Issued by City of York Council
Hundreds of residents have signed up to benefit from free travel advice during the most extensive door-to-door exercise ever carried out by City of York Council.
Following the launch of the i-Travel York initiative for residents in May, advisers have been on hand to provide tailored travel advice in the Rawcliffe and Clifton wards, and at events citywide, to encourage residents to consider using more sustainable and active modes of transport.
Over 12,000 homes in the north of York could take part in the travel challenge, and out of the 2,900 households already contacted nearly 1,000 participants are already benefiting from the scheme.
More than 500 tailored travel information packs have been requested and hand delivered back to households and nearly 250 residents are taking part in a personal travel challenge to try out a new travel option such as walking, cycling, buses or car sharing.
The advisers are providing information such as bus and cycle maps, and offering personal ‘challenges’ for individuals to try out a new form of sustainable transport. To help them on their way, participants receive incentives such as a pedometer, a free AllYork bus taster ticket worth £20, discounted cycle training or a free bike health check.
Supported by the council’s four-year i-Travel York initiative, made possible by £4.6 million of government funding which the council successfully bid for in 2011, the campaign specifically targets the northern quadrant of the city where there are high numbers of short car trips to employment and retail destinations.
Cllr Dave Merrett, Cabinet Member for Transport, Planning and Sustainability, said: “Hundreds of residents are already benefiting from this initiative and trying out new travel options, and I’d encourage all residents living in this area to take advantage of this free service.
“By supporting even more people to walk, cycle, use public transport, or car share across the city, this will help to reduce congestion, improve health and increase economic growth in the city.
“As part of our i-Travel York programme, we are aiming to increase levels of cycling by 20 per cent and walking by 10 per cent by 2016. We are also working towards increasing bus usage by 20 per cent by 2015.”
Households will receive an introductory postcard prior to an i-Travel adviser arriving on their doorstep, which outlines what the free service involves.
The exercise will roll-out to other wards including Huntington, Haxby, Earswick and New Earswick in 2014. However, everyone is invited to attend local community events taking place across the city over the summer and all residents can take advantage of i-Travel York’s free travel advice service available online or by phone.
For more information on taking up a travel challenge, or to book a free personal travel consultation, contact the i-Travel York team by email, [email protected], phone 01904 636359, follow @itravelyork, like at the Facebook page or visit the i-Travel website.
Residents can also sign up to MyTravelYork on the website to receive information updates, promotional offers and the latest news on their travel options.
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