Staff to Choose, Change or Combine for European Mobility Week

Cobalt Business Park will hold a host of events to support and promote European Mobility Week 16th – 22nd September.

Each year from 16-22 September, European Mobility Week is the most widespread event to raise awareness of sustainable transport. In 2015 1,502 cities are participating across Europe.

The annual awareness raising campaign aims to make all aware about the use of public transport, cycling, walking and all other forms of sustainable transport. The campaign culminates with a one day event called "Leave your car at home day" on the 22nd September.

In 2015 the campaign is asking all to Choose, Change or Combine their modes to travel more sustainably.

As part of EMW Cobalt are introducing a long-term measure that will encourages staff to opt for a sustainable mode of transport in the launch of the brand new state of the art liftshare website and app. Encouraging all on Cobalt to sign up to find their carshare match. With 14,000 staff working an array of shifts and travelling from locations across the region everyone should be able to meet a liftshare partner online to help them save money, miles and make friends along the way to work.

Cobalt are also offering FREE personalised interactive travel plans to all to help staff find the best way to get from a to B, providing them with the information they need to Choose, Change or Combine their modes to work. If everyone changed just one journey a week it would reduce traffic by 20%, like in the school holidays.
For “Leave your car at home day” on 22nd September Cobalt have teamed up with Go North East to provide FREE bus passes to all car drivers who want to trial using the bus on the day. Finally as a big treat for all their efforts Go Ape will be at Cobalt Central from 11:00am – 2:00pm running mini Segway tours available FREE for all at Cobalt.

Additionally during the weeks there are FREE Dr Bike health checks, electric bike demos, cycle shop displays, walk routes and much much more being offered to cover all transport options.

The event is only part of the work Cobalt has done to encourage the workforce to travel more sustainably. Cobalt’s unrivalled transport links have been vital in connecting the regions workforce to jobs at the site which claims a recruitment catchment of over 1.1 million people, the developers have been hugely proactive in travel planning for staff and bus services are a vital part of the jigsaw. Recognition that accessibility would be a key factor in attracting investment led to the creation of an on-site travel centre with its own dedicated Travel Team in 2006. The travel team have been highly successful in helping to develop a comprehensive public transport network, including the flagship ‘Cobalt Clipper’ and Route19 high-frequency bus services.
Lynn Cramman, Business Development & Transport Manager at Cobalt Park said: "Over 14,000 people currently work at Cobalt we are growing all of the time, we ensure we stay ahead of the field by offering all the most recent and numerous initiatives to urge our workforce to adopt sustain¬able methods of travel, such as cycling or using buses rather than driving”.

"We have supported EMW for the last 8 years, promoting not on the usual sustainable transport methods but also some more unusual modes such as the Segways this year and we have even had horses in the past”.

“Cobalt has a comprehensive package of sustainable measures for our staff to commute to work and we are seeing a substantial increase in staff seeking advice on alternatives to driving to work on their own. Cobalt’s infrastructure supports the wider bus network and is central to the waggonways and cycle routes which ensures Cobalt in fully integrated within the Tyne and Wear region”.

“The events have been used as a platform to increase awareness throughout the park of Cobalt’s car sharing scheme, 1,000’s of buses, electric car charging points, discount travel tickets, personal travel planning services and cycle initiatives including Cobalt’s monthly cycle hub that provides everything a new or established cyclist could need to help them cycle throughout the year plus much more.”

Cobalt Park is one of the best connected business parks in the country daily linking to over 40 key residential destinations, over half of those buses come directly into the park.

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