Ljubljana/Maribor/Novo Mesto - The European Mobility Week will kick off in nearly half of Slovenian municipalities on Friday, promoting sustainable mobility by encouraging people to travel by foot, bike or with public transport.

"Building bike paths, yellow lanes for public transport and creating new railway connections are just some of the measures that make sustainable mobility more accessible and are of great importance for the community," Infrastructure Minister Bojan Kumer has said ahead of the Mobility Week.

"Projects such as the European Mobility Week continually raise awareness about the importance of active mobility," Kumer added.

Through Thursday towns across Slovenia will organise group bike rides, free-of-charge bike repairs, while preschools and schools will encourage their students to arrive by foot or by bike.

In Ljubljana, some streets will be closed for traffic on different days of the Mobility Week. The project will culminate on Thursday, which will be a car-free day in many cities and towns across the country.

In Ljubljana, motorists will be able to use the public transport system free of charge if they choose to park their car at one of the city-operated Park+Ride car parks.

The city of Ljubljana also plans to build several new bike parks, install additional bike racks in front of schools and preschools, and open the first covered bike parking at the Congress Square car park.

Like Ljubljana, Maribor is one of the seven Slovenian municipalities which have been participating in the Mobility Week since its inception 21 years ago.

"2022 being the European Year of Youth, we will be focusing on raising awareness among the young," Maribor Mobility Week coordinator Andraž Mlaker has said.

Among other things, Maribor will test the Park+Ride service for the first time, and 30 NGOs will host just as many events throughout the week, among them electric scooter safety workshops, skateboarding lessons and a rollerblading parade.

A number of events will also be held in Novo Mesto, where public transport has been made free of charge for the entire month of September.

Similarly, public transport will be free in Koper between Friday and Thursday, and residents will be able to participate in several events.

Kranj will host a second-hand bike market, among other things, while Kočevje will present a new traffic system in the town centre, and Medvode will close a street in the city centre for all vehicles for a month.

Celje has meanwhile made sustainable transition a strategic goal, gradually closing the city centre for cars, among other things.

Ahead of the Mobility Week, the Traffic Safety Agency has drawn attention to safe use of electric scooters. So far this year, nearly 150 scooter users have been involved in accidents and two died. Last year the total number of electric scooter users involved in accidents was just over 100.

Most frequent causes of accidents involving electric scooters are high speeds and disrespect for the right-of-way. Out of the almost 150 accidents by mid-September nearly 100 were caused by electric scooter users. This was also the case in the two fatal accidents.