Taunton and Bridgwater Pedal Down CO2 Emissions

A two-week cycle challenge run as part of Somerset County Council's Moving Forward initiative has saved 33,470 car miles and 4,600 kg CO2 emissions in Taunton and Bridgwater.

The Somerset Workplace Cycle Challenge saw 686 people from 38 organisations leave their cars behind and get on their bikes between 22 June and 5 July 2009. 121 of these people had not cycled for more than a year.

County Councillor David Hall presenting the awards to the winning teams outside County Hall, Taunton 
The aim of the challenge was to encourage more people to cycle more often to benefit their health and the environment. Somerset County Council coordinated the Challenge in partnership with NHS Somerset and CTC (Cyclists Touring Club) Challenge for Change.

Dr Caroline Gamlin, Joint Director of Public Health for NHS Somerset, said: “At present 93 percent of women and 78 percent of men in Somerset are not active enough. Adults need to build up at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity on most days – the equivalent of brisk walking and cycling for everyday trips can play a big part in helping people get the physical activity they need.”

Presenting the awards, Councillor David Hall, Cycling Champion for Somerset County Council, said: “It’s most encouraging that we have enabled and indeed inspired so many people to cycle and we hope that they will continue to do so. Somerset County Council is acting today to prevent problems tomorrow. Making more journeys by bike rather than car not only has health and cost benefits for the individual, but also helps to reduce congestion and pollution. This is particularly important in Taunton and Bridgwater, where traffic levels are constantly rising and are forecast to continue to do so.”

The top winning teams who got the highest percentage of staff to cycle were:

Somerset College of Arts and Technology (Corporate Category);
Taunton Deane Borough Council (Very Large);
Parsons Brinckerhoff Ltd (Large);
Strategic Planning, Somerset County Council (Medium);
Local Scheme Design Consultancy, Somerset County Council (Small);
Dicing Area Yellow Shift, GE Sensing (Very Small).

A full list of the results of the Cycle Challenge can be found on the Somerset Workplace Cycle Challenge website.