Facilitating sustainable and active travel and improve air quality

Transport is the biggest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions in Colchester. The Council is very focussed on trying to support more people to travel sustainably, particularly for short journeys which provide a greater opportunity to not use your car. Sustainable travel refers to modes of travel which produce lower emissions and have a lower environmental impact. This includes walking, cycling and using public transport. When you need to use the car then car sharing or driving efficiently is recommended.

The Council works closely with Essex County Council, who are the authority responsible for managing transport and highways (roads, paths etc), on this work. Alongside reducing emissions, travelling more sustainably also has the benefits of reducing air pollution and improving physical and mental health.

Below are some projects the Council is working on to support sustainable travel around Colchester:

• Raising awareness of air quality in Colchester through the CAReless Pollution campaign which encourages residents to switch their vehicle engines off when stationary, alongside working to encourage more people to walk and cycle for short journeys where possible 
• Reducing barriers to the use of electric cargo (eCargo) bikes for transporting goods and people around, working to provide ‘try before you buy’ loan schemes for businesses, alongside the development of pay as you go hire schemes for residents
• Supporting the electric scooter (escooter) pilot in Colchester so people can use these for vehicles for travelling through Colchester for work or leisure. The trial is running till the end of March 2024. 
• Working with TIER to introduce 100 electric bikes for pay as you go use in Colchester. This began in July 2023. 
• Created a secure cycle park in the city centre, which provides a pin locked facility for residents to lock up their bikes whilst in the city. This opened in May 2023 
• Promote existing walking and cycling routes/network around Colchester, and collecting information on ways these routes and route wayfinding can be improved 
• Creation of an electric vehicle car club, where residents can borrow electric vehicles on a pay as you go basis, helping to reduce private car ownership and support residents to try out electric vehicles 
• Supporting Essex County Council to deliver improvements to the infrastructure to support cycling, such as improvements between Greenstead, University of Essex and the City Centre. 
• Working with Essex County Council to understand how the Council can support the provision of electric vehicle charge points across Colchester. Essex County Council published their draft Essex Electric Vehicle Charge Point Strategy for consultation in July 2023.  

Find out more information on the sustainable travel webpages accessible from our sustainability webpage.

Case study: CAReless Pollution campaign

Air pollution is a serious issue in Colchester, contributing in some way to an estimated 1 in 20 deaths. The main source of Colchester’s air pollution is exhaust fumes from vehicles. The CAReless Pollution campaign aims to raise awareness of ways we can reduce air pollution from cars, for example by turning off our engines when waiting at traffic lights or when parked. Lots of work has helped to raise awareness Find out more about the project here.

Case study: Colchester eCargo bike library

The Colchester eCargo bike library project aims to promote and encourage the use of electric cargo (eCargo) bikes for transporting materials and people, rather than using cars or vans. Ecargo bikes are a greener, quicker and healthier way to transport things around. The Council secured grant funding to buy 25 eCargo bikes and 5 electric trailers which were shared out across the Council and with 10 ‘champion’ organisations to use on a long-term loan. The rest are available for organisations to try out on short term loans of 1-3 months. Find out more about the project here.

The project has been very successful with over 30,000 miles travelled on the bikes since the beginning of the project in 2021.  The success of the project has led to two further successful grant bids involving eCargo bikes; the creation of a shared travel hub for residents to use eCargo bikes (and other bikes) on a pay as you go basis and the creation of a city centre eCargo delivery service that businesses can use to deliver shopping to their customers. These are both exciting developments so watch this space!