Peterborough – A Sustainable Travel Demonstration Town

Measures, Results and Lessons Learned

PETERBOROUGH – A SUSTAINABLE TRAVEL DEMONSTRATION TOWN MEASURES, RESULTS AND LESSONS LEARNED This report has been written ahead of a major technical report on area-wide Smarter Choice programmes, including outcomes, evidence and cost:benefit analysis of programmes. It summarises the more detailed Travelchoice Review – summary of projects to 2008/9. The final research report on all three STDTs was published by the Department for Transport on 22 February 2010. The purpose of this report is to provide an overview of the initiatives undertaken and summarise some of the key results. 1.0 ABOUT TRAVELCHOICE In 2004 the Department for Transport (DfT) invested £10 million in trialling large scale areawide Smarter Choices programmes in three towns: Darlington, Peterborough and Worcester. These Sustainable Travel Demonstration Towns (STDTs) were tasked with implementing a holistic package of measures over five years to encourage greater use of walking, cycling, public transport and car sharing by: • Improving sustainable travel information • Enhancing infrastructure provision • Using technology to inform and promote • Providing services to enable greater uptake of sustainable modes of travel • Raising awareness of travel options within the city In order to give the project a local identity it was branded ‘Travelchoice’ – reflecting the importance of individual travel choices. Associated slogans, such as “Your Travelchoice in Peterborough” and “Your city, your move”, emphasised the importance of residents making their own travel choices, but also that they should make positive choices benefiting the city.

A comprehensive bid document was compiled in 2004 in order to secure the DfT funding – ‘On The Move In Town: Creating a Sustainable Travel Demonstration Town’. It listed 18 subschemes which together made up Peterborough’s Smarter Choices package. 2.0 SCOPE The nature of the grant funding from the DfT meant that the primary focus was on the urban core of Peterborough rather than the whole Peterborough City Council authority area (which includes a number of smaller and more rural villages). These areas have less potential for change, with the highest potential in urban areas due to a larger number of trips starting and ending here and in general, better transport infrastructure and services.

From April 1st 2009, Travelchoice became fully funded by the city council. From this point on, Travelchoice services have been delivered across the whole of the unitary boundary, with an action plan specifically developed for the rural areas. In order to maximise the impact of Travelchoice, Peterborough City Council committed to delivering a parallel capital programme worth £2.18 million through Local Transport Plan capital funding.

3.0 SCHEMES DELIVERED 2004-2009 Below is a list of the projects delivered as a result of the STDT funding: 1. Individualised Travel Marketing (ITM). ITM was offered to 30,006 households across Peterborough between September 2005 and December 2007. The ‘My Travelchoice’ project contacted 24,333 households and sent out 153,594 pieces of tailored travel information households who requested an information pack. Follow up visits were offered and eco driver packs were issued to those not interested or able to change their travel mode to encourage more sustainable driving. Local partners supported ITM by providing free information resources (e.g. GNER timetables, Ramblers Association leaflets). Stagecoach also carried out the bus-related home visits. 2. Research and evaluation. Research has been carried out in line with DfT requirements. In 2004 Sustrans / Socialdata carried out travel behaviour research in all three STDTs – to document baseline data. This was repeated in late 2008 to see how attitudes and behaviour have altered throughout the life of the project. The results are discussed in more detail in section 4.0. In October 2007 a brand awareness survey was completed with 890 members of the Citizen’s Panel, to review the impact of Travelchoice services and information. This data informed the development of sustainable transport marketing, information resources and services. 3. Marketing and promotion. The Travelchoice brand has underpinned the entire project. The name and logo has become synonymous with sustainable transport messages and information in the city. The team have undertaken a rolling programme of adverts and competitions, have had a visible presence at local events (e.g. Green Festival, Weeks of Action) and have developed a variety of information leaflets and resources, maps, posters and flyers, distributed throughout the city at libraries, community centres, schools, businesses, etc. A large volume of press releases have been issued about key initiatives to generate positive press coverage, and PR has been used to promote campaigns and events (such as the Commuter Challenge, Thank You campaign, Travelchoice Week and 50 bike giveaway and a Ministerial visit). This element of Travelchoice remains an important part of the programme and continues to be expanded. 4. More cycling. Cycling has been promoted via the creation and sales of a city-wide cycle map, rural cycle guides, Cycle Revolution festivals, Bike Week events, information leaflets, cycle maintenance classes, the Inner Tube e-newsletter and adult cycle training. Alongside this were various infrastructure improvements including an annual programme of improvements to the Primary Cycle Network, increased cycle parking provision, citywide signage review with improvements and the provision of advice to developers and on planning applications. 5. Walking and safety. Walking has been encouraged via the development of information materials on walking, coordination of walking promotions and events (2007 Pedometer Challenge, 2009 Walk to Work Week), Walking Network Prioritisation report, LTP2 Health Impact Assessment and the provision of expert advice on walking infrastructure for planning applications. 6. Business travel planning. This scheme involves engaging with local businesses and delivering a support service to aid in the development of travel plans (both voluntary based and through the planning process). The services include online surveys, e-

