A TRANSPORT survey has revealed that car trips in Hereford reduced by four per cent over a three year period.

Herefordshire Council was awarded £4.97 million from the Local Sustainable Transport Fund for the Destination Hereford project from 2011 to 2015 with the overall aim to reduce congestion and improve journey choices.

A Hereford travel survey was undertaken in October and November 2015, which 2,932 households completed, and these results were compared to a 2012 traffic survey.

Following a question from the member of the public, an evaluation report on the Destination Hereford analysis has been released.

The report said that car trips undertaken across all journey purposes have decreased from 66 per cent mode share in 2012 to 62 per cent in 2015 (excluding personal business journeys due to an anomaly in the 2015 survey results).

Active travel (cycling and walking) trips have increased from 22 per cent mode share across all journey purposes in 2012 to 27 per cent mode share in 2015; and a public transport mode share has remained at a similar level to 2012, with an 8 per cent mode share for all journey purposes in 2012 and 7 per cent mode share in 2015.

There has been a net change of 2.7 per cent from car driver journeys to public transport and active travel modes over the last three years for main journey purpose.

Herefordshire resident Kate Sharp said: "Naturally the summary takes no account of the cuts in public transport provision over the same period, so this modal shift is despite reduced services in some areas.

"Also it is a summary and so ignores a wider range of changes in 'modal shift.'

"This report might mean that with extra public transport – electric buses, trams and more active travel improvements more people would be encouraged to leave the car at home and reduce congestion in Hereford further.

"This would be achieved quicker and more cheaply than any road building schemes."

Last Wednesday Herefordshire Transport Alliance and Rail and Bus for Herefordshire ran a stall in High Town to raise awareness of a tram scheme for Hereford. 375 people signed their petition against the South Wye Travel Plan, which does not include tram plans.

Rail and Bus for Herefordshire has arranged a talk by David Edwards, chairman of Heart of Wales Line Development Company Ltd, at 2pm on Wednesday, October 12 at Merton Hotel in Commercial Road, Hereford. The talk will include the possibilities of new stations at Pontrilas and Whitestone.