The Travel Smarter Challenge 2015 starts on March 1, 2015, challenging commuters to leave their car at home and take up alternative methods for travelling to work.

This year’s Travel Smarter Challenge organised by Cheshire West and Chester Council’s itravelsmart team and the charity Sustrans, aims to get as many people as possible commuting by walking, cycling, using public transport and lift-sharing.

The Travel Smarter Challenge is open to anyone who works in the Chester, Ellesmere Port and Neston areas. Entrants can start logging journeys from the March 2, to win a place on the leader board. They will also be in with a chance of winning weekly prizes including Kindles, Love2-Shop vouchers, Chester Zoo tickets and bus and rail tickets.

Cycling and walking champion Pippa Cameron has been appointed by Sustrans to encourage businesses to get signed up to the challenge to green up their transport habits for a month and get fit in the process.

Pippa, who walks and cycles to work and regularly cycles to school with her three children, hopes the Travel Smarter Challenge will motivate people who normally rely on a car.

She said: “The Workplace Challenge is a great incentive to try out greener forms of travel for a month. The daily commute to work causes huge amount of traffic congestion, but it’s also making us overweight and more stressed. Cycling and walking is great exercise as well as forms of travel, so you can get fit, improve your local environment and get to work on time! The competition also includes journeys by public transport and car share too, so everyone can join in.”

Councillor Linda Jones, executive member for growth and innovation, said: “Last year’s challenge logged over 1,500 journeys by bike, train, bus, lift-sharing or walking. I’m sure we can beat that target this year.

“The challenge isn’t about distances travelled but the number of journeys not using the car, the winning businesses will have the highest percentage of their employees taking part.

“The latest Sport England Active People Survey has shown the total number of regular adult cyclists to be more than two million, cycling and walking to work are a great way to include physical exercise into your day and using public transport, lift-sharing, home-working and video-conferencing are great ways to help reduce congestion whilst also saving you money.”

Week 1: Up and Running week

Prize draw for everyone who completes a journey by any mode - two £20 Up and Running vouchers

Prize draw for everyone who invites a friend to the challenge in week one - two £20 Up & Running vouchers

Week 2: Chester Zoo week

Prize draw for everyone who completes a journey that swaps their car for another mode - two pairs of tickets to Chester Zoo

Mini challenge: best selfie photo - pair of tickets to Chester Zoo

Week 3: Cinema week

Prize draw for everyone who completes a journey that swaps their car for active travel (walking or cycling) - two pairs of Vue cinema tickets

Mini challenge: best journey photo - pair of Vue cinema tickets

Week 4: Kindle week

Prize draw for everyone who completes a journey that swaps their car for bus or train - two Kindles

Mini challenge: best story/comment – win a Kindle

The Travelsmarter 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.

For more details visit itravelsmart.co.uk visit the facebook page or follow them on Twitter @itravelsmartuk

Individuals or workplace teams can enter by visiting www.travelsmarter.getmeactive.org.uk . Registration is open now and all registrations added before the March 2, will be entered into a prize draw to win a £50 Love2Shop voucher.