Are you tired of waiting in traffic? Tara was. So, she swapped using her car and now enjoys hassle-free bus rides.

Saving the Day – Broomfield Road campaign

Background

Welcome to our Saving the Day campaign webpage. The aim of the superhero-themed campaign is to raise awareness of the benefits of walking, cycling and travelling by bus, highlighting how swapping some of your journeys to these modes can SAVE you time, SAVE you money and SAVE you hassle. It also celebrates the everyday heroes who are already helping reduce traffic congestion by using more sustainable modes of transport.

The campaign, which complements our wider Safer, Greener, Healthier vision, is particularly focused on Broomfield Road in Chelmsford, which is one of the busiest road corridors in the city.

Broomfield Road is used by approximately 17,000 vehicles a day and suffers from significant traffic congestion and delays at peak times.

However, there are a number of bus services in the area and the corridor has good cycling routes, which can offer a cheaper and less stressful alternative to driving, while also helping reduce traffic in our city.

Travel options

We know it is not possible to swap every car journey for cycling or travelling by bus, but even small, manageable changes can make a big difference.

There are some fantastic travel options in Chelmsford, including various alternatives for people needing to travel along the Broomfield Road corridor. Whether you are a student getting to school, patient or visitor travelling to Broomfield Hospital or someone heading to the station or into the city centre, there are a number of options.
- Buses
  
  There are good bus services in the Chelmsford area and following the Government’s recent announcement of an extension to its bus fare cap scheme, people can travel on most services for just £2 a journey until December 2024.
  
  The services currently participating in the scheme include a number travelling to and from Broomfield Hospital (C1, C2, C10, 70, 370, 16, 47, 42A, 42B and X30), as well as others serving the Broomfield village area (C1, C10, 10, 16 and 42A), Melbourne and Patching Hall Lane areas (C1, C2, C3, C10, 59 and 42A) and other parts of Chelmsford. Latest bus routes and times are available via the Essex public transport website.
  
  Travelling by bus also offers a hassle-free alternative to the stress of driving in heavy traffic, allowing you to relax, unwind and make better use of your time.
  
  With journeys costing just £2, travelling by bus is Saving the Day by saving you money. Why not give it a try?
  
  Download the free TravelEssex app to start planning your journey.
- Cycling
  
  Cycling can provide a very cost-effective alternative to driving, especially for shorter journeys. Switching just some of your journeys could save you hundreds of pounds, with research from Cycling UK suggesting you could save as much as £700+ a year (excluding purchase costs).
  
  At the busiest times of the day, cycling can also be quicker. For example, cycling along Broomfield Road is up to three and a half minutes faster than driving at peak times.
  
  As part of the Chelmsford City Growth Package, we created a new flagship cycle route along Broomfield Road, providing hybrid cycle tracks between the city centre and Patching Hall Lane. The cycle lanes are segregated (separated from road traffic and people walking), giving you more space and a quicker, safer and easier cycle ride into the city centre.
  
  If you never learned to ride a bike or just need a confidence boost, our qualified instructors run various free adult and family cycling courses.
  
  Cycling can be a quick stress-free alternative to sitting in queuing traffic - Saving the Day by saving you hassle!
  
  If you are unsure on the best route, download the free TravelEssex app for help mapping out your journey.
- Park and Ride
  
  For longer journeys into Chelmsford from the north of the city, such as the Braintree area, the Chelmer Valley Park and Ride offers another alternative to driving right into the city centre and helps reduce traffic on Broomfield Road. The Park and Ride buses stop at destinations including Anglia Ruskin University and Chelmsford Railway Station.
- From Thursday 1 August 2024, a shuttle bus service is also available from Chelmer Valley Park and Ride site to Broomfield Hospital. The shuttle, which is run by our minibus fleet, Ugobus, runs every half-hour from 6.30am to 8pm, Monday to Friday.
- Following a recent reduction in the daily price for peak time travel, the Park and Ride is now just £3 a ticket – significantly cheaper than city centre parking and Saving the Day by saving you money.

More information about Cycling, Walking and Bus Services is available throughout our website.

Other benefits

As well as potentially saving you time, money and hassle, there are a number of other benefits to using more sustainable modes of travel such as walking, cycling or travelling by bus.
- Reducing traffic. Cycling, walking and public transport all help to reduce the number of cars on the city’s roads. This helps improve journey times and air quality. Did you know if everyone in Chelmsford were to switch just two of their journeys to work each week to sustainable modes, this would remove over 100,000 trips from the network?
- It is good for your health. Walking and cycling are great forms of exercise, improving both your physical and mental health. Just 30 minutes of walking every day can increase heart and lung fitness, reducing the risk of chronic and cardiovascular diseases.
- Helping the environment. Walking, cycling and using public transport are much more environmentally friendly than driving. Switching just one trip per day from car driving to cycling or walking can reduce your carbon footprint by about 0.5 tonnes a year.

Schools

There are a number of schools along the Broomfield Road corridor in Chelmsford and our campaign also aims to support those schools, their pupils and families.
- Travelling to and from school
  
  Depending on the distance between your child’s school and home, there are a number of different ways they could travel to and from school.
  
  Wherever possible, we encourage pupils and families to walk, cycle or scoot to school. These options not only reduce traffic and parking around schools, which helps improve safety, but also keeps them fit, active and healthy.
  
  For longer journeys, if your child is not eligible for home to school transport, there are other ways to get to school, including contracted school bus services or local bus services.
- School travel plans
  
  Our Sustainable Travel Team offer free support for schools in creating and updating their school travel plan, helping produce an action plan to make journeys to and from school safer, healthier and more enjoyable.
  
  Schools also have free access to the Modeshift STARS online tool which can be used to create, maintain and improve their school travel plan, earning different levels of national accreditation.
- Bikeability for schools
  
  From basic cycling skills to advanced journeys, our Cycle Training Team work with The Bikeability Trust, offering cycle training for school children across Essex. For more information or to book a course, please email cycletraining@essex.gov.uk.