Travel Awareness
Devon Car Free Day
Devon Car Free Day 2011
Devon County Council is encouraging residents to leave their cars at home and try a different and more sustainable way of travelling, rather than using their cars, on Thursday September 22nd. This annual event is organised as part of Devon County Council’s Sustainable Travel campaign and supports the ’International In Town Without My Car Day’.
The aim of the day is to get people to leave their cars at home, explore other options of getting to work and reduce their carbon footprint.
Hopefully, the day will help everyone that takes part to see how alternatives to the car can save money, benefit their health and help to cut congestion in Devon.
Last year, people travelled using everything from scooters to skateboards, penny farthings and fold up bikes to collapsible canoes and sack trucks, as well as the more traditional alternatives such as walking, cycling or using the bus or train.
A team of four from the Environment Agency pushed a colleague in a recycled bath on wheels almost four miles to the offices in Exminster, and pupils at Hazeldown Primary school in Teignmouth made a ‘chinese dragon’ walking bus.
Discounted bus travel on Devon Car Free Day!
Stagecoach Devon is supporting Devon Car Free Day by reducing the cost of its Explorer ticket which entitles passengers to unlimited travel on the Stagecoach network in Devon. The ticket, which normally costs £6.90, will be just £3.50 on 22 September.
Carmel Coaches is offering ‘take a friend for free’, where two adults can travel for the price of one on the following routes on Thursday 22 September.
318 - Okehampton to North Tawton
648 - Okehampton to Iddesleigh
670 - Cheriton Bishop to Okehampton
678 - Cheriton Fitzpaine to Exeter
Events at Fresha café, Sowton Industrial Estate, Exeter:
- Produce a cycle helmet or a valid bus ticket for a free drink with every meal bought on Sept 22nd
- Bike surgery by Sidwell Cycles on the lawn area 12-2pm - give your bike some TLC
- Collect some sustainable travel literature, leaflets, maps and freebies including Stagecoach taster tickets, find out more about health awareness and have your blood pressure tested! 12 -2pm (inside if the weather is iffy!)
Free breakfast for Exeter's car-free commuters!
On Thursday 22nd September, Co-cars will be providing free breakfasts for car-free commuters: people travelling to work by foot, bike, bus, train, basically anything but a car! The event is supported by Stagecoach, The Fruit Tree, and Devon County Council. From 07.30am to 09.30am, Co-cars will be at the High St end of Bedford St in Exeter handing out lovely Bon Gout breakfast treats.
The Bike Shed will be on hand to provide free bike check-ups whilst Stagecoach and Transition Exeter will be there to offer advice on how to live happily with less car use in your life. Co-cars will have information on Exeter Car Club and the pay-as-you-go motoring services it offers businesses to reduce costs and provide staff with access to a car when at work. Devon County Council will be able to give you information on CarshareDevon and Exeter Sustainable Business Network will be advising on what businesses can do to reduce costs and carbon emissions from business travel.
For more information go to co-cars.co.uk/carfreecommute.
How organisations can support Devon Car Free Day
We have lots of ideas of how you can get your workplace to support Devon Car Free Day and you can download posters to display 
(239KB - pdf help). There are two versions of the poster - one includes space for you to write details of your own events. To help you support the day, and encourage your staff to leave their cars at home, we are offering employers the chance to apply for a small amount of match funding. The purpose of this is to enable you to run initiatives that will enable your staff to try walking, cycling or using public transport. Organisations must match the contribution financially, or with staff time. Find out how to get your organisation involved.
