Sustainable travel options for businesses on show at Bradford�s International expo

West Yorkshire Combined Authority�s Travel Plan Network team have been sharing examples of their successful work to encourage sustainable travel, with transport colleagues from across Europe.

Delegates from Germany, Norway, the Netherlands, Belgium and Sweden were among those at the SHARE-North Sustainable Travel Expo exhibition in Bradford on Tuesday (31 October).

Hundreds of companies and organisations across West Yorkshire are members of the West Yorkshire Travel Plan Network, which is managed by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority and West Yorkshire�s five councils. The Network�s aim is to improve the environment by reducing car usage and congestion and to encourage the use of public transport for commuter and business journeys. The team also promotes involvement with walking and cycling.

Considerable impact

Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership (LEP) Chair and West Yorkshire Combined Authority member Roger Marsh OBE said: �The Travel Plan Network is having a considerable impact on improving the sustainability of the Leeds City Region�s companies and organisations and that of our stunning environment.

�More than 300 businesses, representing over 300,000 employees, have joined the Travel Plan Network. As part of West Yorkshire�s Liftshare initiative, Network members have saved almost 6.3m miles of travel, representing a reduction of over 1,200 tonnes of C02 last year alone.

�Travel Plan Network members have also taken advantage of discounted MCard smartcards to make almost 15,000 local journeys using public transport.

�I am pleased we have been able to share with our European colleagues how by working with our Business Travel Plan Advisers, local businesses have been able to benefit directly, both financially and in terms of improved health, productivity and wellbeing for their workforce.�

Businesses wanting to find out how they can benefit from making their travel more sustainable can find out more from the Travel Plan Network website (opens in new tab)�or by calling the team on 0113 348 1818.

Valuable opportunity

Rebecca Karbaumer, City of Bremen and SHARE-North project coordinator said:��SHARE-North is an EU-funded project that is all about shared mobility and sharing expertise and experiences across borders.

�This event has been a valuable opportunity to share our ideas on mobility solutions for businesses that have been implemented in Belgium, Germany, Norway and the Netherlands with the members of the Travel Plan Network.�

In addition to meeting the Business Travel Plan Advisers, European delegates were taken to Kirkstall Forge, one of West Yorkshire�s three new stations opened in a 15-month period. The Combined Authority�s City Connect team also organised a bike ride for the visitors along the Bradford � Leeds Cycle Superhighway.

The SHARE-North Sustainable Travel Expo was an event at which Europe�s leading cities had the chance to learn from each other about encouraging sustainable travel. The event included talks and networking opportunities with some of Europe�s most influential industry professionals