If you were driving through Newcastle and Sunderland yesterday and noticed people holding huge boards as you drove past you weren’t seeing things. It was teams from Smarter Choices – and the reason for the demonstrations is to try and get people to leave their cars at home.
With major cities in the country trying to get people out of their cars and onto their bikes, the North East is now following suit thanks to the launch of the new campaign yesterday.
Wearsiders are being urged to leave their cars at home and walk or cycle to work as part of a drive to combat congestion and improve health and fitness in the area.
The Smarter Choices "leave traffic standing" summer campaign encourages commuters to take the healthier option of cycling or walking to escape stress, save money and improve their overall health while also easing congestion on the roads.
On whether they got their message across or not Laura Fitzpatrick, Marketing Officer at Smarter Choices, said: “People had little choice not to listen as we had people on the main bridges in Newcastle and Sunderland with boards saying things like ‘park it and walk it.’ We were out in rush hour in the morning and again in the afternoon. It was great and we have teams going out again tomorrow.”
Laura is also sure the campaign will have an effect. “It’s always going to be tricky changing people’s attitudes and behaviour because people are comfortable in their cars as a general rule but with all the health benefits of incorporating exercise like cycling and walking people do pick up on that.”
Smarter Choices project manager Stephen Psallidas, who cycles to and from work five days a week, said: “The North East's roads have several areas where congestion is a problem, especially during busy commute periods. We also have a great network of cycle and walking routes, which can provide convenient and safe journeys for commuters wishing to leave their cars at home."
Smarter Choices aim is to reduce congestion by reducing the number of single-occupancy car drivers on the roads of Tyne & Wear, by providing information and running campaigns to help change people's travel behaviour.
Radar tells me their closing speed, if they are slowing and how far away. Then I decide to say a prayer. The change of light pattern is incidental.
Quite so, which is why our village 20mph zone covers the whole residential extent. Of course, enforcement is another thing..
£4.
No, that's very doubtful while proper testing would be fully destructive.
In that £1000 exactly scenario, beginners should probably be made aware that pedals will be extra.
What's wrong with dropping down on to the Millenium Bridge, or the swing bridge, then the brief, but satisfying climb back up the hill? #training....
The relatives might of course disagree, but in general I'd countenance a relatively light sentence* if only we could fix it so that those who...
Id forgotten that I got a second hand set of project two's for my getting to work bike over twenty years back.
My bet is that all these tires popping off are from people with bad pressure gauges or they're simply just putting too much air in on purpose. ...
David9694 - you were right! These new autonomous vehicles really are conspiring to run out of control!...