South East Forum For Sustainability

Over the last 5 years the transport choices of inhabitants in three english towns have been under intense scrutiny. In 2004 Peterborough, Darlington and Worchester were chosen to be Transport Demonstration Towns. The aim of the TDTs was to develop ways of changing people’s mode of travel persuading them out of the car and on to public transport, bicycle and foot.

5 years later as a result of implementing things like work place, school and personal travel planning, promoting public tansport, walking and cycling and running travel awareness campaign, all three towns have reduced car trips by between 7-9%. Cycling trips have increased by between 26-30% and walking trips by 10-13%. 

In addition to reducing the number of cars on the road, there have been both actual and percieved benefits in relation to economic growth, carbon dioxide emissions, air quality, health, equality of opportunity and general quality of live. The schemes have also delivered value for money.

As a result consultants analysing the success of the TDTs  have concluded – in the recent report Effects of Smarter Choice Programes in Sustainable Transport Towns  ”that the experience in the three Sustainable Travel Towns (and elsewhere) is now sufficient to justify widespread development and delivery of town-based Smarter Choice Programmes. There would also be great merit in piloting of new initiatives, to apply the principles of travel behaviour change to medium and long-distance journeys and to travel in rural areas, and to focus more intensively on travel for work.’

Following on from this the Government has just published it’s Active Travel Strategy which aims to put walking and cycling at the heart of local transport and  health strategies over the next decade.

Both these documents will prove while your Local Transport Plan is being developed to see where your council is in the LTP3 process read the more detailed article here.