newsletters, seminars and training, site audits, promotional events and materials, an accreditation scheme and annual awards ceremony. Two area wide travel plans have been established in collaboration with the Highways Agency. Over time, this scheme expanded to include negotiating with developers to secure S106 contributions for workplace and residential developments, commenting on travel plans with planning applications to ensure robust documents were submitted and monitoring. In 2009/10 a Business Grant Scheme was launched enabling businesses to apply for up to £3k for infrastructure to facilitate sustainable travel. 7. Urban traffic control – did not proceed. Delivered by separate team. 8. Real time passenger information (RTPI) - Real time information has been (and continues to be) rolled out in key bus stops across the city through a contract with ACIS and a consortium of local authorities (Cambridgeshire, Central Bedfordshire, Bedford Borough and Luton). Stagecoach has been a major partner and is committed to the ongoing maintenance of the equipment installed on their vehicles. The Bus Strategy required developers to upgrade shelters without RTPI. 9. Passenger information screens - Two Thin Film Transistor (TFT) displays have been installed in the Queensgate shopping centre. They display bus station departure information, which is real time information where possible. This enables shoppers to find out whether their bus has arrived and if so, to which bay prior to walking to the bus station. 10. Interactive website – due to various problems with integrating the Travelchoice site to the city council’s site, the Travelchoice website is now due to be launched on 7 April 2010. 11. Interactive kiosk – One kiosk was installed in Queensgate Bus Station as a trial. Connected to the Traveline journey planner, it enables travellers to plan their journey by public transport then print out the details of their journey. The kiosk now links to the interactive journey map, so travellers have a more visual way of selecting departure points and destinations in Peterborough, without having to know bus stop names. Whilst the kiosk is useful outside of the Travelchoice Centre opening hours, there are reliability issues which have yet to be resolved. There are therefore no plans to roll these out throughout the city. 12. Travel information centre – The Travelchoice Centre is located in Queensgate Bus Station and employs three Travel Assistants providing face-to-face help for up to 400 customers a day. The Centre provides information on public transport, walking and cycling, as well as selling season tickets for local travel and tickets for national and international bus journeys. Income is maximised by becoming a ticket agent for public transport operators to increase its level of self sufficiency. 13. Interactive map - This online map shows walking, cycling and bus routes, as well as stop specific information such as service numbers and Text & Go codes. Users can search for the start or end point of their journey by postcode, street name, place of interest, bus stop or area. There are three options for information to overlay on the map: points of interest, bus routes, cycling and walking routes. The map doesn’t currently allow users to pan around which reduces its usability and is a function that will be explored next financial year. 14. Integrated sustainable transport guide – Known as Local area guides, these are a series of five A2 sized maps, each covering a specific area of the city. They show bus, cycling and walking routes as well as bus service frequency information and Text&Go codes. An inset map of the city centre is included, as well as a map of bus service routes across Peterborough. Additional information such as places of interest (e.g. schools, doctors surgeries are featured, mirroring the information available in the online interactive map). These maps are the most popular Travelchoice resources.

