Sixteen employees from businesses located on Nottingham Science and Nottingham Business Park have won a range of great transport-related prizes in a competition organised by Nottingham City Council’s Totally Transport project.
Transport connectivity is crucial for local business to thrive, as an efficient and mobile workforce ensures the city remains competitive. The Totally Transport project delivers targeted travel planning measures at three Nottingham business parks in using incentives and other travel planning techniques to encourage staff to choose more sustainable transport options for their daily commute.
The Totally Transport project promotes initiatives that support sustainable travel, to move away from single-person car use and towards actions that reduce business costs, congestion, carbon and emissions, improving access to the business parks for non-car owners.
Now in its second year, the Totally Transport project has worked and communicated with over 80 Nottingham companies.
Councillor Nick McDonald Portfolio Holder for Business, Growth and Transport at Nottingham City Council, said: “Businesses have a key role to play in using sustainable transport options for their vehicles and promoting greener commuting choices for their staff, such as walking, public transport, car sharing and cycling. This will reduce emissions and improve the environment. It will also reduce congestion which will make business transport easier and quicker. The City Council would like to thank all those companies that have provided the prizes for these events and congratulate all the winners.”
More than 300 staff took part in the competition at Nottingham Science Park and Nottingham Business Park in Autumn 2015, with prizes including first class train tickets to London, an annual Robin Hood Travel pass, bus passes from NCT and yourbus, a NET tram season ticket, Panthers Ice Hockey tickets and a one year Enterprise Car Club membership.
The top prize of two foldable bikes was donated by Raleigh. Director of Marketing, Pippa Wibberley said: “The Totally Transport Project is helping commuters realise there are healthier, greener ways to travel to work. Raleigh folding bikes are perfect for commuters who find a full-sized bike impractical or have never thought about cycling to work before. We hope the prize winners enjoy their new Raleigh bikes.”
The prizes will be presented to coincide with National Bike Week at the event at Yü Energy on 15th June at Nottingham Business Park. This year National Bike Week has a special focus, encouraging everyone to use their bikes to cycle to work, nationally demonstrating how cycling can easily be part of everyday working life and how everyone can benefit from the social, health and environmental benefits of cycling.
Yü Energy has taken advantage of Nottingham City Council’s Totally Transport project support by developing a strategic travel plan. Shona Clark, HR Manager said: “We were eager to improve our employees’ commute and enhance their work-life balance and we are even more enthusiastic now that many of our staff have won great prizes to help them change how they travel.”