Travel Awareness
Devon Car Free Day
Devon County Council is saying a big thank you to everyone who went the extra mile by taking part in Devon’s Car Free Day event on Tuesday 22 September. The day is organised as part of the TravelWise campaign and supports the International Car Free Day.
The fun and creative element raised the awareness of this annual event, however everyone who took part in the day by leaving their car at home deserves recognition for doing their bit to reduce our carbon footprint and make a difference to our environment.
All of the organisations which pledged to encourage and support their staff to take part in Devon Car Free Day were entered into Devon County Council’s draw to win £1,000 to be spent on green travel initiatives. The 2009 £1,000 prize for supporting the day was won by Friends Provident, at Winslade Park, Exeter who will use the funding towards a bus shelter for their site. The photo below shows Councillor Stuart Hughes awarding Adrian Fursman of Friends Provident with the cheque.
In the Environment Agency SW Region the aim was for the office car parks to be completely empty on Car Free Day but the EA took the idea one step further. Staff were asked to be car free for both commuting and business journeys for the whole fortnight.
Staff at the Environment Agency’s Exminster Offices threw themselves enthusiastically into the Car Free Day initiative.
Pandora Best attempted one of the more unusual journeys to work and took leave to fit in her epic trip. She drove her pony, Rowena, and trap from Hutcherleigh, near Blackawton, to Exminster, and raised funds for three charities, Wateraid, Caspian Horse Society and Devon Air Ambulance in the process. To arrive in work on Tuesday 22 September Pandora travelled from Sunday evening as Rowena should not do more than about 20 miles in a day and the journey was about 35 miles. She also tried to avoid driving in rush hour and heat of the day.
Robert Harwood, an environmental management team leader, has always been a stalwart supporter of creative ways of getting to work on Devon Car Free Day. In past years Robert has pushed a colleague the 2.5 miles from his home in Kennford to his office in Exminster in a wheel barrow, a wheelie bin and a shopping trolley that the Environment Agency had pulled out of a river. This year he used a home-made sedan chair and with three willing helpers carried a colleague to work. Robert said “It took an hour and a half and was rather hard work but we like a challenge. I hope the publicity we got through the day inspires others to leave their car at home more often”
At the Old Deanery, Exeter Diocesan staff took over their car park to hold a picnic. Drivers were encouraged to find alternative travel arrangements that day and cut their car use by about two-thirds. Some cycled, some took the bus or train, and others car-shared.
Those who did use their cars were encouraged to make a £10 donation to the Church of England's new 'Climate Justice Fund'.
Martyn Goss, Director of the Council for Church & Society said, "It shows what can happen if people creatively question their lifestyles. We don't have to be so dependent on the car all the time, and together we can make a difference to our community and the environment."
EDF Energy supported car free day by devising a competition for staff that currently have a parking space. All staff who gave up their space at least one day per week over four consecutive weeks starting on Car Free day were entered into a competition to win an iPod shuffle. At Tor Homes in Totnes all staff who took part in Car Free Day were offered a £5 Marks and Spencers voucher.
There was a great response to Car Free Day at Parsons Brinckerhoff in Exeter with one staff member travelling 70 miles to get to work by a combination of car sharing, bus and walking! There was a wide range of transport used including scooters, skateboards, car sharing, park and ride, cycling and walking with a prize draw held for those who travelled in a sustainable way.
At Dartmoor National Park Authority staff supporting the day were offered ‘fresh from the local baker’ croissants on arrival at Parke in Bovey Tracey. The DNP Ranger Service made a commitment to keep their vehicles off the road. Teign Valley Sector ranger Simon Lee cycled from Hennock to Bridford and then hiked out of the village carrying the equipment to clear a route for walkers. He walked on to survey more public rights of way in the parish of Bridford and said he had a busy but enjoyable and productive Landrover free day.
- Rangers blog
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A number of employees from the Mouchel office based in Topsham travelled to work by bike train, collecting staff at various stops including Sowton park and Cycle Station, on the way. Staff later used their near-empty car park for a lunch-time football kick around.
At Jacobs in Exeter 32 staff took part this year and used a mixture of walking, cycling, public transport and car sharing.
At Charles-Stanley’s Exeter office branch manager Chris Harris-Deans cycled to work and to his various meetings throughout the day
Amongst the rest of the office there was plenty of participation with many people walking, whilst those with further to go car-shared or got on trains, buses and bikes. Those who couldn’t (or wouldn’t) leave their cars at home had to pay a per mile ‘fine’ to charity. Assistant Branch Director Charlotte Lambeth said “In a funny way we were pleased to have raised very little for charity as our "fines" were very low!”