15. Sustainable transport interchange information – Forty eight interchange displays have been installed at key bus stops, giving bus passengers the information they need to transfer to the next leg of their journey by bus or on foot. They include maps of the bus network, local area and walking isochrones, as well as frequency tables and destinations of all bus routes served by the stop. They are situated at key bus route interchange points such as major employment centres, local shopping centres, visitor attractors, health centres etc. 16. Smartcard – A smartcard feasibility study was commissioned to look at when and how a trial of on-bus smartcard technology might be run within the authority. It was decided early on that the smartcard finances should be transferred to the roll out of a pledge card, which rewards those who pledge to use sustainable travel. People sign a pledge and are issued with a good going card. This card entitles the holder to discounts at participating shops and services. Members also receive a quarterly newsletter providing information about events, bus service changes, news and discounts. There are currently over 6500 members. (Stagecoach is currently trialling a citywide Smartcard scheme). 17. Route branding - Two routes in the city had innovative way finding markings installed in April 2006, consisting of solar studs, thermoplastic markers and bronze plaques. Benefits included improved navigation (especially for the visually impaired and those with poor literacy), reduced conflict between pedestrians and cyclists, lower susceptibility to damage and vandalism than traditional signage and reducing street clutter. LED studs also improve night time way finding and delineate the edge of the path. It is estimated that maintenance costs of the route branding are approximately a quarter of the annual maintenance cost of traditional signage. 18. Homezone – not progressed. Alongside the above schemes, a number of other initiatives were undertaken as the opportunity arose: Citi 6 Trial Route Extension – A subsidy paid to Stagecoach enabled them to trial extending their Citi 6 route connecting Hampton and the city centre (Queensgate bus station) to also include the rail station on a 20 minute frequency. The trail was funded by Travelchoice from July – August 2006 and resulted in the service extension being made permanent and run on a commercial basis by Stagecoach. Text & Go – An SMS text messaging service allowing users to find out the time and service number of the next three scheduled bus departures from their stop. Passengers text the bus stop code (on a flag) to 84268 to receive a reply. A charge of 25p per reply (plus cost of a text message) was introduced in April 09 but monitoring (by Kizoom, the service operator) has proven this has not had a negative impact on the use of this popular service. Local Link Contribution – Lease costs for an Optare Solo vehicle, as well as its electronic destination display equipment, were paid for one year to support the Local Link bus service, which is run by the council and operates socially necessary routes. Travel Training – A small amount of matched funding was applied to a Learning & Skills Council funded project, trialling on-bus travel training for vulnerable adults and young people needing to access post-16 education. This project ran from January 2007 to January 2008 and was project managed in parallel to the Travelchoice project overall. Car Sharing website - an online journey matching service (www.carsharepeterborough.com) was set up in 2005. Part of the Liftshare group, the site allows members to register and search for a car share match for their journey. Originally the service was for car share journeys only, but the Share It function has been added on to enable people to find buddies to walk/cycle with and taxi sharers too. There are currently in excess of 1000 members. Peterborough City Council Travel Plan – Travelchoice has supported the council travel plan since April 2004 by funding the Senior Travel Plan Officer, who project managed the

travel plan as part of their post. Measures included production of a fold out map and travel guide which was circulated to all staff, the upgrade of cycle and shower facilities in two key buildings and several promotional events and competitions. School Travel Plans – this area of work was moved into Travelchoice following a restructure in April 2008. Incorporating school travel into the team enabled a coordinated and consistently branded approach to travel behaviour change. As well as working to secure travel plans, promotional events and campaigns were undertaken (such as Walk to School Week, Bike to School Week), including the launch of the Travelchoice mascot, ‘Carloss’. This is an expanding area with further plans discussed in section 6.0 Trapeze Novus Scheduling Software – This scheduling software was purchased to enable more efficient management of the Community Link, school transport, volunteer and casual drivers, etc. vehicle fleet. It enabled a move from manual to automated route scheduling which offered a better service for customers, reducing the likelihood of them seeking to travel independently (possibly by single occupancy vehicle or taxi).

4.0 RESULTS Behavioural results Two main research tools were used in the 2004 and 2008 surveys: • Household and individual travel surveys consisting of a questionnaire sent to each household in the survey sample (4000 people); and • In-depth interviews to collect information about attitudes, reasons for mode choice and potentials for travel behaviour change (400 people). The results of the latter survey were published in March 2009. The key findings are listed below: • • •

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From 2004-2008, there was a 9% reduction in car driver trips per person per year, a 14% increase in walking trips, 12% increase in cycling trips and 35% increase in public transport trips In 2004, people spent 52 minutes a day travelling and with increased use of sustainable transport, this rose by just 4 minutes per day in 2008. Travel characteristics remained unchanged between 2004 and 2008, despite showing a shift towards greater use of sustainable travel. Trip purpose also remained unchanged, with 22% of all journeys being made by for work purposes, 23% shopping, 12% education and 26% leisure in 2008. Between 2004 and 2008, there was a reduction of 31 million car kilometres per year, leading to a saving of 6,400 tonnes of CO2 per year Time spent using active forms of travel (walking and cycling) rose 16% from 20042008. 90% of trips were within Peterborough in 2008 compared to 83% in 2004

