Chiswick's Eco-Convert Richard Bacon Joins Transport Commissioner

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As Hounslow Scoops Top Award for Promoting Greener Travel

The London Borough of Hounslow scooped a top award at the Transport for London ‘Sustainable Transport Awards’ held in Madame Tussauds last week.

Mark Frost the School Travel Advisor scooped the ‘School Travel Advisor of the Year’ award, and the borough was runner-up in the ‘School Travel Plan Borough of the Year’ category.

Nearly 300 guests including councils, businesses and schools joined Peter Hendy, Transport Commissioner and Chiswick's TV and Radio 5 Presenter Richard Bacon to celebrate the accomplishments made across London in the past year.

Richard recently gave up his Porsche Cayenne SUV and joined a car club after participating in an Evening Standard challenge for well-known people to change their driving habits.

Cllr Barbara Reid, Executive Member for Environment and Planning at Hounslow Council, said, “This is a well earned award from a hard-working member of the team. I’m thrilled his efforts, and the efforts of the whole team, have been recognised.

“We are working towards making sure all the borough’s schools have school travel plans in place by 2009 to help promote cleaner and healthier ways of travelling, as well as reducing the number of children and young people injured on the borough’s roads.”

More than 100 entries were received across 14 categories and Mark Frost, School Travel Advisor at the London Borough of Hounslow beat strong competition to win ‘School Travel Advisor of the Year’.

Although not having been with Hounslow’s School Travel Plan Team for very long, the judges found Mark had brought many innovative and fresh ideas that have helped to develop the achievements of many schools within the borough.

Mark has been described by his schools as supportive, caring, hardworking and enthusiastic, with one school even taking the time to write a poem about him.

The seventy-seven per cent of schools in Hounslow that now have a travel plan helped Hounslow take the runner-up spot in the ‘School Travel Plan Borough of the Year’ Category. These plans look at how pupils and teachers travel to school each day and use a range of initiatives to encourage more sustainable modes of transport, such as walking and cycling.

Hounslow has led a range of innovative partnership initiatives in connection with school travel planning including, the successful launch of a tailored cycling promotion, cycling to college, sustainable schools and recognising cycling promotion at an all girls secondary schools.

Speaking at the awards, Peter Hendy, Transport Commissioner at Transport for London said, “London’s transport system faces long-term challenges due to its rising population and employment. The initiatives we are celebrating demonstrate the significant part sustainable travel can contribute.

“Success depends on partnership working - the schools programme, for example, has involved boroughs engaging with an additional 600 schools in the last year and with support and funding from Transport for London, has achieved an average 6.7 per cent reduction in car use.

“Congratulations to all those who have won awards and also those who were nominated. The standard and quality of the nominations is better this year than ever before so thank you all for the excellent work done.”

July 3, 2007