Travel Choice programme back on the road

Travel Choice programme back on the road

Nottinghamshire Travel Choice will continue with new funding

Nottinghamshire County Council has won further funding from the Department for Transport to continue the Travel Choice programme.

Travel Choice has provided information and advice to thousands of people on different ways to travel in Nottinghamshire, promoting more environmentally friendly transport choices since 2018.

The programme has successfully:

  • developed 47 travel action plans for businesses in Nottinghamshire, helping them to reduce single occupancy car journeys, encouraging active and sustainable travel, improving the health and wellbeing of employees, and improving their impact on the environment
  • provided paper and digital travel packs to over 6,000 employees
  • given ten grants to businesses to help with the cost of facilities like bicycle shelters, Electrical Vehicle charging, and installing showers
  • worked with Job Centre Plus staff to help people looking for work get to job and training opportunities. This includes helping jobseekers get to their first pay day by providing:
  • 339 public transport tickets
  • 42 bicycle loans and 31 moped loans to help those going to work where suitable public transport isn’t available, for example, shift work. The mopeds were provided by RCAN (Rural Community Action Nottinghamshire).

The new funding will mean that we can:

  • continue to promote active travel to more businesses across Nottinghamshire, with more grant money available
  • continue to provide free ‘Dr Bike’ cycle maintenance sessions for employees at their workplaces
  • continue and expand our work with Jobcentre Plus centres in Ashfield, Mansfield, and Worksop, helping jobseekers as they look for work and training opportunities
  • start working with ten primary schools to promote more walking, cycling, and travelling by scooter to school, building on the development of our School Travel Toolkit.
  • work with ten health centres in a pilot project to encourage greater use of active travel by patients by providing electric bike and push bike loans, as well as and Fitbit activity trackers and walking / cycle travel information packs.

Councillor Neil Clarke MBE, Chairman of Nottinghamshire County Council’s Transport and Environment Committee, said:

“I’m very pleased that the Travel Choice project is continuing in Nottinghamshire. It’s great news for the county and it means that we can continue helping local people and businesses, by supporting them with more sustainable travel. The team have helped reduce the number of single occupancy car journeys in our county, easing traffic congestion, and promoting more sustainable and environmentally friendly options.

I’d like to congratulate the team for winning this extra funding. It’s a stamp of approval from the Government and a recognition of the good work that the team have been doing.”

The programme has had very positive feedback from residents, employees, and businesses across the county:

"The service we have received from the team has been fantastic.  We have always received positive feedback from staff who have accessed the information and services. Thank you for coming along to the college to raise awareness.” Nottinghamshire College
“The welfare, wellbeing and safety of our Team Knowhow colleagues - in work, travelling to work, or at home – is incredibly important and something we take very seriously here at our Newark Campus. We appreciate the support and work the Travel Choice team do and look forward to welcoming them back again." Glenn Hawksworth, Head of Supply Chain Operations at Team Knowhow
“The NHS and social care are busy, pressurised environments to work in and many of us have long commutes to work. But irrespective of the distance, as a large employer I think Travel Choice is a great opportunity to support colleagues with their physical and mental health." Richard Mitchell, Chief Executive at Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

For more information about Travel Choice please visit www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/travelchoice or email travelchoice@nottscc.gov.uk

 

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