Essex residents urged to “think outside the car this summer”

Campaign will highlight why we should all be embracing active travel and help make Essex safer, greener and healthier.

With the school holidays upon us, the sustainable transport team at Essex County Council (ECC) are urging residents to “think outside the car” this summer.

The social media campaign will feature trips and events which can easily be reached by bike, on foot or by public transport as well as highlighting all the exciting sustainable transport initiatives currently running across the county.

Cllr Lee Scott, ECC Cabinet Member for Highways Maintenance and Sustainable Transport, said: “We can all help make Essex safer, greener and healthier by choosing to walk, cycle or use public transport this summer when we’re out and about - especially for those shorter journeys of under 5km. I know from personal experience how easy it is to hop into the car to nip to the shops - but if we all did just one less one-mile journey by car, that alone would save 13,000 tonnes of CO2 a year.

“Essex is such a varied county with so many fun activities happening over the next six weeks - including the much loved Bucket and Spade train trips organised by Essex and South Suffolk Community Rail Partnership running on the 2nd, 16th and 30th August from Colchester to Walton-on-the-Naze.

“Let’s all do our bit for the environment and think outside the car when we’re planning our travel arrangements this summer.”

A travel survey of nearly 2,500 residents conducted last September revealed that 86% of Essex residents stated they were concerned or very concerned about traffic congestion whilst 80% said they were concerned or very concerned with air pollution.

Following the survey, new active travel measures will be introduced over the coming months in five locations across the county - Braintree, Brentwood, Chelmsford, Colchester and Wickford.

Imminent works include the introduction of a school street zone along Sawyers Hall Lane in Brentwood.

The pavement will be permanently widened to allow more space, new bollards will be installed to deter pavement parking, 20mph signs will be erected and double yellow lines repainted.