An innovative competition to get commuters to swap their cars for greener and more sustainable modes of transport has recorded new levels of success.
Now in its fifth year, more than 3,100 people took part in Jam Busting June this summer.
Run throughout Bath and North East Somerset, Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire by the local authorities during the month of June, the scheme aims to get people who normally travel to work alone by car to car share, work from home, catch public transport, or walk or cycle to work instead.
It meant that in all, by taking buses, sharing cars and walking and cycling, commuters across the West of England were able to save more than one million single occupancy car miles, with almost 20 per cent of the participants swapping from driving in the car alone to another form of transport.
In a joint statement, the four authorities, who are also collaborating on the area’s second joint local transport plan, said: “The four regional authorities are committed to improving the transport network to make it easier for everyone to get around. The Jam Busting June initiative gives commuters an incentive to try leaving the car at home and switch to more sustainable modes of transport. This year we have seen a 20 per cent rise in participation and hope that even more people can take part next year.”
For every three days that commuters travelled to work using a green mode of transport or by car if car sharing (five days for motorcycles over 400cc), they were entered into a free prize draw.
The top prize, £200 John Lewis vouchers, was won by Robert Sutton who works for the design and engineering consultancy Atkins in Aztec West, South Gloucestershire.
He said: “Jam Busting June is a great competition. I cycle into work whenever I can and this competition has given me an extra incentive to do this more regularly. The fewer people who drive to work alone, the better for all our journeys, not to mention the environment. Winning a prize is an added bonus.”
Louise Mill, the employee coordinator for Jam Busting June at Atkins commented: “At Atkins we have a travel plan which actively promotes sustainable travel to staff and visitors to our office throughout the year. Jam Busting June complements our own programme perfectly and we ran other initiatives in June to coincide with the competition.”
Brian Allinson, executive member for planning, transportation and the strategic environment, said: “Congratulations to Robert Sutton for winning this year’s Jam Busting June competition. Robert and thousands of others have discovered the benefits of commuting in a more sustainable manner during Jam Busting June. Not only does it cut congestion and is better for the environment, but very real financial savings can be made by car sharing, walking and cycling or taking public transport. With our ongoing transport improvements, we aim to make these travel options a real alternative to the car for everybody.”
The campaign also attracted support from businesses and organisations across the region including Airbus, the Bank of Ireland, Hewlett Packard, Orange, the United Bristol Healthcare NHS Trust and many more.
To find out more the competition and to register for next year’s event visit: www.JamBustingJune.com
Source: South Gloucestershire Council
