Forums Forums Wirral Information Wirral info New Drive to Cut Congestion Starts in Wirral

Thousands of residents in Heswall, Pensby, Irby and Thingwall are being invited to take part in a pioneering TravelWise initiative, which aims to reduce peak-time congestion on the main routes into Birkenhead and Liverpool city centre. The TravelWise Personal Travel Planning project is set to challenge around 10,000 households in the area to opt for greener modes of travel - such as public transport, walking or cycling - instead of jumping in the car.

The project will run until the end of September. As part of the initiative, a TravelWise team will be visiting residents in Heswall, Pensby, Irby and Thingwall to offer a free personalised travel service to cut the cost, time, hassle and carbon emissions from their journeys. Participants will be offered free support, information and discounts to help them try out smarter ways to travel.

Neil Scales, Chair of the Merseyside Transport Partnership and Chief Executive and Director General of Merseytravel, believes the project will help reduce carbon emissions and congestion in the area.

He said: “Households with at least one car often have certain barriers to using more sustainable methods of transport – they tell us that they don’t know anything about bus routes, or they don’t know a lower-traffic route for cycling. Our bespoke personal travel planning approach, which will see TravelWise teams speaking to residents face-to-face, will address the individual needs of people in these areas by offering tailored support and incentives.

“Part of the challenge is to remind people who rely on their cars about the alternatives available. For example, we have some excellent bus links from Heswall, Pensby, Irby and Thingwall into Birkenhead and Liverpool, which are cheaper and faster than the driving commute. We also offer support for cyclists (and those who want to give cycling a go), in the form of access to free cycle maps which show easy cycle routes, led rides during the summer months, and cycle skills sessions.”

The TravelWise Personal Travel Planning project in Heswall, Pensby, Irby and Thingwall was set up following the success of a smaller pilot project in South Liverpool last year. This scheme saw an increase of almost 10 percent in the use of sustainable travel and a reduction in car use by more than 10 percent. It was extremely popular with residents and those participating in the scheme also cut their carbon emissions considerably.

Councillor Jean Quinn, Chair of Merseyside Transport and Planning Committee, commented: “Helping people to find travel options which are cheaper, healthier and greener is key to cutting congestion, improving air quality and making the roads safer. This TravelWise initiative is about helping people see how making some journeys by bus, train, bike or walking can be better for everyone.

For more information on the initiative, and to find out how to take part, visit www.LetsTravelWise.org or pop in to see the TravelWise Personal Travel Planning team at the TravelWise Personal Travel Planning Office, which is above Thornton’s on Downham Road South. The office will be open until the end of September between 10am-12pm Monday to Friday.

Cracking idea to introduce this in the summer

Unfortunatly its not as much fun in the winter - waiting in the cold / wet / wind, to get on a crowded, dirty, bus / train, which takes you much longer to get home and costs you more....

Unfortunatly, our public transport system sucks!

That is also why I can't see this idea working

Well said Stuy It's also ok when the buses DO turn up!! On Saturday, I was intending on getting a specific bus (run by Avon Buses), it was missed out and so I ended up having to wait an hour for another bus that could even get me close to where I needed to be, then get a taxi from there to my destination as there were no other buses or trains that went close and it's not walking distance!!

If they want to get people on public transport, make the companies run to the timetable they state! If they don't run on time or miss buses out, pull the plug on that company and tender it out to a company that WILL run it properly!! I have to say, it's not the first time I've had issues with Avon - they frequently miss stops out, generally the one on Victoria Parade.

When you have to be in a certain place at a certain time, such as college for me, and they miss the bus out, it not only makes you look tardy for turning up to class late and make you annoyed for being made to be late, it also means that I am paying for a College course that I am not getting the full benefit from due to Avon not being able to run their service properly!

The fares are akin to highway robbery, to the point where it's actually cheaper to run a car than travel by public transport.

They need to sort the grass roots of the service out first before spending time and money on what is no more than a publicity stunt!!

I bet theres a few drinks in it for him...

...it had to be a plan to line someones pocket with more cash...

I'd be interested to know what the carbon emissions are for a bus, just out of curiosity

Ah so there looking for wirral residents to fund Liverpools Tram scheme again either that or foot the bill for the submarine down at woodside.
I still dont understand how one company can control the tunnels, rail network and transport links across to Liverpool. Seems like a win win situation, I pity those that have to travel over every day. have they re opened the liverpool loop yet?
katrina

What a joke - the bus service in the Heswall area is none existant - people can't afford an extra 2+ hours a day travelling - quality of life and all that.

If they want people to use the bus, they have to provide the buses.

The Liverpool buses from Heswall go round the world, visiting Rome, Sydney and such like places - they are the slowest way of getting to Liverpool, not quicker than driving.