European Mobility Week promotes pedestrian, public transport benefits

(MissionNewswire) Salesian students in Spain took part in European Mobility Week from Sept. 16-22, which focused on the benefits of choosing sustainable means of transportation. Students in Salesian centers across Spain participated in activities in their cities. The unifying theme for the week for the Salesian students was “Combine and move”, with the initiatives developed around this motto.

The week brings together civil society, social organizations, institutions and companies to raise awareness. Several Salesian organizations took part. In Ciudad Real, more than 200 students from the Salesian Hermano Gárate School had the opportunity to learn about making the city center pedestrian friendly during a visit by Miguel Hervás, councilor for Work and Mobility, and Pau Beltrán, councilor for Youth and Children.

Hervás said, “We took advantage of the European Mobility Week to visit this school, located at the center of the pedestrianization works, and explained how these interventions will improve the quality of life and the environment of the school.”

Miguel Ángel Muñoz López, school principal, stressed the usefulness of the meeting. He said, “This presentation of the pedestrian project could even awaken the vocations of the students, interesting them in engineering careers.”

In Huesca, Salesian students in the fourth grade learned about the advantages of traveling by city bus and the basic rules for the safe use of public transport. Students at the Salesian St. Anthony Abad Primary School in Valencia participated in an artistic competition organized by the Metropolitan Transport Company. Students used their drawings to highlight the importance of taking care of the environment using public transport.

In Monzón, Salesians continue to benefit from previous efforts. Six years ago, as part of service-learning projects, students at one Salesian center created a parking area for bicycles and scooters. Two years ago, students expanded it with a canopy to protect it from the elements.

Jorge Alquézar, communication delegate for the center, explained that Monzón is the only city in Spain with European legislation for scooters and has European recognition for its mobility work. The Salesian center has been very committed to promoting the use of bicycles and scooters. Alquézar  noted, “There are many young people who use these ecological means of transport on a daily basis, thanks to the awareness-raising work that has been done at the Salesian center in recent years.”

Spain has been one of the countries with the highest participation in the week, with 219 of the Spanish municipalities also implementing permanent measures last year.

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Sources:

ANS Photo (usage permissions and guidelines must be requested from ANS) 

ANS – Spain – Salesian institutions engaged in European Mobility Week

Salesian Missions – Spain