Smarter choices

Cycling is a 'smarter choice'
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Smarter choices

'Smarter choices' are effective techniques that influence people's travel habits in favour of sustainable transport. A good example of this is offering them the chance to try out cycling instead of driving.

Headline Message

  • Encouraging and incentivising people to try out alternatives to the private car are valuable and cost-effective complements to improving cycling conditions on the road.  
  • Often known as ‘smarter choices’, measures that are designed to do this include: elements of travel plans; advertising / promotional campaigns, cycle maps, marketing directly to individuals, tax incentives, cycle training, rides, plus events and activities for specific groups of people.

Policy Key Facts

  • Smarter choices (or 'soft measures') are particularly cost-effective in terms of congestion, yielding on average £10 of benefits to every £1 spent.
  • Smarter choice programmes in the Sustainable Travel Towns of Darlington, Peterborough and Worcester made a positive contribution towards economic growth, reducing carbon emissions, increasing health, promoting equality of opportunity, and improving quality of life.

Cycling UK View

  • Smarter choice measures are:
    • a proven way of reducing car use and carbon emissions
    • an effective means of encouraging people to take up cycling, or to cycle more often
    • a good investment, offering an excellent return 
  • Investing in ‘smarter choices’ is at least as important as investing in physical improvements to the highway network. 
  • Both national and local authorities should dedicate sufficient resources to smarter choices, recognising that they rely on revenue rather than capital funding.

2016-03-30 00:00:00 Europe/London

Download the full detailed campaign briefing:

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