From today we will be immersed in the celebration of the European Week of the mobility, an event that, as every year, is celebrated in Pamplona. What better moment to dream -and also to rummage in our consciences- about what model of mobility, or better said, of city, we wish for Pamplona and its Metropolitan area . Indeed, for those who have not yet heard, the mobility determines to a large extent what a city is like: its landscapes, its sounds, its air quality, its commerce or even the social relations forged between citizens.

Let's start by going back in time to one of the first contemporary milestones of the sustainable mobility in Pamplona: the Local Agreement on this same subject in Pamplona (2005). This served to reach a consensus on a hierarchy of modes of transport that prioritized the pedestrian, followed by public transport, the bicycle and finally, the car. instructions At that time, groups of experts were working hard to lay the foundations for a sustainable model mobility . Thus, technical documents were drawn up which, unfortunately, with the passage of time, have become outdated. Ten years have passed since the presentation of the Pamplona Cyclability Plan (2005) and eight years since that of the Sustainable Urban mobility Plan of the Pamplona Region (2007) and, in spite of this, the model of mobility that we longed for a few years ago has not been completely fulfilled. The actions that have been carried out in our city, with good will but with a bit of a leap and bounce, have not met the expectations so far. And the main reason is that the car has not been penalized. Yes, streets have been pedestrianized, bike racks and bike lanes have been built -with more or less success-, but the car is still one of the protagonists.

The modal split data from the survey of mobility carried out by the Mancomunidad de la Comarca de Pamplona at the end of 2013 reflects a model in which fortunately the pedestrian continues to occupy first place (42.1%), but in which the second place is reservation for the private vehicle, whether car or motorcycle (41.1%), and not for public transport (12.7%).

One of the positive aspects is that the bicycle has been gaining more presence in recent years, due more to popular will than to infrastructural facilities and management.

Let us then ask ourselves why we self-imposed that model and why we have not achieved it. And above all, let us ask ourselves if we are still thinking about it.

Searching in the trunk of the causes of failure in terms of sustainable mobility we find the "urban dispersion", the "immaturity and lack of culture" of our society in subject of mobility, or the lack of experiences in nearby cities with which to compare ourselves (an aspect now overcome), among others.

Based on this analysis, and in line with the aforementioned mobility Pact, last March the Pamplona Region Community of Pamplona presented a revolutionary proposal to reorganize the regional urban transport network which, in general -and costs apart-, was positively received by the list of politicians and experts who publicly expressed their views on the matter.

There is a need for more decisive and courageous commitments that, in addition to encouraging sustainable modes, restrict the use of cars "as a matter of course". The Mancomunidad believes this and has planned to do so. Is society now mature enough to make certain car sacrifices for a cleaner and more spacious city, where we can all live together? Will politicians dare to make consensual decisions in this regard? Will they take advantage of the growing number of cyclists in the city? Will they work as a team?

It is necessary to approach the problem from an integral vision, whose scale of work is the area Metropolitan of Pamplona and in which all the means of transport are covered simultaneously, an aspect that the Plan of the Mancomunidad suffers from. In this way, we would avoid the plurality of regulations, the intermodal disconnection, the absence of a strategic vision, etc.

It also requires a high level of excellence in coordination and planning so that the decisions affecting the different areas of municipal government that are taken are fruitful and can be definitively established in the medium term deadline.

But above all, it is necessary that citizens and institutions "swim against the current" and build a healthier city, with quality streets and squares and with a mature society in subject urban and environmental.