Nottingham City Council employees who travelled to work without their cars during “at work without my car day” last month, will receive prizes at the Council House on Thursday 23 October at 4pm.

Councillor Jane Urquhart (portfolio holder for transport) will present the prizes which range from theatre tickets for a London show (sponsored by P&MM) to cycle equipment (kindly donated by Bunneys Bikes, Sherwood Pines Cycles, Leisure Lakes and Freewheel).

As part of a drive to encourage its employees to leave their cars at home and travel to work using the bus, tram by bike or walking, the Council held an “at work without my car day.” Over 1100 employees pledged to ditch the car for the day. The names of those who pledged to take part were entered into a prize-draw competition.

Over 300 employees attended roadshows to find out more about travel offers, and to have their bikes checked by an expert. Health tests were also available.

Councillor Jane Urquhart says: “We are delighted that so many employees left their cars at home and found alternative ways to travel to and from work.

“Hopefully, many more people now realise how easy it is to travel to and from work without the car and will continue to do so. Nottingham boasts one of the best integrated public transport infrastructures in the country, and we should be making more effort to use it. We also want to set an example to other organisations in the city by encouraging as many of our employees as possible to leave their cars at home.”

The council’s Staff Travel Plan is a package of measures to help employees choose healthier and greener travel options for the journey to work and for business travel. Examples of some of the measures include:

• tax-free savings on bus travel through the green travel to work scheme
• incentives to car share
• income tax and National Insurance savings on the purchase of new bikes through the Ridewise scheme
• pool bikes
• an online journey planner to encourage people to walk to work.

There is an opportunity to take photos of the prize-draw winners with Councillor Jane Urquhart (portfolio holder for transport) in the Council Chamber at the Council House on Thursday 23 October at 4pm.