Ride to Work Week 2020
Get ready for Ride to Work Week 2020!
From 23-29 March 2020 we’re challenging you to get your colleagues riding to work. Already a regular rider? Register on Love to Ride to log your miles and win prizes!
For every ride you log over 10 minutes you’ll be entered each day to win a £600 local bike shop voucher, lights, gloves and more.
If you share your story of how you replaced a car journey with a bike journey you can even win a £1,800 Ribble e-bike!
Share with your colleagues and register today
Clean Air Day 2019 was a big success
June might feel like a long time ago but we’re so pleased to share the successes of Clean Air Day 2019. Read the full report on the Clean Air Day Website.
250 official supporter organisations and 3,700 participating organisations took part in Clean Air Day last year, #CleanAirDay trended on social media providing 381 million opportunities for people to view and learn about air pollution. 3,800 Clean Air Day toolkits were downloaded. Over 2,000 news and broadcast items carried Clean Air Day stories, and most importantly 400,000 people experienced cleaner air at over 600 events ranging from school street closures and cycle commuting to traffic-free city centres and street parties.
Did your organisation take part? Make sure you share your story with Clean Air Day.
Download the full Clean Air Day 2019 report, and we can’t wait to get planning for Clean Air Day 2020 on 18th June…
#MeetYourMinimum – 30 minutes of activity a day
Did you know, the NHS recommends you undertake a minimum of 150 minutes of physical activity a week. That’s just 30 minutes a day Monday-Friday leaving you plenty of time to relax at the weekend!
30 minutes a day isn’t a lot when you think about it, that could be a walk or cycle to work, a walk to and from the bus stop, or just strolling with your kids to school. It all adds up!
We want our members to pledge to #MeetYourMinimum, and at just 30 minutes a day it’s easy.
Download our posters below and let your colleagues know
8-16th June 2019 – Bike Week
Bike Week is the UK’s annual awareness-raising week to showcase everything that’s great about cycling!
Bike Week aims to get many more people across the UK to give cycling a try. So we are encouraging people like you to get out on your bike between Saturday 8 to Sunday 16 June 2019.
Why not experience ‘everyday’ cycling – whether that’s riding your bike to work, school, to the shops or for leisure – and see how easily it can be a part of your daily life. Hundreds of great events will be taking place suitable for people of all ages and levels of experience to help you enjoy cycling, such as family-friendly rides, bike maintenance workshops, bike breakfasts and group rides.
Visit the website to see what’s happening near you.
You could even organise an event for friends, colleagues or your local pub or club. Simply register with Bike Week to benefit from:
• Event listing promoted across the UK
• Free public liability insurance
• Promotional materials and tips to make the most of your event.
Want to get involved with Bike Week at your workplace? Find out more at the Bike Week website, or download an events pack.
#BikeWeekUK #7DaysofCycling
30/30 Essex
Are you ready to take the challenge?
3030 Essex is a great way to begin or refresh your journey to getting more physically active.
No challenges to complete, no distances to run, no targets to beat – just 30 minutes of activity for the 30 days of June – your way!
Why not use June as an opportunity to try a new activity or sport? There’s plenty of inspiration from our Daily Guest Editorseverything from This Girl Can ambassadors, the Fire Brigade and Help for Heroes – they’re all lined up to give you a daily dose of ideas.
Busy Lives
Probably the most used excuse for not getting active – but in reality – we can all make time to fit in 30 minutes a day. Chunk the time down into 10 or 15 minute blocks; a brisk walk at lunchtime or picking up the pace when taking the dog for a walk. Everything counts.
Buddy Up and make it fun
Some people like to exercise alone – but it can be more fun to involve family, friends or colleagues. A good excuse to try a new club or class. Throughout June clubs & organisations across Essex will be staging Open Events where you can go along and just observe or join in a taster session.
