Personal Travel Planning

What is Personal Travel Planning?

Personal Travel Planning (PTP) is a well established way of encouraging and motivating people to consider their travel habits and choices. Extensive Department for Transport trials have been undertaken over the last decade in cities across the UK including Worcester, Darlington and Peterborough

Why are you knocking on our (Hereford City) doors?

PTP Travel Advisors will engage directly with the community and individuals, help them asses their particular travel needs and offer personalised travel information and advice specific to their particular circumstances.
Our Travel Advisors will also be offering motivation and incentives for people to switch to more sustainable travel methods.

Who are the PTP Travel Advisors?

PTP travel advisors are local people, fully trained to discuss with residents by phone or on their doorstep, their current travel patterns and advise on any alternatives that might be available.

Who can get advice?

Residents who want to take part are offered information and incentives to encourage them to try a more sustainable mode of travel for some or more of their journeys.

Who is paying for all this ?

This is funded by central government via the Department for Transport which has shown residential PTP typically reduces car driver trips by 10% (Making Personal Travel Planning Work, Department for Transport, 2007 - see Resources box on the right).

What are the aims of this project?

As well as reducing car use and congestion other related benefits include:

• Health improvements through increased walking and cycling
• Greater use of public transport
• More use of local services by residents andImproved local air quality and reduced noise levels.

PTP provides local communities and individuals with an opportunity to improve their health and well being, and helps meet objectives outlined in the council's Local Transport Plan, by increasing the use of sustainable modes of transport and helping to reduce congestion.

Where are the Travel Advisors working?

The PTP project will work in two phases over the next two years. The first phase will see Travel Advisors in the Three Elms, St Nicholas and Belmont wards between March and July 2012. Other wards in the east of city will be visited in the following year.

Why have these wards been chosen?

The west of the city has been chosen to be first for the following reasons:

• Good existing walking and cycling infrastructure including the Sustrans National Cycle Network Route 46 (Great Western Way)
• Well served by bus routes
• Many key workplace, school, retail and leisure destinations are within easy walking distance.

What are the main objectives of the project ?

• To support sustainable economic growth by reducing peak hour congestion.
• To encourage more walking, cycling and travel by public transport.
• To encourage more active lifestyles to address health and well being issues.
• To promote environmentally responsible travel choices and carbon reduction by helping reduce individual carbon footprints.

Does my Councillor know about this?

All elected county and city members have been briefed on the project. Members for wards directly involved will receive regular updates and councillor input has helped inform the project's delivery.

Can I apply to be a PTP Travel Advisor?

Follow the link in the second box on the right for details of how to apply to become a travel advisor.