Public transport is a good alternative and has many positive aspects, of which we occasionally need reminding. Using public transport saves space, money and sometimes also time, establishes connections with other people and maintains flexibility.

Measures are being taken at a national level, albeit slowly. Unfortunately sometimes only penalties can improve matters. In 2013, the European Commission warned Slovenia that it was contravening European legislation due to high levels of fine particulate pollution. And road traffic is the main cause of this.

Changing habits is not a simple task, and the effects can take years to become apparent. For the last six years, CIPRA Slovenia has published a booklet containing the timetables for all public transport in the Slovenian Alps – even though this should be a job for the government. There is no other single source for this kind of information. The booklet is used by tourists and local residents.

But the booklet has another role as well – to emphasise the importance of sustainable mobility in the Alps. This small but effective project has been successful thanks to the cooperation of 18 different partners. The booklet has become larger each year as new routes have been introduced. In 2014 we registered 37 routes for buses, trains, cable cars and boats, and included one international route to Austria.

www.cipra.org/slovenija (sl)

Source: Annual Report 2014, CIPRA International, http://www.cipra.org/annual-reports