Newcastle City Council launch sustainable transport campaign

Newcastle residents were today urged to hop on, charge up and join the club as part of the launch of the Go Zero sustainable transport campaign.

Go Zero aims to encourage people to use greener modes of transport in order to reduce carbon emissions in the city.

Run by Newcastle City Council, it encourages Newcastle’s residents to make use of the Great Park & Ride X40 bus service, charge their electric vehicles at the city’s free accessible charging points and join Newcastle’s Car Club, which gives access to a car even if you don’t own one.

The campaign is part of the council’s ongoing commitment to reduce Newcastle’s carbon emissions by at least 20% by 2020*and its aim is to make choosing sustainable ways to travel easy and accessible for everyone.

Harvey Emms, assistant director of Development at Newcastle City Council, said: “The Go Zero campaign is a fantastic way for the people of Newcastle to find out more about travelling in a way that is easier, greener and often cheaper.

“This will help reduce the city’s carbon emissions, making Newcastle a much cleaner environment in which to live and work’.”

The campaign will include the launch of an app showing the location of the electric vehicle charging points, car club bays and the route and stops of the Great North Park and Ride Bus, and news and information on how residents can save money by making the most of the greener transport options available.

The Great Park and Ride is located at Newcastle Great Park, three miles north west of Newcastle City

Centre, close to the A1 road, off Brunton Lane. The site, delivered by NGP Consortium in partnership with Newcastle City Council, offers a secure car park where commuters can park their vehicles for free and beat the traffic with a short, cost-effective bus trip via the X40 straight into the city centre.

Newcastle also benefits from one of the largest networks of electric vehicle charging points in the UK with more than 70 free-to-use points available.

Newcastle’s ‘Co-wheels Car Club’ encourages local people to join up, allowing them to make use of the ‘pay by the hour’ cars which are parked in designated bays across Newcastle.

The cars can be used and then returned to the same or a different bay across the city, which removes the hassle and expense of car ownership but gives the benefit of being able to use a car as and when needed.

Local Newcastle resident and expert on carbon emissions and pollution, Prof Margaret Bell (CBE), Science City Professor of Transport and the Environment at Newcastle University, is a renowned expert in her field.

Professor Bell added: “Newcastle is leading the way in terms of exploring how to make our environment in which we live and work cleaner and healthier. CO2 emissions are destroying planet earth and other gases are harmful to people and everything around us.

“These initiatives are a great way forward and by the public engaging with the local authorities, we can all contribute to making Newcastle a most desirable place to live and work.”

Everyone who lives and works in Newcastle can easily access information on the Go Zero campaign, including locations of designated Co-Wheels Car Club bays, electric charging points and bus stops on the X40 route, by visiting www.go-zero.co.uk