PEOPLE in parts of Leicester who make a pledge to travel sustainably could be in with the chance of winning £250 worth of shopping vouchers, as well as book vouchers for schools.
Leicester City Council is currently running a personal travel planning project in Highfields, Spinney Hills and St Matthews as part of an ongoing scheme to help boost sustainable travel.
Anyone in those areas who signs up to the scheme and makes a pledge before the end of January will be entered into a free prize draw to win £250 worth of shopping vouchers.
It means that around 11,000 residents living in these areas can take advantage of incentives and offers to help encourage them to choose sustainable travel methods such as walking, cycling, scootering or taking the bus to get to work, education, leisure facilities or shops.
Participants get a tailored online travel pack providing details of a wide range of local travel options. Paper versions are also available on request. The information includes advice on walking routes, how to access cycle training, and public transport options, with maps, guides and information on electric bikes and cars. There are also details of the Betterpoints app, a reward scheme where users earn points every time they walk or cycle. Points can then be swapped for high street rewards, or donations to charity.
People in the area who sign up for personalised travel planning now will get bonus Betterpoints. There’s also the chance to try out Santander Cycles Leicester – the city’s new ebike share scheme – for free. Both these offers are available on a limited basis, so sign up now to make sure you don’t miss out.
Deputy city mayor Cllr Adam Clarke, who leads on environment and transport, said: “Making a small pledge to try travelling differently can make a big difference to the environment around Leicester, particularly in more built-up areas of the city.
“By offering personal travel planning we can help give people more choice about how they get around and highlight some of the new and different methods of sustainable transport available in the city. We hope to encourage people to adopt cleaner, greener travel options that will help to tackle congestion, raise people’s activity levels and help them to save money.”
A competition has also been launched at local primary schools in these areas, where families are invited to make a pledge to travel more sustainably and children can design a poster about their journey to school. All participating schools will receive book vouchers, with the creator of the overall winning poster receiving a brand new scooter.
To make a pledge and enter the prize draw for £250 worth of shopping vouchers, visit www.choosehowyoumove.co.uk/ptp-east by 31 January and register online, or look out for information from your child’s school. You can also email ptpleicester@systra.com or call 0116 218 4439 for more information.
The project is funded by the European Regional Development Fund and is part of the city and county councils’ joint Choose How You Move campaign.
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