European Mobility Week

In 2017, the city of Chemnitz was one of over 2,500 municipalities across Europe to take part in the European Mobility Week. Once again this year, proven and new offers relating to mobility, activity and sustainability will be presented against the backdrop of the action week. The city of Chemnitz is inviting day-care centres and schools, among others, to take part in specific activities. These range from discovery tours and English-language mobility tours through Chemnitz city centre to the loan of a noise and air quality traffic light, themed tours through the Chemnitz Industrial Museum and performances by the knowledge-imparting puppet theatre Urania - Wissen macht Theater. At the end of the week, the people of Chemnitz are invited to the Mobility Day on
21 September, Chemnitz residents are invited to the Mobility Day with active hands-on activities at Chemnitz Neumarkt. In addition, various activities will be organised throughout the week.

"Our activities during European Mobility Week have long focussed on the concept of mobility for all. Barrier-free mobility plays a central role for us here. We show how people can be mobile in Chemnitz, regardless of age, physical condition or the availability of a vehicle. For us, the local transport plan and the cycling concept fit seamlessly with our long-standing efforts to create barrier-free streets and squares. Together with a local manufacturer of ground indicators, we are demonstrating how blind people can orientate themselves on the streets. Together with Chemnitzer Verkehrs AG, we offer everyone the opportunity to try out boarding a bus in a wheelchair. All of this broadens the view beyond the narrow understanding of mobility that some people may still have behind their windscreen. We show that you can be mobile in Chemnitz, even without your own car," says Bernd Gregorzyk, Head of the Civil Engineering Department of the City of Chemnitz.

The highlight of Mobility Week will be MobiTag on 21 September at Chemnitz Neumarkt. This is because the national competition "SolarMobil Deutschland", the German championship of solar model vehicles, will take place here in 2018. The Saxon state competition "solarisCUP Chemnitz" has been held regularly in the city since 2000. In keeping with the 875th anniversary celebrations and the 25th anniversary of solaris FZU gGmbH Sachsen, the national competition will be held in Chemnitz for the second time this year. On Mobility Day, school pupils and trainees will be travelling in 60 teams from all over Germany to compete against each other with solar models they have built themselves, whether in a competition for the fastest or most creative design. In addition, numerous players, associations and organisations offer a wide range of experiences and information on various aspects of mobility and accessibility. Among other things, Saxon student teams will be presenting their e-racing cars and e-vehicles. The City of Chemnitz will also be presenting two e-cars from the city administration's fleet. As every year, there will be an auction of bicycles found by the city. The ideal opportunity to boost your own mobility in a sustainable, environmentally friendly and health-promoting way with a "new old bike" for little money.

Other highlights will be the "Parking Day" organised by Verkehrsclub Deutschland on
21 September, when a parking space on Walter-Oertel-Straße will be creatively repurposed, and the "Mobility in the neighbourhood" campaign in Hoffmannstraße near the CSg office, where citizens can learn about alternatives to their own car.

The mobility week will conclude on 22 September with the KulTOURbahnhof Chemnitz, where numerous readings, live music, hands-on activities such as the VCD's environmental course and much more will invite citizens to get to know their central station in a new way under the motto "Chemnitz erFAHRen und erLESen".

Since 2008, the topic of accessibility has always been included in the Mobility Week programme. The programme is designed both for people with disabilities and for people without disabilities to experience restricted mobility. For MobiTag 2018, the project "Chemnitz+ -Zukunftsregion lebenswert gestalten" and its partners, together with the social association VKD Sachsen, will be offering age simulation suits and a tripping course for wheelchairs and rollators.

Participation in the action week since 2003

The EU Office of the City of Chemnitz has been coordinating the Action Week with a large number of partners since 2003 in order to encourage citizens to make greater use of sustainable mobility, i.e. more use of public transport, cycling and walking. To this end, the concept of mobility is always broadly defined so that a framework can be created that allows access to a wide variety of approaches. Highlights in 2017 included the distribution of breakfast bags as a reward for public transport users and cyclists and the "Mobility Showcase" competition among retail shops in Chemnitz city centre, where passers-by could vote for the best shop window decoration using a QR code and social media.