Record your efforts with our special A Second a Day app – https://1se.co/ Just record one single second each day while you’re involved in your activity and it will build into a whole minute film by June 30th.
Why bother?
Simply put – you’ll feel better! When you exercise your body releases endorphins, a chemical that fights stress and makes you feel good. It increases energy and stamina, helps manage weight, improves cholesterol levels, lowers blood pressure, prevents osteoporosis and cancer and helps with your positive mental health. More a question of why not bother!
Find out more about how you can sign up your workplace on the 3030 website
October 2018 Uni bike rides
Join us for a bike ride every Wednesday afternoon from the 10th October!
Cycling is a cheap, healthy and green way to travel around Colchester.
Each ride will show you some mainly off road and quiet routes to useful local destinations. While on the rides we will point out useful information for students cycling in the UK for the first time, and cycling tips to build confidence and help you cycle more safely.
- Town Centre – to access shopping, eating, services, night life and lovely green spaces, heritage and the arts.
- Off campus student accommodation so you know how to visit your friends by bike! (Including Meadows, University Quays, The Maltings, Greenstead House, Avon Way and Forest Road
- Wivenhoe – as a great place to go locally for an evening or weekend out with good pubs, lovely eating places, art galleries, Wivenhoe Bike Kitchen and lots of interesting sustainability projects
The final ride ‘See Me’ will focus on cycling safely thought the winter months.
For more information about cycling in Colchester visit www.cyclecolchester.org.uk and the Uni’s cycling pages and Essex Blades Cycling Club’s facebook page for more about the support the University offers to cyclists
You will need your own bike. If you haven’t got one yet, Re-Cycle sell refurbished second hand bikes at the Freshers fair. Be sure to get there on time as the bikes sell fast!
Bookings for the bike rides will be accepted up to one hour prior to the start of the ride.
21 June 2018 – Clean Air Day
Clean Air day is coming up on Thursday 21 June. This year CTPC members are planning to focus on #NoIdling – encouraging drivers to switch off their engines when stationary for more than one minute. Examples include when parked, waiting, loading/unloading and where there are long delays such as at Eastgates and at complex traffic light junctions such as both ends of Brook St and in Magdelen St (both in air quality management areas)
Colchester has four declared air quality management areas where Nitrogen Dioxide levels exceed the EU legal limit. The main source of the air pollution is from motor vehicles. Air pollution is believed to have contributed to over 140 early deaths in Colchester last year alone.
Find out more about air quality in Colchester
Transport is a massive source of air pollution. Toxic gases (such as nitrogen dioxide) and particulate matter emitted by vehicle engines can cause a whole range of health problems, ranging from coughing and itchy eyes to an increased risk of heart disease, stroke, cancer and even premature death. Children are particularly at risk with air pollution linked to low birth weight and poor lung development. The health impacts of air pollution cost the NHS around £54 billion a year.
You are not safer inside the car either. If you are sitting in stationary traffic, the air pollution in your car from the exhaust of the car in front is worse than outside your car.
Find out more about the health impacts of poor air quality
Leaving engines running while stationary is an unnecessary source of air pollution. Switching off when stationary is a simple action everyone can take that can make a big difference.
A recent study showed in areas of high air pollution due to traffic congestion, switching off engines can reduce peak concentrations in air pollution by as much as 20-30%.
CTPC members will be looking at No Idling promotions on their own sites and with their own staff and asking staff to help spread the word.
Clean Air Day offers really useful free resources to provide training, guidance and downloadable posters and flyers to support ‘No Idling’ campaigns.
If you are interested in getting involved in helping spread the message about air pollution, it’s impact and how to reduce air pollution, get in touch; or if you are a school, workplace or healthcare provider, Clean Air Day has developed free tailored downloadable action packs.
Find out more about free resources to take part in Clean Air Day 2018
If you want to know more about how you can reduce your own contribution to air pollution, have a look at the Clean Air Day website or it you want to get involved in helping make Colchester’s air safer to breathe get in touch with the local community group Clean Air Colchester
May 2018 – Walking Month
May is national walking month so a great time to focus on promoting walking at your workplace!
