The Business Exchange Bath & Somerset Issue 17: Autumn 2020 | Page 14

GOING GREEN
A new beginning for people and nature
The message ‘build back greener’ has become synonymous
with the Covid-19 pandemic.
As businesses take tentative steps towards
recovery, many are seeking more sustainable
practices, such as paperless offices or
encouraging employees to cycle or walk to
work.
Whilst the United Kingdom embarks on
the final phase of transition to leave the EU,
Monday 19th - Friday 24th October marks EU
Green Week.
There are events being held across the
country. The theme of the week is nature
and biodiversity. Green Week will highlight
the contribution biodiversity can make to
society and the economy, and the role it can
play in supporting and stimulating recovery
in a post-pandemic world, bringing jobs and
sustainable growth.
It will champion post-lockdown recovery
as an opportunity for a fresh start. A chance
to rethink our relationship with nature,
to change the activities that are driving
biodiversity loss and the wider ecological
crisis, and to weigh up the implications for
our economy and society.
At The Business Exchange, we wanted to
use this opportunity to put the spotlight on
a few local projects which are helping us to
rethink our everyday actions from travel to
consumption.
FIND JOY IN THE JOURNEY
The West of England Combined Authority
(WECA) has launched a new campaign inviting
residents in the West of England to ‘find joy in
the journey’ by swapping short car journeys for
walking or cycling to help reduce congestion and
improve air quality in the region.
The campaign promotes the benefits of
cycling and walking to boost health and
wellbeing, as well as helping to build a
cleaner, greener future for the area.
It comes as the number of people cycling
and walking reached record levels during
lockdown and new cycling and walking
measures have been put in place to build
confidence and enable residents to cycle and
walk more easily.
A national survey undertaken by The
Department for Transport – All change travel
tracker (DfT) – found that:
• 11% of people have been cycling more
during lockdown
• 33% of people have been walking more
during lockdown
• 62% of people are willing to do more
cycling and walking to reduce their
contribution to climate change
Additionally, a recent regional survey –
(Travel West Local Cycling & Walking
Infrastructure Plan survey 2019) – reported
that 94% people in the West of England think
the West of England would be a better place
if more people walked or cycled.
West of England Mayor, Tim Bowles
said, “During lockdown many people have
taken advantage of quieter roads to walk
or cycle more regularly. As more people
begin to return to school, college and work
we have a real opportunity to capture the
positive changes we have seen to improve
the physical and mental health of residents,
improve air quality and ease congestion
across the West of England.
“That’s why I’m encouraging more people
to find joy in the journey by swapping a short
car journey for walking or cycling whether
commuting to work, taking the kids to
school or popping to the shops. Not only will
walking or cycling boost your mood but it will
also help us on the road to a greener future
for the region.”
WECA has agreed £13m investment in
measures to enable cycling and walking
in the region. £3m will underwrite the cost
of short-term measures such as widened
pavements and temporary cycle lanes to
help people to maintain social distancing
while walking and cycling. A further £10m
has been agreed for longer-term solutions to
encourage active travel in the region.
The campaign has been planned in
partnership with Bath & North East
Somerset Council, Bristol City Council,
North Somerset Council and South
Gloucestershire Council as well as many
partner organisations across the region in
including Business West.
Business West’s latest business survey
shows that Covid-19 has accelerated many
business’ plans to encourage employees
to walk and cycle more. 54 per cent of the
500 businesses surveyed said they are
putting in plans to increase the uptake of
cycling amongst employees, with a further
34 per cent saying that they are investing in
supporting infrastructure to help store bikes
securely.
James Durie, Chief Executive of Bristol
Chamber & Initiative at Business West said,
“We are strongly helping support this new
campaign as we know there is a growing
appetite amongst employers across the city
region to encourage employees to travel
more sustainably and reduce their impact on
the environment, particularly as awareness
of climate change only grows. In short, it
makes sense in economic, environmental
and health terms to accelerate what has
been happening.”
For more information, visit the
‘joyinthejourney’ page on the
TravelWest website.
@travelwestEng
For more info:
www.travelwest.info
14 www.tbebathandsomerset.co.uk