Smarter choices communities

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What is Smarter Choices Communities?

• Smarter Choices Communities aims to improve sustainable access to services in Wiltshire.
• The number of cars in the UK has increased by 78% in the past fifteen years, and most of us will have experienced traffic congestion, with the delays and annoyance this causes.
• Increased car use doesn't just cause congestion: it's less healthy than walking or cycling, it's expensive, and it pollutes our environment leaving a huge carbon footprint.
• Leaving your car at home one day a fortnight will reduce the pollution you create on your journey to work by 10%.
• Sharing a lift with someone making the same journey as you means that together you will reduce not just your car emissions, but also your fuel bills by a half.
• Walking for ten minutes to and from the bus stop or train station each day will give you over an hour and a half extra exercise every week.

Community Schemes

What we do for you?

Working with your community we can help provide advice and even resources to help with a wide variety of schemes that will improve life for Wiltshire residents. Whether you want assistance to identify your community needs, or help with a scheme that you already have in mind, we have the expertise to make it happen.

We can:

• help you with surveys tailored to your local needs
• assist with processing the results into useful information
• advise you on what the priorities for your community are
• provide support for funding bids
• facilitate focus groups, workshops or meetings,
• help with publicity, and
• advise you on what other assistance is available.

By helping people get to goods and services, or bring the goods and services to the people, resident's quality of life will improve no matter where they live, irrespective if they live in the middle of a town, or in the middle of no where! It’s all part of the County's integrated transport strategy designed to make things happen in a well organised, logical, and efficient way.

Who can apply for help?

Any group, formal or informal, that wants to make a difference to sustainable travel may apply. ‘Micro-communities' especially are welcome, whether informal groups of two or more people, groups of friends in a village, a group of pub regulars, etc., in fact anyone who has found a common need to get better access to goods or services. They can also be formal groups such as neighbourhood associations, housing associations, church groups, Woman's Institutes, Parish Councils, etc.

What might be involved in getting your scheme off the drawing board?

Assess your scheme against an initial assessment criteria to identify its viability.

Assess numbers and types of journeys, including what they might be if the project takes off, as well as what they are like now – this will enable the project to be monitored for success. This might involve using travel diaries, and identifying appropriate travel, like lift sharing, home delivery systems, etc.

Publicise and promote the scheme to draw in local support and raise awareness in the area

Create an action plan.

Car Clubs

• Q. Do you occasionally need a car but don’t want to own one?
• Q. Are you running two cars but could manage with one most of the time?
• Q. Do you have a small car and could use an estate now and then?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, then a car club is your answer.

Why bother? Well, just imagine using a car you didn’t have to worry about servicing or maintaining, that didn’t cost you a penny for insurance or tax and transformed from a hatchback to a people carrier whenever you wanted. If you drive less than 6000 miles a year, a car club can save you up to £3,500 every year.

Car clubs are a great new way to get access to a car without [actually having to own it delete] the costs or stress of ownership. [Not only will you find it a convenient service to use, but also there is a range of vehicles you can choose from and above all, it can save you money. delete] They can give you the flexibility to use a car at work, while commuting by public transport. Businesses can also save money using car clubs instead of operating pool cars.

You can set up a car club yourself with a group of friends, or you can join an existing club. Currently there is one car club in Wiltshire:

hOURCARS in Salisbury.

The club, which is supported by the council, is in the early stages of development. As more people join, it will expand its fleet of cars. If you are interested in joining the club, or your business would be interested in providing a parking space for a car, please contact info@hourcars.co.uk

For more information about car clubs, visit Car Plus

Trowbridge Walking Forum

A group of retired and semi-retired volunteers living in the Trowbridge area have developed a pack of Doorstep Walks - these are walks of less than 2 miles in and around the town. They hold weekly walks, including longer ones of up to 4 miles too. Most involve a rest stop, usually at a pleasant local pub for a light lunch or quick drink, or at a teashop for a well-earned piece of cake and good cuppa!

These walks are free to go on, and every walk has at least 2 trained first aiders, and someone trained to act as a lead co-ordinator responsible all walkers' wellbeing. Attendance varies from a dozen or so up to over 30 on the more popular walks. It has to be said, apart from the benefits of getting used to regular walking and getting good exercise, the social side of making new friends cannot be under estimated.

For their latest list of walks, contact the Chairman on Trowbridge 01225 753735.

• List of enjoyable walks around the County Town

Cycling in Salisbury

The Cycling Opportunities group in Salisbury (COGS) works to promote increased cycling throughout and around the City, as well as having some fantastic rides.

Walking in Salisbury

10 Doorstep Walks exist taking in routes around Salisbury and Wilton. 7 start in the city, branded "Into-City Walks", and aim to encourage walking to work or to the shops. Another starts from the District Hospital, and 2 start from Wilton. Since 1997, over 200 packs have been distributed.

There are also 8 "BusWalks". The idea is simple - take the bus out, walk back to Salisbury or Wilton. 1600 packs have been printed, sponsored by Wilts & Dorset Bus Company. The walks are used by families and groups and have proved very, very popular.

Other walks beyond Salisbury have also had walk packs produced, including 1 at Tisbury and 1 through Amesbury/Durrington/Bulford.

As part of the National Walking for Health initiative, as in Trowbridge, group walks, led by trained leaders are held. A quarterly programme is produced and includes 3 walks each week with a BusWalk on Monday's, a lunchtime walk in the city on Wednesday's, and the ever-popular Doorstep Walks on Thursday's.

The Salisbury walks have increased beyond the original walk packs themselves, and there is plenty of scope for more walking in other areas of Salisbury and Wilton, and beyond. If you are interested in finding out more about the walks, or can offer help in arranging them, please contact Pam Rouquette, the Co-ordinator for Walking for Health in Salisbury, via the hotline number below.

Contact transportplanning@wiltshire.gov.uk for further information on all walking and cycling initiatives across Salisbury & Wiltshire.

Other websites

• Cycling Opportunity Group, Salisbury
• Trowbridge Walking Forum Information (pdf 119Kb)
• The Benefits of Walking with TWF (pdf 56Kb)

Last updated: 13 January 2011