10th European Conference on Mobility Management
From May 10-12 next year the City of Groningen, the Netherlands will be hosting the 10th Annual Conference of EPOMM, the European Platform on Mobility Management. Under EPOMM supervision the European Conference on Mobility Management (ECOMM) has grown into a highly regarded series of annual conferences. Former ECOMMs took place in Amsterdam, Nottingham, Münster, Gregenz, Rome, Gent, Karlstadt, Lyon and Parma.
Approximately 400 visitors from all over Europe - some from North America as well - will attend the conference in order to exchange ideas experiences on mobility issues. The Dutch minister of Transport, Public Works and Water Management, mrs. K.M.H. Peijs, will open the congress at Martini Plaza in Groningen.
Attendants have the opportunity to audit and discuss on four major themes specified by IPC, the International Programme Committee of EPOMM. The committee - formed by mobility managers from 30 countries - decided on these themes in Parma, Italy. In January 2006 IPC will evaluate the contributions of experts who answered the 'call for papers'. Over 5.000 experts heve been invited to write an abstract. IPC will designate 24 papers to be presented in four workshops during the congress:
1-Regional co-operation in mobility
2-Accessibility of urban areas
3-Attractiveness of cities
4-Public participation and solutions for target groups.
Acting president of EPOMM is mr. Bert Svensson from Sweden. EPOMM was established in 1996 by mobility experts from Belgium, France and the Netherlands and has grown over the years into an organisation on a European authority level including members from all over the world.
The City of Groningen owes its election for the 10th annual conference to a sustained policy of trend setting traffic management. It has set examples in dealing with mobility issues and dilemmas, followed by many cities in the Netherlands and adroad. Therefore the first conference day will be devoted entirely to practice-based mobilty solutions in Groningen. The participants will experience how the city center is both accessible and restricted for auto traffic and why Groningen has been designated as the national 'Bike City'. ECOMM 2006 will take place in a city with 30 years of experience with mobility management - and still eager to learn.
