Commuters getting S.M.A.R.T. er at Rotherwas?

If you work at Rotherwas there will soon be a chance for you to comment on just how easy it is to get to work these days.

It is three years since Herefordshire Council carried out the last Rotherwas Travel Plan Survey and a lot of positive moves have taken place since then to try and help commuters cut their travel costs and provide businesses with better transport facilities.

The next travel survey runs from Monday, September 22 for one month with findings to be reported in early January 2009.

It seems only natural that a survey about mobility management should be delivered by Hereford Pedicargo, a firm dedicated to reducing congestion, its carbon footprint and that of its clients Everyone at every firm on the Rotherwas Estate will get at least one visit from Will Vaughan, Driver Director of Hereford Pedicargo.

"We already offer a waste paper collection to firms on the Rotherwas estate," said Will, "and when I am delivering the surveys there will be an opportunity for people to find out more about the recycling services and freight delivery we can offer."

More than 130 firms at Rotherwas, employing some 2,500 workers, will be invited to take part in the survey.

Paula McGivern, Herefordshire Council's Rotherwas Travel Plan co-ordinator, said: "In the last survey more than a fifth of the employees on the estate took the opportunity to have their say about travelling to work at Rotherwas.

"This year we are hoping to improve on this rate and will be encouraging everyone at Rotherwas to take part," she added.

Councillor Brian Wilcox, Herefordshire Council's cabinet member for highways and transportation, said: "The last survey showed that about 20 per cent of those who responded said improvements to the local cycle network would encourage them to bike more often.

"Thirty per cent of those who work at Rotherwas and completed the survey live north of the river and we are hoping these people will benefit from the Connect 2 scheme," he added.

The last survey was carried out in 2005 and this year's will look at the impact of the Rotherwas Access Road and monitor the effectiveness of the estate-wide travel plan which promotes sustainable commuting options.

Paula added: "Nationally two thirds of car journeys are less than five miles and the last survey found more than 60 per cent of respondents lived five miles from Rotherwas so it is possible for these people to travel sustainably whether by walking, running, car sharing or cycling."