Andrew Rumming, a manager at South West Regional Development Agency, canoed from Topsham up the river Exe to the quay in Exeter. He then clipped wheels on the canoe and wheeled it to the Sterling House car park at Dix’s Field, where he had reserved a parking space.
Andrew said: “I live next to the Exe and it happened to be a large rising tide, so I got a free ride up the estuary to the base of the Countess Weir where I had to take the boat in and out the water and then up the river to the Quay. It took a bit more planning and an extra half an hour than my normal cycle to work, but I got great views of kingfishers and it was nice to glide under the traffic jam on bridge road. Turning your commute into something fun and relaxing has major benefits to both your work and home life”.
Exeter City Council had a good response with 150 staff taking part across eight sites. Everyone who took part was entered into a prize draw to win a smart monitor. A prize was also given to the member of staff who cycled the furthest (18 miles each way) and travelled the furthest by public transport (50 miles).
At South Hams District Council officers cycled to work in Totnes from as far afield as Ivybridge and Brixham. One planning officer cycled to Follaton House in Totnes, then on to the station, and took her cycle on the train to a meeting in Exeter.
At Pynes Hill Business Park in Exeter the businesses joined forces to organise a Travel Awareness event. Free cycle security marking and a Dr. Bike service were on offer and staff who came to sign up to www.carsharedevon.com were offered a free lunch. At the Liverpool Victoria offices several people left their cars at home and took advantage of the discounted bus fares whilst one person cycled to Pynes Hill from Chulmeigh.
Tim Spores, director of Fields of Sidmouth, decided to lead by example and cycle 22 miles to work. He said “I believe the greatest threat faced by the human race is the destruction of our planet by our own actions. While one individual can only have a miniscule effect, I thought it was a good idea to take part to show our employees that everyone can do something, no matter how small. If everyone does a little it adds up to a lot.
Many schools across Devon also supported Devon Car Free Day.
There was a great response from the pupils and parents at Feniton Primary School who arrived in a variety of ways. Prizes were awarded to the most inventive which included push chairs, stilts, home made carts and 4 legged.
Feniton Primary School also won £100 worth of national book vouchers from Devon County Council TravelWise for these entries into the schools photgraphy competition.
Seven year old Louise Arnold and her mother cycled a very hilly 4.5 miles from Butterleigh to The Duchy school in Bradninch and back home again. Mrs Arnold said Louise didn't moan once about any of the hills and was motivated by her decision to raise funds for Children in Need.
Whipton Barton Junior school in Exeter is a Bike It school and there was a very good level of support from pupils and teachers. Eighty bicycles were ridden in to school plus four scooters and a skateboard. Other children did the conga or hopscotch or used roller-skates on the way to school. Two of the teachers car shared and then piggy backed the final bit.
The school also held a green travellers breakfast which was funded by Sustrans, had a cycle obstacle course, a Dr Bike clinic, and a large bicycle was coloured in with chalk on the playground.
Webber's Church of England Primary School, in Holcombe Rogus supported Car Free Day in a big way. Headteacher, Deborah Eveleigh,said "It was a really exciting day! During our school assembly we heard about all the interesting ways that children came to school by horse, pogo stick, space hoppers, roller blades, hopping, crawling, three-legged, a two legged scooter, and a bicycle as well as the usual walking and car sharing. We then had a whole school vote as to the most inventive and thetwo children who wheel barrowed each other from the other end of the village won book tokens!
Morchard Bishop Primary School head teacher Ann Palmer said "There were many splendid efforts. One boy got up early and rode to school on his horse and two brothers roller bladed about a mile uphill.One boy cycled over 5 miles (with his Mum!) Even the school administrator ran to work. We had scooters, skate boards, heelies, roller boots and bikes galore here all day and one of our Teaching Assistants said it was great to walk through the village this morning as there were so many more people out and about to chat to.
The congregation at St. Mary’s Parish Church in Willand was encouraged to hold a car free Sunday on 20th September. The majority of people walked, cycled, scooted or car shared with Clair, Roger and the Tancock family stealing the show when they arrived in wheelie bins!
Members of Belmont Chapel in Exeter took some extra time on Sunday,
27th September to leave their cars at home and find new ways to get to church. The event, which they called ‘Slow Down Sunday’, encouraged members to walk, cycle, car-pool, or take public transport to church in order to reduce their impact on the environment. The day was also made possible by 11 new bike racks which were joint-funded by Cycle Exeter, a scheme run by Devon County Council.
