2010
Individuals
- Hundreds of people attend the “Future of Getting Around” travelling exhibition, where they get to road test a number of alternative vehicles, electric cars and bikes and a range of pedal powered vehicles. A rising interest in car pools and cutting back second car ownership is expressed. Many people sign up to talk to neighbours and start local lift shares and consider sharing their cars with other households. Standard car share contracts and website booking systems top the list for useful support.
- Use of public transport is up 15% on 2000 levels, exceeding the Government target of 12%. Bike shops are recording record sales.
Community
- In conjunction with the Carbon Neutral Schools Programme, Totnes and Dartington Safe Schools group offer teachers and parents from all schools across the district a day of free workshops to get practical advice on how to promote walking and cycling to school. The focus of the day will be to help boost healthy school travel across the region. 4 Walking Trains and 2 Cycling Trains are to be piloted.
- Community groups together with SHDC petition government under the Sustainable Communities Act to deregulate transportation to allow passengers, goods and mail to travel together on all public services to reduce costs and increase fuel efficiency. They look for more bike spaces on public transport to encourage commuters.
- A number of streets start their own Sustrans’ inspired DIY Streets makeovers, and in particular focus on using arts to involve people like Roadwitch in Oxford.
- South Hams Small Farmers Association launch a scoping study based on Commonwork’s ZEF (Zero fossil Energy Farming) project This includes looking at running farm machinery on biodiesel and reducing greenhouse gases from methane derived from animal waste.
Policy Makers & Service Providers
- The new section of traffic-free walking and cycling path at Berry Pomeroy is constructed and makes a difference to the way school children and local people travel, and has reduced parking in the village.
- In conjunction with Totnes Town Council, DCC agrees to implement a number of pedestrian safety measures including the 2009 traffic flow in town proposal in the EDAP: Reduce town centre speed limits to 10mph with pedestrian priority. Other villages in the district are likely to follow suit with lower speed limits. Speed bumps were going to be installed in Bridgetown but instead more imaginative interventions and used, on DIY Streets principles, and the pavements widened there and on the Plymouth road to Follaton. A number of new zebra crossings are to be installed.
- Local buses are to be fitted with bike racks to carry bikes, and buses on coastal routes will also have surfboard racks. The new look ‘Beach Buses” with their distinctive paint work and racks are a hit with young people.
- DCC in conjunction with local district councils and Strategic Partnerships initiate an energy budget study of transport in the county to create a basis for change to a low carbon transport system. The outcomes indicate a potential 70% carbon saving just by switching fuels devise a 10-year transport strategy to reduce individual car journeys by 80%. In recognition of the “lack of time before oil scarcity begins to impact local mobility”, a number of incentives to support car pools and lift share systems are to be implemented and a local transport forum are established in each LA district to drive changes. An application is made to the national Transport Innovation Fund for additional local buses and services.
- DCC in conjunction with local consultation identifies locations for Transit Hubs to create service access and links for a local district network across T & D (as a pilot for Devon) to integrate all public and private transport services and networks. These hubs will encourage use of public services for passengers and goods (including mail). Information about cycle lanes and walkways is made widely available on line and at all visitor centres in the area.
- Network Rail start investigating how locally generated wind, hydro and tidal electricity could be used to electrify lines from Exeter down into and through Devon and Cornwall.
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