International company Black and Veatch came out top of the league table in Chester’s annual challenge for commuters to leave their cars at home during March.
During the Travel Smarter Challenge, organised by the charity Sustrans and Cheshire West and Chester Council, more than half of employees at the engineering, consulting and construction company got to work by walking, cycling, using public transport or sharing lifts. They are one of six winning companies that came top of their league in the challenge, which ran from 2-30 March.
The Chester branch clocked up a total 646 journeys, 8438 miles, burned a collective 62814.1 calories and saved 640kg of carbon. Chester Zoo, the University of Chester, pharmaceuticals company Bristol Myers-Squibb, Up and Running and Dale Barracks were also top of the league for their categories.
A total 41 workplaces and 566 individuals signed up for the challenge, making a combined total of 7653 journeys to work in Chester, saving £9,031 in travel costs and 7547kg of carbon.
Staff clocked all journeys other than single car use journeys made during the working day. The challenge aimed to encourage healthier ‘active travel’ for commuters, to build exercise into the working day and reduce problems associated with traffic congestion in Chester.
Andrew Burwood, environmental scientist at Black and Veatch said: “Taking part in the challenge gave us the incentive to take a minute to consider our travel options, breaking the habit of simply jumping into a car.
“Staff used many alternatives during the challenge, including commuting to the office by bus, cycling or walking; working from home; and, using trains and car-sharing to attend meetings. Holding the challenge over four weeks gave time for alternative habits to form and for benefits to be seen, helping to make these changes permanent.”
Pippa Cameron from Sustrans, which helped to coordinate the Travel Smarter Challenge, said: “These Chester companies are real pioneers in changing travel and exercise habits and it’s been inspiring to see more people out on the streets on their bikes or walking to work, rather than stuck in traffic jams.
“Chester is a lovely city for walking and cycling some or all of your journeys. It’s well-linked by public transport and there are some great traffic-free routes to get around the city.”
The Travel Smarter Challenge is funded by the Local Sustainable Transport Fund, a department of transport programme, aimed at achieving economic growth, job expansion and carbon reduction through generating sustainable journeys to work.
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