Lowestoft couple rewarded for tackling their travel
A Lowestoft couple who are changing the way they travel around the town to make their journeys more environmentally-friendly and healthy has won a prize in recognition of their efforts.
The Hudsons, from Oulton Broad, became involved with TravelSmart Lowestoft, led by sustainable transport charity Sustrans, earlier this year. They now opt to use their car less and choose to walk or cycle on shorter, local journeys.
Helen Hudson said: ‘We got involved with the project as we find it depressing that so many local journeys are done by car when they would be perfectly possible by bicycle. We are discovering so many advantages to cycling too - it keeps us fit and healthy, we don't have to sit in endless traffic jams, and it reduces our family’s harmful emissions.
‘We have even done one of the walks suggested by TravelSmart Lowestoft with my 89-year old mother – so that just goes to show that active travel can be for everyone, regardless of age.’
The Hudsons were picked as prizewinners of a first-class family rail ticket to London from National Express East Anglia, after registering at www.travelsmartlowestoft.org.uk
Helen and her husband represent just one of 25,000 households which will have been approached by the end of this year as part of TravelSmart Lowestoft, the project that encourages people to switch to greener ways of travelling when and where it suits them best.
TravelSmart Lowestoft is now in its third and final phase with homes in Gunton, Corton, Harbour and St Margaret’s currently receiving travel information.
Elsewhere, similar projects have resulted in reductions in car trips of 10 per cent or more, along with increases in levels of walking, cycling and public transport use. Sustrans expects to see a similar outcome in Lowestoft, and will reveal the results in a report released next year.
Maeve Tomlinson, Sustrans TravelSmart Lowestoft Project Officer, said: ‘The Hudsons perfectly demonstrate the ordinary, everyday changes that can be made to people’s travel behaviour when they are given decent information and alternatives to using the car.
‘It’s really rewarding to see people making changes to the way they travel and it’s something that the Hudsons are keen to keep up, so we’re talking about a sustained change in both attitude and actions here, which can only have a positive impact on the environment and their health.’
TravelSmart Lowestoft is being delivered by Sustrans and Socialdata, in partnership with Suffolk County Council and Waveney District Council. It has also received funding from Big Lottery Fund’s Well-being Programme as part of a wider £19.9m grant awarded by BIG to Sustrans' Active Travel Consortium.
If you would like to guarantee your household is involved in the project, please call the team on freephone 0800 043 2475 or email register@sustrans.org.uk with your name, address and phone number.
Anyone taking part in the third stage of the project can register on the TravelSmart Lowestoft website at www.travelsmartlowestoft.org.uk for the chance to win another prize from National Express East Anglia.
Published by: Travel Actively on Thursday December 10 2009
