One of UK’s biggest personal travel initiatives kicks-off in Merseyside

The biggest travel project of its kind outside London has been launched this week in Merseyside.

An innovative package of personally tailored support - including free travel passes - is to be offered to thousands of people to encourage them to take the bus or cycle into Liverpool city centre.

The TravelWise Merseyside initiative will target more than 3,500 households along the popular '79' bus route through Childwall, offering free personal travel planning (PTP) advice in a bid to promote sustainable transport in the city region.

The aim of the TravelWise Childwall initiative is to support local people in the travel choices they make and to encourage use of the bus, or cycling and walking - particularly on peak hour trips into Liverpool city centre - and so help reduce congestion and carbon emissions.

Pilot PTP projects have been carried out in other English towns, but this is the first time PTP has been applied on this scale in a metropolitan area.

Neil Scales, Chair of the Merseyside Local Tranpsort Plan (LTP) Partnership and Chief Executive and Director General of Merseytravel, said: "This is a fantastic opportunity for Merseyside to lead the way in helping people make smarter travel choices that can benefit them by saving money, getting fitter, or feeling less stressed as they travel around the city.

"At the same time, people feel good by doing 'their bit' to mitigate climate change by helping cut carbon emissions, and ease congestion to help make the roads safer for everyone."

Throughout August and September, a specially trained TravelWise team will speak directly with residents in Childwall - knocking on doors and providing tailor-made packages of support, including free bus passes and information and advice on how they can make better travel choices, in a bid to encourage people to change their travel behaviour.

Childwall was chosen for the pilot because it has good public transport links into the city. At a meeting to launch the project, Councillor Peter Millea, Executive Member Assets and Development, Liverpool City Council, commented: "The Childwall initiative has significant potential for success because its good public transport links offer people who drive into the city real alternatives. And with the rising costs of fuel, this is an ideal time for people to be thinking about reducing car journeys.

"People should fully consider each individual journey they make by car - they may have forgotten the advantages of using public transport. This TravelWise initiative is about helping people learn that there are other options that may be better for some journeys, whether it be by bus, train, bike or walking."

The Childwall pilot project will integrate with existing TravelWise Merseyside initiatives, such as its workplace, school and residential travel planning activities. It will be evaluated, with a view to rolling the scheme out across other areas of Merseyside. Up to 30,000 people could be targeted as part of the three-year effort to promote TravelWise journeys across the city region.

Travel planning consultants JMP were appointed by the Merseyside LTP Partnership to work with TravelWise Merseyside on the initiative.