The research also identified areas with further potential for change: • • •

Cycling, in particular, showed a substantial potential for further growth, providing a viable alternative for 42% of local car trips in 2008, up from 26% in 2004. In 2004, 27% of car journeys in Peterborough were less than 3km – a distance which most people could easily walk or cycle. In 2008, this was 21%. By 2008, the share of local car trips in Peterborough made solely for subjective reasons (i.e. where people could feasibly have used an alternative mode) had increased from 39% to 51%;

Brand Awareness and Influence

The brand recognition survey carried out in November 2007 showed that 67% of local residents were familiar with the Travelchoice brand, which is a very high level of brand awareness. The survey also showed that 77% of local residents have read at least one Travelchoice information resource in the last two years and overall participants who had read Travelchoice information or used a Travelchoice service were over twice as likely to say they have changed either ‘a lot’ or ‘a little’ to more sustainable transport modes in the last year.

Traffic counts and screenline data Monitoring for LTP target CONG9 shows walking has increased by 11% since 2005/6. This is supported by urban Screenline data, which shows a clear increase in walking since Travelchoice began in 2004. Screenline data and counters for cycle trips show less conclusive evidence that the overall number has gone up but this could be due to a number of factors (including the locations of the counters not being ideally placed to capture commuter trips by bike). Bus patronage has increased considerably since 2004, both in terms of actual passengers and trips per head of population (thus ensuring it is not just population increase that has lead to higher bus use). This increase could be due to a number of reasons –the wide scale marketing and promotion via Travelchoice, the network review and enhancement (consisting of £2m of improvements to the Stagecoach bus fleet, the creation of the Citi network plus the city council’s Local Link bus services) and the relationships between bus operators and the Council’s Passenger Transport teams. It is also important to note that other influences will have had an impact on bus patronage and traffic counts, for example long term road works at Town Bridge and changing social demographics due to inward migration. It can therefore be difficult to disaggregate exactly what impact Travelchoice has had in bringing about the change. However, even if the change is not always a direct result of Travelchoice’s interventions, Travelchoice has certainly helped enable the change with the improvements made to the information provided. Additional results Aside form the data listed above, there have been a number of secondary benefits of Travelchoice. The health of the population has not been assessed as part of this project but as active travel has increased, we would expect some positive impact on health. Travelchoice has also helped bolster the effects of other projects (for example Climate Change/Carbon Reduction projects, Change for Life, NHS Peterborough projects, Business Envestors, Healthy Workplaces etc). By its nature, Travelchoice has received a large amount of positive publicity and as such has helped bolster the image of the city council locally and more widely, which has lead to national interest in Peterborough. As well as growing economically, Peterborough has aspirations to build on our reputation as a centre for environmentally focused businesses and organisations, drawing more of these employers in to the city. This will create a local business community, who factor environmental concerns in to their decision making, looking to locate to a city which enables sustainable living and working. Travelchoice showcases Peterborough as a leader in the sustainable transport field, proving to potential investors and residents that it is a city with the right environmental credentials, where they will be enabled to make sustainable travel choices. 5.0 LESSONS LEARNED

Implementing Travelchoice has been an exciting challenge for PCC. As with any demonstration project many lessons have been learnt along the way. A summary of the lessons learnt are briefly discussed below: • •

