Count Me In! active travel signs rolled out across Tewkesbury
A series of active travel signs are being installed across Tewkesbury to encourage residents to opt to travel short distances on foot or by cycling, instead of driving.
The installation of the signs has been funded by Count Me In! - the Healthy Towns programme for Tewkesbury.
Count Me In! is encouraging residents to use cycle paths and footpaths to not only improve their overall health, but also to help reduce harmful emissions from vehicles which are frequently used unnecessarily for short journeys.
The new signs predict how long a journey to key destinations, such as the Town Centre, would take should a person choose an active travel option, based on average walking and cycling speeds of 3mph and 12mph.
Jonathan Dibble, Count Me In! spokesperson, said: “Sometimes the idea of walking or cycling 'miles' can be off-putting. But when we can see those miles in terms of minutes it is easier to integrate the journey into a daily routine. Walking children to school or cycling to a shop becomes a quicker and healthier way of getting around, plus with petrol prices on the rise, it's a money-saver as well!”
Across the five Count Me In! wards of Wheatpieces & Walton Cardiff, Newtown, Mitton & Town Centre, Priors Park and Northway, 69 signs will replace older signs which are in need of modernisation, while 26 new signs will installed in other Count Me In! project locations such as the Newtown Cycle Track and the adiZone in The Vineyards.
Mr Dibble added: “In a town like Tewkesbury, distances travelled by bike or on foot are often shorter and quicker than when driven because they are much more direct. When people walk or cycle, their journey times are more reliable than when they drive. The signs aim to encourage people to make the change from car to foot or cycle for the shorter journeys around town.”