The European Union’s Committee of the Regions (CoR) has published a new opinion on transport poverty, highlighting active mobility (walking and cycling) as an essential element in ensuring social, territorial and economic cohesion across the Union. In a context where millions of Europeans face accessibility barriers, the document reinforces that small local interventions can have a profound and immediate impact on people’s lives.

Simple interventions, real impact

The CoR stresses that low-cost measures, such as improving pavements, creating safe pedestrian routes and installing bicycle parking facilities, are crucial steps towards increasing mobility options, especially in areas where public transport is limited. These interventions, often overlooked in larger-scale mobility strategies, are key to:

• improving access to employment, education and essential services;
• reducing inequalities between urban and rural areas;
• offering mobility alternatives to vulnerable groups;
• and reducing car dependency, thereby lowering costs for families.

Active mobility is social infrastructure

The opinion stresses that walking and cycling should not be seen as ancillary, but as critical social infrastructure for collective well-being. Safe streets for walking and cycling are essential for promoting:

• equal opportunities,
• social inclusion,
• public health,
• safer and less polluted urban environments,
• and more resilient communities.

By promoting active mobility, European regions also contribute to the climate transition by reducing emissions and improving air quality, especially in urban centres.

Local solutions to real challenges

The Committee of the Regions also points out that the most effective solutions to combat transport poverty are designed at local level, with the direct participation of communities. In many municipalities, particularly in rural and peripheral areas, improving pedestrian and cycling spaces is the fastest and most efficient way to expand mobility options.

In areas where access to public transport is poor, safe paths for walking or cycling can make the difference between an isolated community and a connected community.

A strategic opportunity for Portugal

With marked territorial inequalities and a structural dependence on cars, Portugal has a clear opportunity here: to place active mobility at the heart of public policies on mobility and social cohesion.

Priority actions include:

• strengthening and upgrading the urban and rural pedestrian network;
• creating safe and well-connected cycle corridors;
• integrating active modes with public transport;
• and continuous investment in road safety for vulnerable users.

These measures, in line with the European Opinion, can help bring communities closer together, reduce costs for families, improve public health and promote more humane cities.

🔗 The official opinion (in Portuguese) can be consulted here