Since January 1st, 2005 the public attention on urban transport has increased because of new legally binding limits for particulate matters (PM). More need for action will arise from the EU directive relating to environmental noise and from new NO2-limits, which will come into effect in 2010. In the framework of the "Action Program Environment and Health" of North Rhine-Westphalia a report was written about "Status of implementation of EU directives relating to air quality and strategies for a more environmentally and healthy sound mobility in the conurbations of North Rhine-Westphalia". The report presents the activities of the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia taken in order to obey the air quality directives. Furthermore a first rough estimation is given about the effectiveness and the expenditure of the local measures, which have already been carried out or are planned in future. To clarify the connections among transport policy, transport planning and urban planning with air quality and particulate matters further, the political activities of North Rhine-Westphalia are described on the basis of programmes and projects supported by the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia and with direct or indirect effects to topics mentioned above. This shows, how far measures have already been taken up to meet the demands of the air quality directives in order to reduce volume of traffic and to organise mobility in a more environmentally and healthy sound way.