TravelSmart
Exeter
TravelSmart works with households in Exeter and across the UK offering tailor-made information and support, enabling people to walk, cycle and use public transport more often.
It delivers measurable and sustained reductions in car use by enabling people to make a few changes to their daily travel choices when and where it suits them best.
Previous projects have delivered reductions in car use averaging more than 10%, along with corresponding increases in walking, cycling and public transport use.
Sustrans delivers TravelSmart in co-operation with Socialdata, an international social and travel research consultancy, which has pioneered the approach in Germany, other parts of Europe, Australia and the US over the past 20 years.
The TravelSmart process – known as Individualised Travel Marketing (ITM) – uses direct contact with households to identify and meet their individual needs for support, and to motivate people to think about their day-to-day travel choices.
In Exeter, a total of 25,000 households will be targeted with the offer of personalised travel information and support over a two year period.
Working with Devon County Council, Exeter City Council and other partners, a range of maps, timetables and other information will form the basis of the marketing package. The project will also complement other local transport initiatives taking place during the same time period.
TravelSmart’s uniquely customer-focused approach, in which decisions at all stages of the process are left to the participant, is critical to its success.
Extensive travel behaviour research has shown that :
- Most of people’s day-to-day trips are local
- A quarter of all car trips are less than two miles
- Most people are concerned about traffic growth and support policies favouring walking, cycling and public transport, above car travel
- Around half of all local car trips could be replaced by sustainable transport modes using existing facilities
- Lack of information about the alternatives to the car, and motivation to try them out, are key barriers to change
In common with other TravelSmart projects, the Exeter project will be evaluated using a series of detailed travel behaviour surveys, together with monitoring of other data such as bus patronage where available.
Increasing levels of physical activity is a vital objective for tackling obesity and other life-limiting health conditions. By promoting walking and cycling for day-to-day journeys, TravelSmart will enable people to adopt more physically active – and healthy – lifestyles.
Project Progress
During 2008 around 14,500 households were targeted in Stages 1 and 2 of the project in west and east Exeter, Exminster and Topsham. There was a very positive response, with a high proportion of households requesting further information about walking, cycling and public transport in their local area. The third and final stage of the project is currently taking place targeting over 10,000 households in central and north east Exeter.
Local Impact
Comments from TravelSmart participants in Exeter illustrate how the project has made an impact:
- “I will change my driving habits thanks to TravelSmart as you've given me the cycle routes to where I work.”
- “I'm really pleased to see people embracing this challenge.”
- “It'll be good if it gets folk out of their cars and onto the buses.”
- “I'm walking a lot more. If everybody walked more we'd all be better off.”
- “Everyone at TravelSmart has been very hard working and helpful.”
- “The Green Circle information is great.”
Latest Results
Here are some of the key results from stage 2 of TravelSmart in Exeter:
We contacted 4820 households. 2884 of these households received a delivery of information materials and/or reward.
The most popular items were the local travel map, discount card and Exeter walking map.
Nine walking, cycling and public transport home visits were conducted.
Results from stage 3 of the project will be available in late 2009.
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External link: Sustrans website
External link: TravelSmart project pages
