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Flagship travel town leads the way
A CONFERENCE is being held in Darlington to examine its flagship transport scheme, Local Motion, and help steer towns across the country in the right direction.
Darlington is the only highway authority in England to have secured funding worth about £4.75m to become a sustainable travel and cycling demonstration town.
The free day-long conference on Wednesday, April 2, at the Dolphin Leisure Centre will highlight the successful and failed projects.
It also aims to stimulate debate how local authorities can secure funding to improve their own environment, health and economy.
Sessions at the conference will include how Darlington's Local Motion project is being delivered, travel behaviour changes in the town and factors influencing walking and cycling levels.
Darlington council's cabinet member for transport, councillor David Lyonette, said the conference was being held here as the town had been hailed as a leader in research and marketing.
He said: "It's a feather in our cap that we are hosting the conference in Darlington."
He added that due to the success of the scheme, the town was now bidding for a pot of European funding, called Interreg.
Owen Wilson, the council's transport policy officer, who will speak at the conference, said since Local Motion was introduced two years ago, the number of trips by bike had doubled and the number of journeys on foot had increased by 15 per cent.
He said: "So far Local Motion has achieved a reduction of nine per cent in car journeys in Darlington and has encouraged people across the Borough to walk, cycle and take public transport.
"Part of our role as a sustainable travel town is to give information to other local authorities, and council across the country has been invited to the Local Motion conference where we will be talking to them about our successes and plans for the future."
As part of the scheme, there are plans to install bicycle sheds at seven Darlington schools with an extra 330 parking slots.
Nationally, only one per cent of pupils cycle to school every day but in Darlington, the figure is 4.4 per cent.
Proposals were submitted to Darlington Borough Council this month for 102 bicycle slots at Longfield School, 60 at Branksome Comprehensive and 20 at Corporation Road primary school.
5:58pm Wednesday 19th March 2008
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CommentPosted by: Ian Hardy, North Road, Darlington on 10:13am Sat 22 Mar 08
Yet again this is nothing more than bluff by Darlington Council, the transport system in this town is at breaking point, I very much doubt 4.4% of children cycle to school, if these figures are produced by the council you can guarantee they are false, anothe £4.75m to waste like the countless millions squandered on non transport projects that delayed the fabled 'cross town' route by years, and only now is there a truncated and jam creating road being laid.
Yet again this is nothing more than bluff by Darlington Council, the transport system in this town is at breaking point, I very much doubt 4.4% of children cycle to school, if these figures are produced by the council you can guarantee they are false, anothe £4.75m to waste like the countless millions squandered on non transport projects that delayed the fabled 'cross town' route by years, and only now is there a truncated and jam creating road being laid.
Posted by: Alan Macnab, Darlington on 2:27pm Sat 22 Mar 08
I am Vice Chair of Harrowgate Hill Primary School. The majority of children walk or are brought to school in cars. Cycling to school is not feasible because Longfield Road is too dangerous for children to cycle down and up.
Local Motion is a commendable project, but it is nibbling at the edges. What is needed is an overall, feasible and realistic transport strategy which we all can sign up to and will enable children to cycle to school in safety.
I am Vice Chair of Harrowgate Hill Primary School. The majority of children walk or are brought to school in cars. Cycling to school is not feasible because Longfield Road is too dangerous for children to cycle down and up.
Local Motion is a commendable project, but it is nibbling at the edges. What is needed is an overall, feasible and realistic transport strategy which we all can sign up to and will enable children to cycle to school in safety.
Posted by: just wait and see, darlington on 5:01pm Sat 22 Mar 08
Well,we all know what will be coming next dont we?
A charge for vehicles wanting to drive into the town centre?
A charge for any vehicles with only one occupant?
More ways to make money off the long suffering residents I think?
Seems to me half the cyclists we see are the ones breaking into cars etc, and using alleys and cuts to make their escape!
Shame they dont use those wasteful cycle lanes the council have imposed on us all.
Well,we all know what will be coming next dont we?
A charge for vehicles wanting to drive into the town centre?
A charge for any vehicles with only one occupant?
More ways to make money off the long suffering residents I think?
Seems to me half the cyclists we see are the ones breaking into cars etc, and using alleys and cuts to make their escape!
Shame they dont use those wasteful cycle lanes the council have imposed on us all.
Posted by: I'm a believer, Darlington on 7:48am Sun 23 Mar 08
Darlington, and the rip-off bus companies that operate in the town, has one of the highest pence per mile bus fares.
We have bus lanes 200m long that the buses don't even use.
Cycle paths that lead to no where, whilst our footpaths are crumbling, and traffic congestion that makes the M25 on a bad day look like a ride in the park.
Darlington, and the rip-off bus companies that operate in the town, has one of the highest pence per mile bus fares.
We have bus lanes 200m long that the buses don't even use.
