Travel Engagement Workshop at Southend High School for Boys

 

ForwardMotion is a Department for Transport funded project between Southend Borough Council, Essex County Council and Thurrock Council.

Part of the project’s aim is to provide travel advice, services and behaviour change interventions that encourage sixth form students to use sustainable and active transport modes.

As part of this project, the travel engagement team visited Southend High School for Boys on 19 December 2018. The workshop consisted of two elements – an interactive session and a practical e-bike trial.

 

   

 

Interactive session

Students participated in an interactive session in the classroom that focused on modes of transport and sustainability. Conversations around how the students would like to see our towns develop were inspired by positive and negative photos of travel options.

Statistics about modes of transport and the associated effects of these travel choices were read out, with students taking part in a true or false quiz.  It was clear in our session how much the students understand the health and environmental issues around travel, and just as importantly they understood that they can make a difference.

At the end of the workshop, the students wrote pledges on how they would change their behaviour to more active and sustainable modes of travel:

 “Will arrange car shares & walk shorter journeys”

“I will encourage my family to walk places”

“Make my Dad cycle to work like he did when he was younger and fitter”.

 

 

E-bike Trial and M-check

Students were offered the chance to ride an electric bike. Many of them had not seen one before and were surprised how easy the e-bikes were to use. Before the trial, 44% of students said they would be interested in e-bikes. After the trial, 82% of students said they would use an e-bike. By the end of the workshop, the majority of students commented that the trial was their most lasting memory of the day.

The students were also surprised by the amount they could fit in the pannier bags, meaning they could easily transport laptops and textbooks. Students who had their driving license or were taking lessons confirmed that talking Bikeability or being a cyclist helped them be a better driver as well as more cycle aware.

Additionally, students were advised on how to run a bike safety check – the ‘M-check’. The students were amazed at how easy this was to remember.

 

Feedback

All 35 students recorded that they were satisfied with the workshop. When asked to name one thing that stood out from the workshop, students responded positively:

  • Trying the e-bikes made the experience feel more attainable
  • The importance of sustainable travel and the impact on the future

The following table provides a breakdown of their answers from our feedback survey:

 

  No answer YES NO
Did you learn at least one thing from the bike check? 32 3
If you tried an e – bike, do think they will catch on? 1 30 4
Was the workshop information put across in a way you understood? 35
Has the session encouraged you to think about active travel? 1 32 2
Will you `be talking to your family and friends about what has happened here today? 33 2
Were you surprised by some of the statistics talked about today? 15 20
Would you recommend this workshop to others? 33 2

 

What we can do for you

Our travel engagement team would be thrilled to come to your sixth form and run this workshop with your students. We can provide:

  • Cycle training/confidence sessions
  • E-bike trial
  • Dr Bike/Bikeworks to be offered
  • Interactive classroom session

As climate change and sustainability continue to be hot topics in the media, we can help educate your students about how they can make a positive impact through their transport choices.

Part of ForwardMotion’s focus is on encouraging behaviour change among sixth form students. Working together, we can deliver an experience that provokes students to both think and potentially act in different ways.

 

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