Here are a few ideas for joining in in walking related activities and promotions.
Jane’s Walk Colchester returns for its 8th year!
Friday 4th to Monday 7th May
On May Bank Holiday weekend, Jane’s Walk Colchester returns for its 8th year – local walks led by local people on local themes; all given free, in celebration of the late urbanist and activist Jane Jacobs (1916-2006). It’s a great weekend for staying in town!
Find out more and download the schedule of walks from the Walk Colchester website
#TRY20WITHUS
Living Streets’ month-long celebration of walking takes place throughout May!
During May we want to see as many people as possible give walking everyday journeys a go. Living Streets offer 20 top tips to incorporate more walking into your day plus lots of interesting facts and figures to keep you motivated.
Why not organise some lunchtime walks with colleagues or walking meetings?
Colchester Town Centre walking quiz
If you are based near the town centre use the quiz questions to organise some lunch time walks or set your colleagues a daily walking challenge!
Walk the Talk at North Colchester Business Parks
If you work on the business park or Severalls, help us promote Walk the Talk, 12 local walks of differing lengths, that give you information about how much time it will take, how many calories it will burn and number of steps. So you might want try Love Your Heart, or the Crescent Loop, do the Tesco Hop or go for a longer Highwoods Country Ramble. However much time you have available there will be a walk to suit you.
Rate your walk
Tell Living Streets about your everyday walk and help create #walkingcities across the uk. Whether it’s a walk you do every day, or a stroll you take while having a crack at one of Living Street’s fun #Try20 tips – tell them about it and they can build a picture of the state of our Walking Nation.
Walk to School Week is 21-25 May
If you have got kids, focus on 21 – 25 May and incorporate walking into your journey to school, whether all the way or park away from school and stride the rest of the way in. Take Living Street’s pledge, get top tips, enter their prize draw – and be part of the best walk in the best week of the year.
Find out more about Walk to School week
Happy Shoes day fundraiser
On Tuesday, 22 May 2018 thousands of children and grown-ups around the country will be wearing their happy shoes.
Why? They all want the right to walk to school safely, with fewer traffic jams and less toxic fumes in the air. They will be taking part in Living Street’s event; Happy Shoesday which encourages more children to walk to school and raises vital funds for their work.
October 2017 Uni bike rides
Join us for a bike ride every Wednesday afternoon from the 11 October from the University. Choose from a variety of rides with different focuses!
Cycling is a cheap, healthy and green way to travel around Colchester. There are lots of off road and quiet cycle routes that you can use if you aren’t confident to cycle on the roads.
We are working with Essex Blades Cycling Club and the University to offer bike rides for staff and students throughout October to help highlight useful routes, build confidence and familiarise students new to the UK with the highway code and other useful information to help them cycle safely.
If you would like to go on one of the rides please complete the booking form below. You will need your own bike. If you haven’t got one yet, Re-Cycle sell refurbished second hand bikes at the Freshers fair. Be sure to get there on time as the bikes sell fast!
Visit www.cyclecolchester.org.uk for more information about cycling in Colchester, the Uni’s cycling pages and Essex Blades Cycling Club’s facebook page for more about the support the University offers to cyclists
Bookings for the bike rides will be accepted up to one hour prior to the start of the ride.
P&R added to bus network map
We have recently updated our bus network map to include the Park and Ride. Our map shows the main frequent bus services that are suitable for commuting to work or regular travel.
There is also a separate map for North Colchester which gives more detail for people working at North Colchester Business Park and Colchester Hospital.
You can download the maps below.
Colchester’s frequent buses network map
North Colchester bus network map
*Please note, since we updated the map, First have withdrawn their 65 peak hour loop around the North Colchester Business Park, however it is currently still reflected on our map.