mobility city finalists
Cities from Portugal, Sweden and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia have made it through to become finalists for the European Mobility Award 2016.
Czech MEP: Europe needs harmonised standards for smart cities
According to Dita Charanzová, smart cities are about bettering the lives of Europe's citizens. They'll not only improve urban life but the environment too, she told Euractiv.com
ECR candidate: EU needs dynamic debate and to officially recognise sign language
Belgian MEP Helga Stevens, who is the ECR group's pick for the European Parliament presidency race and who is also the first female MEP to identify herself as being deaf, told EURACTIV Spain that she wants to be “the institution's voice”.
Better accessibility is good for consumers and businesses
The common standards brought in by the Accessibility Act will benefit businesses and consumers, bringing regulatory certainty and making sure no-one is left behind, writes Marianne Thyssen.
EU disability rights bill won’t fix public transport problems, campaigners fear
Public transport authorities in cities around Europe are expecting that they'll have to improve ticket machines to make them easier to read for people who are partially or totally blind, once an EU disability rights bill is passed.
Navracsics: New technologies are ‘unmatched vectors’ of integration
Technology can make "an enormous difference" for pupils with disabilities, offering them the same opportunities as other students, according to Tibor Navracsics, the European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Youth, and Sports.