Residents encouraged to think about sustainable transport

28 Aug 2020 ARCHIVED (over 3 months old) - view latest news

With pupils going back to school and people returning to work - residents are being asked to think about sustainable travel.

For many weeks following the COVID 19 lockdown our streets were a lot quieter as people followed Government advice to stay at home and schools closed.

Although car and public transport use has crept back up, September will see the biggest increase in traffic on roads for six months.

To coincide with this, the council is encouraging people, where possible and practical, to walk or cycle, to avoid adding to increased congestion.

If your journey isn't vital and you are able to, people are also being asked to think about avoiding travelling at peak times when the roads and public transport are likely to be busy and free up space for others that have no choice but to travel at these times.

Councillor Glen Sanderson, Cabinet Member for Environment and Local Services, said: “We really have seen a bit of a sea change over recent months, with so many people taking advantage of the quieter roads to enjoy travelling on foot, scooter and bike.

“Everything is going to get a lot busier from September so it would be great if people can think about walking or cycling to school with their children in the new term.

“Obviously this isn’t for everyone and with our huge and often remote county we know it’s not always practical, but for some it will make perfect sense.

“From next week there will be many more journeys being made and public transport capacity is constrained by the need for social distancing, so anything people can do to minimise this is very welcome.

“We also don’t want to increase congestion in general especially around schools. 

“Walking and cycling brings many other benefits in terms of reducing traffic to improve road safety, improving air quality as well of course as having massive benefits for children’s health and wellbeing.”