MORE than 12,000 households in the north of York have benefitted from the most extensive door-to-door exercise ever carried out by the city council.

The i-Travel York exercise happened over two-years, to give people free tailored travel advice to encourage alternative travel options like cycling, car sharing, walking and public transport.

Twenty-four per cent of people who took part said they are now using their car less, simply because of the scheme.

Since the project’s launch in May 2013, a team of locally recruited and trained advisers have been providing tailored travel advice to people in Rawcliffe, Clifton, Huntington, New Earswick, Earswick, Haxby and Wigginton, and at community events citywide. Nearly 6,500 people participated in a “personalised travel challenge” to try a new way of getting around York, more than 700 children took part in an active travel challenge to try cycling, walking or scooting for 60-minutes a day, and more than 2,500 residents signed up to the project’s online travel club MyTravelYork to receive regular news updates.

In years one and two, 27 per cent of participants also reported they are cycling and walking more; 18 per cent are using the bus more; and 24 per cent are using their car less as a direct result of the project.