Slagelse presented its environment and traffic plans at a press meeting at the Danish EPA in June 2000. For many years Slagelse has endured serious traffic problems in the city centre. The town council has now decided to use the Green Transport Week to gain valuable experience.

Two roads will be closed down, making the urban centre car-free during the whole week. The event is supported by the shopkeepers and will be followed closely in order to use the results for a permanent solution that might be adopted in the future.

Below you will find a list of all the 44 local areas taking part in the Green Transport Week. Like Slagelse, some will close down parts of the city during certain periods. Other cities will offer free public transport, and some plan to focus on traffic, environment and safety around schools. For further information please see the Green Transport Week homepage www.miljoetrafik.dk

Launching the concept "Green Transport User"

The Green Transport Week introduces the new concept: Green Transport User - which is not only a car driver, but rather a person who bases the choice of means of transport on environmental concerns, in line with aspects of time and money.

The Green Transport User will:

• not use the car for short trips, but will cycle or walk
• invite others to drive along in the car, and whenever public transport is
• a real alternative, use that possibility
• have a car with low petrol consumption
• drive economically, because he/she knows that economical driving is more
• environmentally friendly.

The Green Transport User concept will be one of the key elements of the Green Transport Week. This concept will be introduced in a folder and on posters and banners at heavily trafficked roads. The Green Transport Week Secretariat is cooperating with the oil industry to see how petrol companies can contribute to launching the new concept.

Hop and run

One of the main themes of the Green Transport Week is the "daily drive" - for instance taking children to and from school. Increasing numbers of parents drive their children to school, thus starting a vicious circle. The more cars on the roads, the more parents are tempted to go by car and also, because they are worried about the safety of their children.

The Green Transport Week Secretariat and the Danish Society for Nature Conservation have launched a campaign to encourage the 2,400 Danish schools to put traffic and environment on the timetable during week 38, using the motto "Hop and Run".

Proposed activities are:

• a traffic census, to survey choice of transport to and from school
• car-free day around the school, where all parties agree to avoid the daily
• traffic chaos at the school entrance
• safe cyclists: the children can test their cycling skills.

In connection with the campaign, the school service of the Danish Society for Nature Conservation, Vilfred, will publish two magazines about children, transport and environment, which may be used in class.

International campaign "In town, without my car!"

New participants in the European campaign "In town, without my car!" on September 22 continue to register. In Denmark, both Aarhus, Copenhagen, Aalborg and Odense have decided to sign the international charter, and thus join the international campaign. The Green Transport Week Secretariat expects that many of the local areas taking part in the Danish week will join the international campaign.

The Green Transport Week homepage is updated regularly, presenting news about community activities, participating organisations etc. You may also contact the person responsible for the Green Transport Week in the participating municipalities for further information.

Further information: . Head of Secretariat Henrik Paag, Green Transport Week Secretariat, tel (+45) 33 73 71 33 Brian Kristensen, Danish EPA tel (+45) 32 66 04 61

Green Transport Week:

Registered local authorities in the Green Transport Week

City of Copenhagen, City of Frederiksberg, City of Aarhus, Metropolitan local areas Albertslund, Gentofte, Gladsaxe, Herlev, Hvidovre, Høje-Taastrup, Lyngby-Taarbæk, Frederiksborg Frederiksværk, Helsinge, Helsingør, Hillerød, Roskilde Roskilde, Køge, Vestsjælland Dragsholm, Nykøbing-Rørvig, Slagelse, Sorø, Bjergsted, Trudholm, Storstrøm Nakskov, Næstved, Bornholm Aakirkeby, Halse, Nexø, Rønne, Fyn Middelfart, Nyborg, Odense, Svendborg, Ribe Esbjerg, Vejle Horsens, Vejle, Ringkjøbing Herming, Holstebro, Ikast, Aarhus Grenå, Randers, Silkeborg, Skanderborg, Aarhus, Nordjylland Frederikshavn, Aalborg,

Commuting to work

The Danish Cyclists Federation in cooperation with the Green Transport Week Secretariat plan to coordinate the "Commuting to work" campaign with the activities in week 38. Last year more than 56,000 Danes took part in the campaign organised jointly by the Cyclists Federation and the Danish Federation of Company Sport. This year the campaign period - in which employees are encouraged to go to work by bike - is September 4-24. Further information at: www.vicykler.dk (only in Danish).

Mobile without a car

The association Mobile without a Car, set up jointly by the Green Guides and the Danish Cyclists Federation, will also take part in the Green Transport Week, focussing on children and their transport. Projects about transport of children to school and sporting activities are scheduled. Material about the projects, and an inventory of ideas for activities, can be ordered from Green Guide, Palle Bendsen, tel: (+45) 9816 3066, e-mail: amek@p...

