Better Bankside ebrief, JULY 2005 |
Your daily journey to Shakespeare’s Bankside: tragedy or comedy? WeÕd like to visit to find out if travel and transport in London could be better for you. When Better Bankside staff met with businesses during the BID ballot campaign last year, the issue of travel was frequently raised. Drivers felt ÔpersecutedÕ. Public transport users were frustrated at the gaps in provision as well as the poor quality of many services. Getting staff to and from the office had a direct impact on the bottom line. At the time it was difficult to see how Better Bankside could help. However the experience of Bikes for Business Ð an excellent scheme which has deployed c. 50 bikes in local businesses Ð has encouraged Better Bankside to agree to take part, with Southwark Council and the University of Westminster, in an EU-funded initiative to give businesses a stronger voice in transport planning. With this in mind, Better Bankside and the University of Westminster are looking for companies to nominate individuals to give their views on travel issues. During the next few weeks, Sophie Tyler Ð University of WestminsterÕs researcher Ð will visit these people and invite them: - To report on transport problems/issues affecting their staff - To advise on initiatives which might alleviate these problems It is hoped that they might then choose to be part a new ÔthemeÕ group within Better Bankside Ð a Local Travel Plan Group (LTPG). The group would recommend improvements to Southwark Council, Transport for London and other relevant organisations, as well as having a budget of its own to spend on travel ÔtoolsÕ. If you would like to be part of this initiative, please contact Giles Semper on 020 7928 9656, email gs@betterbankside.co.uk. Local Travel Plan Groups (LTPGs) are any grouping of local employers working together to play an active role in transport and planning decisions in their area, with the aim of improving the environment and increasing travel options for their employees. 59% of those who travel to work in Southwark do so by public transport and 27% drive a car or a van, 2% cycle and 7% walk. This is comparable to some other inner London Boroughs (Tower Hamlets, Lambeth), but public transport use is much higher and car use much lower in Westminster, Camden and the City of London. Although the percentages of those driving to work in the north of the Borough are lower than in the east (e.g. Surrey Docks) and in the south (Village and College wards), the actual number of employees driving to work is higher, due to the higher concentrations of business units and employees in this area. However, the distances travelled to work are also higher than in other parts of the Borough, suggesting that there might be more scope for encouraging greater public transport use rather than cycling or walking.
The EUÕs Optimum 2 initiative University of WestminsterÕs Transport Studies Group Southwark CouncilÕs web page on Local Travel Plan Groups http://www.southwark.gov.uk/YourServices/transport/travelplanning/localtravelplans.html |
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© Better Bankside | Call us on 0207 928 3998 | www.betterbankside.co.uk |
