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Travel Towns

Commuting is a necessary but not particularly pleasant experience for most of a city’s workforce. A recent pilot program among three cities in the UK demonstrates that commuters will move to alternatives if the experience is positive.

Commuters making sustainable choices

From 2004 to 2008 the English towns of Peterborough, Worcester, and Darlington shared a ten million pound fund and ran ‘smarter choices’ campaigns, encouraging citizens to use a variety of commuting alternatives. The suggested alternatives included walking, cycling, public transport and car sharing. At the end of the five-year project, surveys showed that car use had fallen by up to nine per cent across the three towns. This equates to approximately 53 million miles of car travel across the three towns, and less than 17,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year. Walking to work increased by more than ten per cent in each town, while bus use grew by more than a third in Peterborough and by a fifth in Worcester. There was a twelve per cent increase in cycling in Peterborough and a nineteen per cent increase in Worcester.
But it wasn’t just a campaign, it was supported by improvements in facilities for alternatives. For example, Darlington received further Government cash to make getting around easier for cyclists, and saw cycling levels over the five year period rise. Observers of the pilot noted that commuters will respond with the right combination of education and better facilities. The result is lower carbon emissions, a more pleasant and healthier commute for many, a virtuous cycle at a personal and community level.
Up to £29 million over the next three years will be invested in at least one of England’s largest cities to encourage greener travel choices. These could include plans to support walking, cycling and initiatives to improve public transport.

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