Totterdown Transport Initiative 2009
TRESA was awarded a grant to promote active transport (walking and cycling); raise awareness of alternatives to private car use; promote the use of public transport; and actively involve the local community in transport related activities in Totterdown.
Travel MarketPlace: Sunday May 17th 2009
Part of the Totterdown Transport Initiative, the Travel marketplace took place in Totterdown Square (area around Oxford St. shops). There were free bike repairs, a wacky cycle tryout, a bicycle recycle - creating working bikes from old ones. Lots of info and advice.
The 'Dr Bike' sessions ran from 12:00 to 14:30 and 15:30 to 16:30. There was bicycle recycling that day for unwanted cycles, cycle parts, and bike tools too.
The Totterdown Transport Initiative worked at Hillcrest Primary School on 20th May. Parents and pupils were greeted in the morning by four Green People - clad head to toe in shiny green body suits. They were prompting people to consider how people might relate the colour green to arriving at school. This was then explained when Kai and a Green person took the morning assembly, and explained issues around being environmentally aware and transport.
To emphasize the fun aspect of cycling, four different classes had sessions on Wacky Cycles. Then at the end of the day, parents were offered various transport resources at a stall in the playground at hometime.
This project ran for six months. These are some of the ways the project improved transport and travel around Totterdown:
- Increase cycle parking.
- Bringing people in touch with one another to request improvements to Totterdown routes and public transport services.
- Suggested improvements and repairs to Bristol City Council
- Improved journeys to schools.
- Gave information on good ways to get about; e.g. car sharing, City Car Club, safe cycling, best walking routes, local train service to Clifton, cheapest bus tickets.
The Talk of Totterdown Transport Initiative supplement is available here...
The project was coordinated by Kai Paulden. Many thanks for all your great work Kai!
School Road Park
The park on School Road had been gradually declining for years. A group of concerned residents grouped together to look at what could be done about it and joined with TRESA to make an application to 'The People's Millions' Lottery Fund. The big news was that we won the bid of £80,000 to improve the park.
A job well done!
The School Road Park Project is completed: The Avon Wildlife Trust prepared the flower beds for planting by local school children, who have designed a butterfly and bee border.
The play area is completed. The fence around the park has been replaced and a sign is now installed at the entrance to the park, using some spare lottery cash, while a group of volunteers will be creating benches using reclaimed wood.
The response from local children has been very positive, with more visiting the park and staying for longer. We spoke to some local children and parents about their new space:
'It's just great' said Louis, age 6, 'We love the spinning thing, me and my friends come here every day after school now, my friends never used to come here, we were here until it got dark last week!'
One local parent commented: 'We don't have to drive to a park at the weekend any more, and where we might have taken the kids home and put them in front of the telly after school, they are playing outside instead. There isn't too much equipment - so they have lots of space to run around - they are really using their imaginations, climbing the trees, and rolling down the hill, all the things they couldn't do before.'
How the park used to look!
Many thanks to the project leader, Alice Polett, for her dedication and energy in helping to win the BigLottery bid and overseeing the rebuilding of the park.