Mobile without your car, Danish Cyclists Federation and The Danish Society for the Conservation of Nature have prepared exhibition posters presenting sustainable transport solutions. Local authorities, associations, schools etc. may borrow the exhibition by contacting Green Guide, Tina Roikjer, tel (+45) 4582 6009, e-mail: tina.roikjer@g...

Federation of Danish Motorists focuses on environment and transport

The Federation of Danish Motorists FDM is engaged in the debate on environment and traffic. In their magazine MOTOR, with about 600,000 readers, articles addressing environment and traffic issues will be published in the Green Transport Week.

Go to work by bus and train in Week 38

Can you get used to reading the morning paper in peace and quiet? Or have a well-deserved nap on the way to work? Or go to work by bus or train? These questions will be brought to the test by the Transport Division of the Greater Copenhagen Council and Danish State Railways in Week 38.

To further the test, the bus and train authorities will make it easier for bus and train passengers, car drivers, cyclists and pedestrians to think about new and green transport habits. With the special Week 38 ticket you may travel by bus and train in the entire metropolitan area all seven days and nights of the week from September 18-24. The ticket can be used by different people, in turns. Two children may travel free together with one grown-up. The ticket also allows two children under 16 to travel together free. The travel planner makes it simple and easy to find your way by bus or train, see www.ht.dk or www.dsb.dk (only in Danish).

The ticket is for sale from week 36 at bus and train box offices - the price is DKK 125 (= 17 Euro). You cannot refund or exchange the ticket for another. Information on the ticket will be published in weeks 36-38.

Try an electric vehicle

Municipalities focussing on energy efficient cars may contact the Electric Vehicle Knowledge Centre VCE and arrange a demonstration of electric vehicles during Week 38.

Today, Electric Vehicles (EVs) are modern, quiet, environmentally friendly cars. In the Environment and Traffic Week drivers may come and see for themselves, by testing an EV.

Contact VCE to hear about possible cooperation with the knowledge centre on this subject: ved@e.... See also www.vce.dk

Ford Motor takes active part in the Green Transport Week

Cooperating with the Green Transport Week Secretariat, Ford arranges a national environmentally friendly driving championship, aiming at demonstrating the impact of driving habits on petrol consumption, and giving the price to those who use the least amount of petrol on a journey across Denmark. The prize to the winning team is free use of a Ford Ka for one year, including service.

In order to provide equal terms for all competitors, Ford places 100 brand-new Ford Ka's at their disposal. The route will cover the distance Copenhagen-Aalborg. Teams consist of four persons, and registrations start in August. The caravan will cross as many as possible of the participating towns, and stop in three or four on the way to take part in different events. Local authorities that wish the caravan to go through their towns may contact the Secretariat.

To motivate their participation in the Green Transport Week, product manager Sille Søndergaard of Ford states: "Rather than being part of the problem, we wish to be part of the solution".

Be pennywise and environmentally sound

The Danish Road Safety and Transport Agency legislation on energy labelling of new private cars took effect on April 15, 2000. The new rules on energy labelling aim at providing better information on fuel economy, thus giving buyers of new cars a general view of the market and a basis for saving fuel, reducing CO2 emissions, and saving money.

Fuel costs are among the heaviest on the car budget. Fuel consumption also has a great impact on emissions of the greenhouse gas CO2, the major contributor to man-made global warming.

This type of energy labelling is not new. Similar rules apply to refrigerators and freezers, and experience shows that the consumers welcome the labels as a basis for selecting energy efficient solutions.

Road Directorate markets commuter network

The Road Directorate wish to use the Green Transport Week to inform about car-pooling, on the car-pool database available on www.pendler.net. About 3,500 people and 100 local authorities are registered on the base.

The internet facility www.pendler.net will be marketed on posters and via public relations on radio and TV.

National Olympic Committee focuses on children's transport to sport

The National Olympic Committee and Sports Federations of Denmark take part in Week 38 with the motto: It is great to be driven - but it is tougher to cycle or walk - also to sporting activities. Through regional committees, The National Olympic Committee will contact athletic clubs all over the country to collect data on transport of children to training activities in Week 38. The Committee hopes to make children and their parents think about their transport habits and to make more children and young people walk or cycle to training.

The campaign will be supported by press announcements and prizes, and by articles in the Committee magazine "Idrætsliv". See http://www.dif.dk/main3.asp

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