Cycle paths that lead to no where, whilst our footpaths are crumbling, and traffic congestion that makes the M25 on a bad day look like a ride in the park.
Posted by: Alan Macnab, Darlington on 10:32am Sun 23 Mar 08
I totally agree with I'm a believer.
People will only use public transport if the prices are lower than using the car, there are frequent services, it allows people to travel when they want to and takes them where they want to go to with the minimum of delay.
Cycle paths are unconnected and run out onto main roads. People will only use their bikes if it is safe and quite frankly cyling on the main roads of Darlington is not.
The problem is that large housing and employment estates have been built and there has not been sufficient thought given to the road system. There has been the belief that the road system in Darlington can cope, but it cannot. That's why I have voiced my misgivings about the new housing development proposed for Glebe Road and its effect on Salter's Lane and Whinfield Road.
I totally agree with I'm a believer.
People will only use public transport if the prices are lower than using the car, there are frequent services, it allows people to travel when they want to and takes them where they want to go to with the minimum of delay.
Cycle paths are unconnected and run out onto main roads. People will only use their bikes if it is safe and quite frankly cyling on the main roads of Darlington is not.
The problem is that large housing and employment estates have been built and there has not been sufficient thought given to the road system. There has been the belief that the road system in Darlington can cope, but it cannot. That's why I have voiced my misgivings about the new housing development proposed for Glebe Road and its effect on Salter's Lane and Whinfield Road.
Posted by: mak, d'ton on 4:11pm Mon 24 Mar 08
[quote][bold]just wait and see[/bold] wrote:
Well,we all know what will be coming next dont we?
A charge for vehicles wanting to drive into the town centre?
A charge for any vehicles with only one occupant?
More ways to make money off the long suffering residents I think?
Seems to me half the cyclists we see are the ones breaking into cars etc, and using alleys and cuts to make their escape!
Shame they dont use those wasteful cycle lanes the council have imposed on us all.[/quote] Here, here!
Far too many things are imposed on the people of this town without any choice in the matter.
Cycle and bus lanes just another annoyance for the poor car driver.
Public transport?
To town and back with the wife and kids from Mc'mullen roundabout (4 of us) £8.00 plus.
In the car 60p?
No thanks!!!
just wait and see wrote:
Well,we all know what will be coming next dont we?
A charge for vehicles wanting to drive into the town centre?
A charge for any vehicles with only one occupant?
More ways to make money off the long suffering residents I think?
Seems to me half the cyclists we see are the ones breaking into cars etc, and using alleys and cuts to make their escape!
Shame they dont use those wasteful cycle lanes the council have imposed on us all.
Here, here!
Far too many things are imposed on the people of this town without any choice in the matter.
Cycle and bus lanes just another annoyance for the poor car driver.
Public transport?
To town and back with the wife and kids from Mc'mullen roundabout (4 of us) £8.00 plus.
In the car 60p?
No thanks!!!
Posted by: miketually, Darlington on 10:00am Wed 26 Mar 08
A family day ticket is only about a fiver, so you're paying too much for your bus travel.
McMullen Road roundabout to town is about 2 miles. At 50p a mile, your car costs you 2 pounds to drive into town. Add in 80p per hour for parking and you're approaching the same cost as for bus travel.
If we had decent bus lanes, the bus would get you there much faster.
A family day ticket is only about a fiver, so you're paying too much for your bus travel.
McMullen Road roundabout to town is about 2 miles. At 50p a mile, your car costs you 2 pounds to drive into town. Add in 80p per hour for parking and you're approaching the same cost as for bus travel.
If we had decent bus lanes, the bus would get you there much faster.
Posted by: atomheartfather, Darlo on 11:32am Wed 26 Mar 08
Alan is right - this is nibbling at the edges, for all the reasons he describes. As for the other comments, however cynical your view of the council, in the end it is YOUR position that matters - do you want more cars, congestion, pollution in the town (and continue to be one such car driver yourself)? Or do you want to try to change things for the better?
Alan is right - this is nibbling at the edges, for all the reasons he describes. As for the other comments, however cynical your view of the council, in the end it is YOUR position that matters - do you want more cars, congestion, pollution in the town (and continue to be one such car driver yourself)? Or do you want to try to change things for the better?
Posted by: wuppidoci, Darlington on 9:40am Sun 30 Mar 08
Watching the concerned comments of car drivers here I really wish they would stop just looking at their personal needs: We have to change our transport habits to stop climate change. And cycling is a very easy way to do so: No CO2 emissions, no noise, good for our health as well. And no parking probs.
Cars have been supported and subsidised for decades, it is now time for a change: Yes we can!!
Watching the concerned comments of car drivers here I really wish they would stop just looking at their personal needs: We have to change our transport habits to stop climate change. And cycling is a very easy way to do so: No CO2 emissions, no noise, good for our health as well. And no parking probs.
Cars have been supported and subsidised for decades, it is now time for a change: Yes we can!!
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