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People get fit and save thousands with the Connecting Wiltshire travel challenge

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People get fit and save thousands with the Connecting Wiltshire travel challenge

14 Oct 2014

People get fit and save thousands with the Connecting Wiltshire travel challenge 

People who were challenged to walk, cycle and use public transport to get to work have collectively saved almost £9,000

The Connecting Wiltshire Travel Challenge, an online competition run by Wiltshire Council and leading transport charity Sustrans, encouraged commuters to leave their car at home and use other means to get to work during September.

460 commuters signed up, and over the course of the month they saved £8,250, logged 7,439 journeys, burnt off the equivalent of nearly 4,000 jam doughnuts and replaced more than 2,500 car journeys.

Chippenham-based renewable electricity supplier Good Energy, won the overall top spot as well as the medium-sized workplace category. Salisbury District Hospital came top of the large workplaces and 74 Support Battery (The Battle Axe Company) Royal Artillery won in the small category. Each wins a contribution to pool bikes or a charity donation.

Horace Prickett, portfolio holder for transport, said: “The travel challenge has been a fantastic way to get workplaces around the county thinking about travelling more sustainably. Often people just need a little encouragement to find an alternative transport mode or an incentive not to drive what would be a 15 minute walk.

“It’s also important for employers to generate a culture where walking, cycling and using public transport to get to work becomes the norm.”

Brian Russell from north Wiltshire recently got back into cycling and decided to pedal his 11 miles to work. He said: “I’ve slowly built it from once a week to three or four times. I’ve even done a full week, which saved me more than £40 in fuel & parking. Even with an earlier start than the car I’d much rather take the bike these days. I’m now noticeably less rotund, less grumpy and feel so much better.”