Huw Thomas, Smarter Choices Programme Manager

Tackling Social Inequality by Promoting Sustainable Transport

• Sustrans – who are we?

• Transport and Social Inequality

• Group work – how to inform and change

behaviours

• Personalised Travel Planning – a solution?

Agenda

• The UK’s leading walking and cycling charity

• 500+ employees across the UK

• Major activities in Wales include

- National Cycle Network

- Education and Young People Programme

- Personalised Travel Planning (PTP)

- 3,500 Volunteers

Sustrans – who are we?

Over 50 million journeys were undertaken on the NCN in Wales last year

Sustrans’ engagement with schools see the % of children who ride to school rise

from 7% to 18%

Sustrans have worked with over 50 communities and 25 Local

Authorities across the UK changing the street-scene to make it safer

for communities to use’

Sustrans have worked with 100+ businesses in Wales, and delivered

tailored travel advice to 99000 homes, seeing a 12% drop in car

journeys.’

• Cost of car ownership

• Access to employment

• Low levels of physical activity

• Social exclusion

• Access to Healthcare

Why Transport is at the heart of Social Inequality, and why Housing Associations should care?

Cost of Travel

•300,000+ people in Wales have no car

- ½ of lone parents, and 2/3 of single pensioners

• ½ of Welsh households spend 10% of income

on transport

- as high as in 25% in high deprivation households

Access to Employment

• Lack of affordable transport a barrier for getting a

job for 4/10 job seekers

•- in a recent survey of HA tenants, figure was 7 in 10

• Childcare needs create complicated journeys

which are expensive and arduous on public

transport

- Housing demand swayed by remoteness to work

Low levels of physical activity

• Twice as likely to find it difficult to engage in

leisure activities without a car

• 34% of people in Wales report doing no

physical activity whatsoever

• 62% of HA tenants reported doing less exercise

than the recommended minimum (2.5 hour p/w)

Social Isolation

• Transport poverty disproportionately affects

people living on their own

• 2/5ths of car-less households say local bus

services fail to meet their travel needs to shops

• Access to lifelong learning opportunities also

constrained by access to transport

Access to Healthcare

• 1 in 4 people in Wales believe Hospitals to be

the most difficult places to access via public

transport

• Figures from England show 1.4 million people

in a single year missed, turned down, or did not

seek medical help because of transport

problems.

Real life Scenarios Discussion

• How might sustainable transport alleviate the

issues faced in the examples?

• How would you communicate potential

solutions with the public?

Personalised Travel Planning (PTP) – a potential solution?

• PTP works with households to offer tailored

information and support which enables people to

walk, cycle and use public transport more often

• PTP delivers measurable and sustained

reductions in car use, helping to tackle climate

change, increase levels of physical activity and

reduce traffic congestion

Personalised Travel Planning – a potential solution?

• Designed to directly address the individual’s

challenges that prevent greater use of sustainable

travel

• Focused on enabling (not telling) people to

change behaviour, when & where it suits them best

• Regular and repeated contact ensure positive

participation

• Creates an unique experience for every

participant, tailored to their needs

Tangible outcomes that deliver real benefits to households

By raising people’s awareness of Sustainable

Transport, the PTP project in Cardiff saw:

• 12% reduction in single occupancy car journey

• 13% increase in Public Transport use

• 21% increase in walking, trebling in cycling levels

• Reduction in miles driven by car equated to

an average saving of approx. £150 per home

Tangible outcomes that deliver real benefits to Housing Associations

• Improving accessibility to isolated Housing

Estates

• Employment opportunities for tenants

• Up-skilling staff to offer advice on Transport

issues

Feedback from

public ‘This project has encouraged us to do walks and bike rides we

wouldn't have thought of.’

‘It's a good programme,

if people have the

information they won't

have to hang around

waiting for buses’

‘I've taken up

cycling due to

this very informative project,

I’ve already started

noticing how much

money I’m saving.’

‘People don't always

know what's on their

doorstep, so it's good

to send out the

information’

‘My kids were so

excited when we got

the pack. They're already planning our

walks in the summer

holidays.’

‘Hopefully this'll help us

save some money as a

family.’

‘I never would have

thought of using the cycle

paths – I only knew of the

Bay Trail. It’s fantastic!’

‘My grandson caught a bus to

the airport yesterday, using the

information you sent’

‘It's a good project, there's some tidy walking

and cycling routes in the pack which is brilliant’

‘The package was a lovely treat. It had so much

information in it, and my sons have already used

the cycle trail info.’

‘It's very positive, in one single pack

we've got maps for some nice walks

we'll go on now, and also access to bus

timetables’

‘I think it's great

because you have all

the information at

your fingertips. I think

it will get people

using public transport

more!’

‘It’s great for pensioners who want to

spread their wings a bit further afield but

don't know how to go about it.’

‘It's a good idea for people who

can't get out and about to get the

information delivered to their doors

- then they know their options.’ ‘It's encouraged me to

get back on my bike.’

It’s fantastic that you’ve

delivered all these

timetables - it makes

everything so much

easier. ‘Everything was really informative

and your response and delivery was

also very efficient.’

‘It’s well worth it because your

information is so

comprehensive.’ ‘We have lived here for

10 years and have only

just realised that there's

a local train station -

now we use it every

day!’

For further information, contact me at

huw.thomas@sustrans.org.uk

02920 650602

@sustranscymru