European Mobility Week 2010 urges you to leave the car at home and walk or cycle to work

As the primary source of daily noise, pollution and congestion, car traffic relentlessly erodes our health and quality of life. Pollution adds to respiratory problems, and a sedentary lifestyle is one of the main causes of cardiovascular diseases and obesity. Not to mention the annual toll of 127 000 deaths on European roads.

European Mobility Week 2010 encourages you to abandon your car in favour of cleaner, quieter modes of transport - helping the environment and your own health in the process. By getting to work on foot or by bike, you reduce CO2 emissions and keep yourself fit.

From 16 - 22 September, many European towns will be organising activities to encourage sustainable mobility and highlight its many advantages. Bologna, in Italy, will be holding an auction of second-hand bicycles. Residents of Cannes, in France, will be encouraged to join car-share schemes. The Brno region in the Czech Republic will offer outdoor activities such as Nordic walking or in-line skating, and in Brussels, Belgium, the red carpet will be rolled out on pavements along one of the city's busiest roads.

European Mobility Week has been held every year since 2002. Outside the week itself, towns undertake to put at least one permanent measure in place towards more sustainable transport. Last year, a record 2 178 towns took part, making 4 441 permanent changes to their mobility policies.

Car-free day, usually a Sunday in September, is the high-point of the week. Large parts of the city are reserved for pedestrians, cyclists and public transport.

Mobility Week is your chance to try a different way of getting around, and feel at first hand the benefits of a quieter, cleaner environment - and perhaps a bit of exercise.