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It is essential to have a clear, consistent and accessible brand. This is necessary to ensure recognition and to tie together information, marketing campaigns and events. Joint working with internal and external stakeholders will maximise the impact of projects and can lead to bigger benefits. Linking to complimentary projects reinforces the work of other teams both within the council and externally. Joint promotions have enabled funding to go further, for example, running joint road safety promotions for the ‘Be Safe, Be Seen’ and ‘I’ll be Des’ campaigns, where safe cycling and public transport/car sharing are promoted respectively. Wherever possible ‘lock in’ benefits through sustainable transport route and service improvements, as well as measures to discourage car use. Peterborough has not developed any parallel locking in initiatives which would discourage car use (e.g. car parking price increase, reallocation of road space), preferring to focus on the politically positive approach which the Smarter Choices programme provides. Secure senior management support the aims of the project. This will ensure it a high profile in decision making and that a joined up approach is taken to other policy and delivery areas. Have a robust programme outlined at the start but keep it flexible. A flexible approach helps as obstacles come up and new opportunities present themselves. Often this leads to unexpected ‘wins’. Exploit any media/PR opportunity – press releases are free and depending on the topic can often generate media interest, resulting in a large amount of free publicity (via radio, publications). Implementing new technology needs patience (especially if untested). Behaviour change is most effect during key life changes (such as moving house, changing schools, retiring etc). With this in mind, Travelchoice developed Passport to Travel booklets for new residents and Transport to Healthcare booklets for people regularly accessing healthcare facilities. Employers are encouraged to offer travel information to new employees and travel packs are secured through S106 obligations for new residential developments. Recruit an enthusiastic delivery team. Persuading others to change their behaviour is not easy. It is therefore essential for those doing the persuading to be advocates themselves. Staff that cycle or catch the bus to local meetings, even carrying materials on a bike trailer sends out a strong message. Enthusiasm and leading by example is crucial and will result in a team who bring energy and new ideas to the programme.

6.0 FUTURE PLANS From 2009/10 Travelchoice has been mainstreamed into core council business and the team is now funded by the city council. This resulted in the focus changing from the urban core to the whole of the unitary boundary. Widening the geographical area targeted by Travelchoice initiatives (rural as well as urban) is clearly a big challenge alone. However, for the short term (2009/10-2010-11), the team will primarily focus on delivering projects to impact on the key target areas identified as areas for potential change. In general, these are: • •

Cycling in general (though campaigns will focus on differing demographics). Targeted measures towards meeting the specific needs of rural areas. Initially to understand the issues, then work to develop measures to increase travel choice in the rural areas. Initiatives currently being explored include how to better promote car sharing, taxi sharing, cycle training, implementing electric bikes, pool cycles, route branding, way finding, cycle parking, rural real time passenger information, using new technology (e.g. internet shopping) etc.

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New Travelchoice website (due to be launched early April) with special sections for local businesses and schools working on travel plans. Plus downloads, You Tube videos, an image gallery, virtual bus stop and colour coded information making it easy to navigate. Travel to school – (NI198). Travelchoice now offers a support service to schools hoping to establish Walking Buses and Park and Stride sites. City wide events are planned for primary and secondary including a new Miles Better project (a week long event promoting all forms of sustainable travel to school), cycle maintenance programme and Travel Zone maps (displaying walking and cycling isochrones to be displayed in receptions and used in lessons). Promotional materials and lesson plans are offered to link sustainable travel to the curriculum, and events planned with partners, using Carloss the Travelchoice mascot. Employed males/females – the behavioural research showed that this segment (particularly males) was the most likely to drive for any trip purpose. As a result, local employers will be targeted through the business travel plan work. Closer work with health partners on active travel measures. Promotion of ‘greener’ driving techniques through awareness raising with the Institute of Advanced Motoring and Road Safety team. Linking real time passenger information to the Text&Go service eblaing users to find out the actual departure times of their bus service. To introduce a car club in new developments. Enhance work with local developers to secure contributions for sustainable travel and ensure connectivity to the existing network. Work will also continue to ensure sustainable travel is a major feature within the city council’s policies (e.g Local Development Framework and Local Transport Plan 3.

Whilst this provides an overview of the projects the team will seek to deliver over the next 1224 months, this list is not exhaustive. New projects will be explored as they arise and new ideas are always welcomed. With any behavioural change programme, there will always be a need to revisit some areas as people, habits and circumstances change.

7.0 SUMMARY The sustainable travel demonstration town (STDT) funding has meant that Peterborough is currently at the forefront of national best practice in the behaviour change field. The Travelchoice measures have made positive contributions to many city wide social, environmental and economic objectives. As well as reducing car use, the funding has resulted in a number of other benefits being realised that were not previously anticipated. Such as, significant carbon savings and a number of unquantifiable benefits such as increased employment opportunities for those without access to a car, reduced impact on the natural environment, better community engagement and improved accessibility. It is hoped that using the robust data collected thus far and the lessons learned from the STDT project, Travelchoice will be able to continue to deliver innovative projects and continue to bring about a wide range of benefits. For further information, contact Nicola Francis, Travelchoice Team Manager: [email protected] 01733 317484 www.travelchoice.org.uk