Big ideas to cut congestion in Morden Industrial Area
Congestion in Morden Industrial Area is set to become a thing of the past, with this week’s launch of Smart Travel. The initiative, set up and funded by Merton Council, is designed to reduce the number of cars that clog up the roads in the industrial area, by encouraging people who travel alone by car to use alternative ways of getting to work.
The scheme was launched earlier this week to coincide with the national campaigns, Bike Week and Car Share Week. The thousands of workers in Morden Industrial Area (MIA) were offered information on the benefits of more environmentally friendly ways of travelling to work, such as cycling, walking and public transport, as well as details of how to take advantage of the new scheme, MIA Car Share.
Furthermore, people were encouraged to consider ‘Smart working’, by working from home if possible, and were given the opportunity to enter into a free prize draw to win travel vouchers up to the value of £500, a computer and even a new bike. Businesses based in MIA were also told about the funds that Smart Travel is offering to firms, to carry out improvements in support of Smart Travel’s objectives.
The MIA Car Share scheme works by matching up people who live near each other, after they have registered on the website, http://www.sharethecar.org, or by calling the hotline. “There is a lot of dissatisfaction about the congestion caused by parked cars in MIA, but many people simply do not need to bring their car to work every single day”, says Councillor Russell Makin, Cabinet Member for Planning and Regeneration.
“The MIA car share scheme has the potential to be a great success, because with almost 4000 people working in the area, chances of finding a match are high.”
He concluded, “If lots of people participate in Smart Travel, the benefits will be huge, ranging from healthier hearts for those that decide to cycle or walk, to less congestion and improved access in the area, and a reduced cost of fuel for drivers who share.”
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